Looking Back: Hailey Shaw
(The Looking Back series features Anna Maria College spring student-athletes and coaches to tell their story about what they will miss following the cancellation of the spring season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We celebrate our student-athletes and coaches by allowing them to share their stories and hope their own words can bring a positive light during these unprecedented times.)
Written by Hailey Shaw (Jr., UTL, Salem, NH/Salem HS, Social Work)
PAXTON, MA - Looking back isn’t something I was taught to do so this is hard. I have always been told to look ahead, look at the big picture, how can you be better? But during times like this reflecting and thinking about what has happened is so important and wow, I will miss so much.
The game of softball has been my livelihood my whole life. An escape from the outside world and the stresses that come with it. I mean, what relieves stress more than hitting something with a bat? As a transfer student, I had to come into a new team and a new coach, and I was welcomed in with open arms and smiling faces. I lost my fall ball season due to an injury, so I had a lot to prove. I accepted the challenge and worked day and night to be ready for the season and be able to perform my best for the team. I have learned the value of mental toughness and remembering the “why.” Figuring out why I play throughout the years has been the biggest eye-opener for me and has given me the motivation and the drive to play for my team and be the most reliable player I can be. I have learned how to go from playing outfield to playing the infield in all aspects. You never know where you will go but I have learned to accept new positions as they come and how to adapt.
When I reflect, I am so thankful for late practices on a hard gym floor, under lights that you can barely see the ball in the air. I am thankful for the workouts with Bailey, even after we practiced for an hour and are sore. I am grateful for the study halls where even though we got work done, we all still found time to laugh together. I am so grateful we got to go down to Florida and get some games in. I’m going to miss all those things. I am going to miss the dirt in my cleats and even in my pants at times, the arm soreness, the 20-degree games where you just want to wear a jacket, but you can’t. I will miss the smell of the field after it rains, even when the dirt is this hard mud and hard to run in. I will miss the bruises after getting hit by a pitch, the scrapes after sliding or diving on hard dirt, the dirt-covered uniforms after making a diving play or just diving into a base. I will miss the turf beads that get into every part of your uniform even if you don’t touch the ground once. I will miss the feeling of a good hit, the sound of the bat or the ball hitting the glove just right, and the excitement when you steal or take an extra base. I will even miss the stress of an 0-2 count.
What I miss goes even further than the basics of the game. I will miss my teammates and the chants we used to make the game fun, I will miss the coach’s fungo drills and him screaming “violation.” I will miss the energy the team had and the comradery even when things went wrong. I will miss seeing everyone on campus, my professors and my classes, the community this school has.
To my coaches, thank you for believing in me even when you had no idea what I had to offer other than watching a few games at my old school. You really gave great pointers and helped me understand my new positions. To the trainers, thank you for dealing with my endless need for treatment and knowing what is best for me and getting me to the point where I could play without pain. To my parents, thank you for the everlasting support and all the money and time traveling that was poured in throughout my life for me to do something I loved. I know it was hard, but you always supported me and tried to make me the best I could be. Finally, to my teammates, we aren’t done yet. There’s so much for us to prove. There’s so much heart on this team and so much potential to kill it next season. Thank you for pushing me and helping me so much with adapting and making me all-around better. We are a young team and it is only going to go up from here. And I can’t wait to see what is to come.
STAY CONNECTED:
For the latest on Anna Maria College Athletics, follow the AMCATS via social media on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram.
