Here's a little story that really deplicts the story of the true Fastpitch Player!

     At one time she looked cute as a button dressed in pink with ponytails.  She had tea parties with her stuffed animals and dolls and helped Mom bake cookies.  She had been, and always will be Mommy's and Daddy's little girl.
     Today the Fastpitch player still has those same little girl attributes.  The only difference is now she looks cute in her slider and shorts.  If she's wearing ribbons in her hair, they are the team colors.  She has become Mommy's and Daddy's little hitter. 
     The Fastpitch player is proud of how dirty she can get.  On a normal family dinner outing, she takes up to an hour primping to get ready, and she still feels somewhat self-conscious.  However between tournament game, she'll strut into any restaurant with a streak of dirt across her face, ratted sweaty hair, a dirt stained shirt, bloody knees, brown socks (they used to be white) or brown toes with sandals and yell, "Let's Eat!"
     The Fastpitch player is ready and willing to play at the drop of a hat!  If she can get away with it, she will play on two teams (in the same day no less).  She has an extensive wardrobe: several hundred t-shirts and boxer shorts from camps, leagues, and tournaments around the country.  When her parents say wear something nice, she thinks it means wear a tournament t-shirt without dirt stains.  She has several old uniforms she has outgrown, but has not discarded because, well, you never know. 
     The Fastpitch player needs to get a scholarship, because her parents are broke spending thousands of dollars paying for camps, batting lessons, pitching lessons, catching lessons, league fees, hotel rooms, out to eat between tournament games, concession stands, gloves, bats, etc., etc...
     The Fastpitch player is a fierce competitor.  She is willing to stand 40 feet away from a pitcher and take a pitch with a measured reaction time that even a major league baseball player would struggle to hit.  She might only be 4'3' and 75 pounds (soaking wet), but she'll dig in at 3rd or 1st, 25 feet away from the batter and challenge them to drive one down her throat.  No matter what position she might play, know one can tell her softball is soft.  She knows that throwing like a girl doesn't mean what it used to. 
     The Fastpitch player has spirit.  She knows that a player's ability to cheer can sometimes affect roster decisions.  She'll go home hoarse from cheering and rooting her team on into the final innings.  She plays the sport for all the right reasons, because she loves the game.  She could hang out at the mall, stay home and watch TV, or spend her summers at the pool.  Instead, she has a tight schedule with limited free time, hangs out on the practice field with a coach in her face, and spends her weekends on a 95-degree field with no shade, waiting to get in the game. 
     The Fastpitch player is diligent and hard working.  She knows the value of hard work.  She understands that you get out of something what you put in it.  She is competitive and doesn't give up easily.  She learns teamwork and spirit.  Most of all she learns to respect all, and fear none.
     The Fastpitch player dreams of double plays, slap bunts, sacrifice hits, and future gold.  Regardless of all the sacrifices, the money, the occasional bad coach, and the little hardships like having to drink water that people have put their hands in, she has a lot of fun every summer -- enough to make her come back each year.  While she knows she will always be Daddy's or Mommy's little girl, she also knows that her destiny is to become tomorrow's modern woman.