Diamonds and a Girl's Best Friends

It is finally that time of year again. The Girls of Spring are on the diamond again.

I have been a softball mom for about 16 years, up until last Spring, when our youngest played her last season as a high school senior. Over the years, I came to love the game, not just watching our own girls play, but in watching the teams develop as players, from daisy-gazing Little League and Park District players, to some pretty damn good athletes at the high school level. I have watched them grow from cute little girls with pony tails and giggles into confident, strong young ladies with beauty inside as well as out.

I also found a joy in not only being a spectator, but capturing moments on the field and in the dugout with my camera. From soaring victories to devastating losses, from personal challenges to team bonding, I have privileged to be there for so many golden moments. Over the last 16 years, I have learned how to watch the game through the lens as well as from the bleachers. What began as just archiving memories of my girls' softball games gradually turned into "sports journalism", in a way. I learned a lot about shooting sports action and utilizing available light. I discovered angles on shots I had never before considered. I learned a lot about photography at softball games that I have since been able to employ shooting other subject matter.

Having watched several of both daughters' teammates grow up with them, and eventually leave the teams as graduating seniors has always been a touch sad. In a way, I think it was preparing me for the day I knew would eventually come-- my youngest softball player's own final season. Though it is always sad to see the girls part ways and go on to bigger things in life, knowing that E's last season had finally come was tough for me. I think it was a little tough not only because of the love of the game and shooting it, but for the bittersweet realization that I've done my job as a parent, and the end of an era has arrived. I had had a couple of jobs that sometimes got in the way of my getting to weeknight games and seeing her play. I wish I could have been there for more games her senior year. But for the games I did make it to, I was gifted with some spectacular moments and plays I was thrilled to have witnessed. Not everything got processed through my Canon's eye; many moments were simply stored in my mind's eye, great memories forever.

This past week, the Lady Comets of Greenville High School started their official practice schedule. Their first game is coming up in two weeks. Over winter, I had time to look through the last few years' worth of softball photos I've taken, and found myself longing for the new season to begin, even though I no longer have a horse in the race, so to speak. Some of the girls E played with are still playing, and I have watched some of them since before high school ball, and look forward to seeing how they do this year, with a new lineup and a new coach. But most of all, I think it's just the love of the game, and the love of shooting the game that is calling to my heart right now.

E thinks it's a little weird, but my husband and I will be watching some of the games again this year. Not as many as we have in the past decade plus, but we'll be able to pick and choose for a change! Confession: I have already stopped by the field once to watch a few minutes of drills, and say hi to a few of the girls, and they were the ones who came up to me and said hi first. They even asked if I would be taking pictures again this year. How can I decline? They love it, and so do I.

Yeah, maybe E is right, it's a bit weird. "Softball Stalking"? Maybe. But after 16 years of being a softball mom, it's kind of hard to just switch it off completely. Especially when I have a camera in my hand.