Softball Lessons

     My daughter started softball this spring.  She's seven, totally inexperienced and very excited.  I'm hoping that she'll learn all of the important stuff that she needs to become a good ball player, but I'm hoping she'll learn some important life lessons as well.  A very inspiring story from the news this week makes me believe that my hopes may be justified.

     Maybe some of you already heard this story, but it is well-worth repeating.  This past week, the women's softball teams from Central Washington University and Western Oregon University were competing in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference.  Sara Tucholsky, a senior player with the Western Oregon team came up to bat.  With two runners on base and a strike to her credit, she did something she had never done before; she hit a home run!  The crowd cheered as Sara began running the bases but, in her excitement, she failed to actually touch first base.  She turned to step back and tag it and, suddenly, collapsed.  Sara's quick turn had torn a knee ligament.

                                                                 Unable to get up, Sara looked to the first base coach who told her that it was against the rules for her teammates to help her.  The umpire stepped in and said that her team could send in a pinch runner, but the hit would only count as a single.

    In order for the hit to count as a home run, Sara herself would need to touch all of the bases.  Sara was devastated.

    It was then that Mallory Holtman, first baseman for Central Washington University, stepped up to the plate - so to speak.  Mallory asked if there were any rules that would prohibit her, a member of the opposing team, from helping Sara.  When the umpire said no, Mallory and her teammate, Liz Wallace, carefully picked up Sara Tucholsky and carried her from base to base, pausing just long enough for Sara to reach down with her uninjured leg and touch each of them. 

     The three-run homer counted and as a result, Mallory and Liz's team not only lost the game, but lost any chance of winning the conference and going on to the play-offs.  Mallory Holtman and her teammates sacrificed their own chances for a win to help an injured player on the opposing team to be credited with her amazing home run hit simply because she "hit it over the fence" and she "deserved it." 

     This story brought tears to my eyes and a lump into my throat.  Okay, so it is getting to be that time of the month and I tend to be a little extra emotional, but you get my point.  No matter how you slice it, this story is a testament to the great acts of generosity and kindness of which human beings, and perhaps women in particular, are capable.  I don't know about you, but I need to hear more stories like these.  Stories that point to the human potential for good; stories that help to counteract the head-shaking and feelings of despondency and doom that come from hearing tales of corporate greed, road-side bombs, kidnappings and genocide.

     So far my daughter may have only learned that even though she is right-handed, the glove goes on the left hand, but greater lessons are yet to be had.  Thanks to Mallory Holtman and Liz Wallace, she has already learned one of them and there will be more to come.  I'm counting on it.

Comments

[merlotmom]

great post. totally agree it would be nice to hear some of the more positive stories about human nature - but those don't get the ratings, so for now we're stuck with murders, suicides, car chases and such.

[Debbie Yost]

What a great story. I had not heard it. My oldest played soccer for a couple years but we quit when the team was getting more competitive. My daughter was not very talented. Although the girls were always supportive and it was a great experience for her, we decided it was time to move on to other ventures.

[Shilpan]

Lori -

Great post. This story shows that kindness and generosity exists in all human beings. It requires courage and selfless action to bring best of our human virtues to life. Thanks for sharing this great story. I will definitely share this with my daughter, Niki, who plays tennis.

Shilpan

[Margaret]

Gosh, Lori, I cried reading YOUR post about the story. It is indeed unfortunate that we don't hear about these stories more often, perhaps that why they're so moving.

[Lori]

Thanks everyone-

I guess it's true that these stories have such an impact because we hear so few like it. How sad is that?

Shilpan, I agree that there is kindness and generosity in all human beings, but that many either don't have the courage to display those qualities, or they have been warped by society and life experiences that have buried their inherent goodness under so much pain, hatred etc. that they can no longer feel these feelings let alone act upon them.

I do hope that anyone who has heard this story will share it with others. We all need regular reminders of the potential for good that we, and others, all possess.

[Barbara Swafford]

Hi Lori,

What a touching story. It brought tears to my eyes as well.

How nice it would be if the news covered more stories like this, giving people the message that there are many good people out there, and they're not all criminals.

Thanks for sharing.

[Tina]

Your post and this story made my day. Thanks!

[Lori]

Barbara and Tina,

Glad I could make your day. Yes, it would be wonderful if we could focus a little more attention on the positive aspects of being human, wouldn't it?

[Chuck Moreland]

Terra, my daughter, was never interested in team sports in grade school. She preferred to challenge herself as an individual, preferring art and strength training through gymnastics. It was always painful for me, watching her struggle with gymnastics,she was and still is tall for her age and this often created scary moments for both of us as she struggled to achieve her personal goals. I had always wanted her to experience working as part of a team and felt that she would be missing something important in life if that never happened. My personal preference was that she join the swim team. Her physical education instructor enouraged her to try out for the team but Terra had other interests and couldn't be persuaded. Terra went away to college and before I before I knew it was in her junior year and playing FOOTBALL! This was both exciting and TERRAfying for me as you might imagine. I reveled in her joy at finding out she had good hands and once she had the ball, could run like the wind. I lost many, many hours and nights of sleep worrying about her getting hurt. And then, one day, along with cramming for finals and trying to wrap up four years of college education in just three, we get a call that Terra had been tackled in a football game and, although she continued to play, her coach could see that something was wrong, she had suffered a concusion and had to leave the game. My fears had become reality and it could hardly have come at a worse time for my baby girl. She battled dizzy spells and sinus trouble and short-term memory loss for days and was having trouble taking the tests that would determine her grade point average, which was another goal she had set for herself. To make a long story a little shorter, she survived, inspite of the setbacks, has graduated and begun a new job that she both enjoys and excels at, is settling into her new home and has convinced her father, which would be me, that she is happy in every aspect of her life, and that yes, inspite of my doubts, I was and still am a good father. I love you Boog, Dad.

[Lori]

Chuck,

Thanks for the touching and entertaining anecdote! Best wishes to Terra in her new home and her new job.

[Cathy]

Lori,
Excellent post! I agree that we do need to hear more about these type of stories. And, I think they are out there. A great deal more than we ever know about. But, you can't run a 24 hour feed on good stories, only war and devastation seem to get the coverage. If there was money in it, Ted Turner would already have marketed a Good News Network {GNN}.

[Lori]

Cathy,

Glad you liked the post. GNN - Good News Network...I love it! I'd start it myself, but you're right - there is no money in good news and I'm already doing enough work for free!