Jamie Williamson

It takes a certain type of kid to play tournament softball or be the parent of the athlete who plays. I get to witness both of these people in my niece and my sister. My niece has been playing softball since she was 6. She is now 13 and her love is still there and doesn’t seem to be fading. She also found she had a natural ability to pitch. She started pitching and has only gotten better over time. As she got older she started playing tournament softball which is a completely different game than the local league ball she had been playing. Tournament ball takes dedication, time, and practice. My sister has been there through the years never missing a game.

I have watched my niece grow up playing the game she loves and often time sacrificing other things to play tournaments on the weekends. Her weekends are usually dedicated to softball as is most of her week. She has to juggle pitching and batting lessons as well as team practices around school work and hanging with friends. She does all this without complaint to get the chance to play a game she is good at and loves. She wants to be a professional softball player when she gets older. I would say she has the talent and drive to get there.

I have also gotten to witness my sister always being there for her daughter in support of the game she loves. My sister never complains about having to sacrifice her time or money to give my niece the chance to pursue her dreams. She is always at every game and encourages not only her daughter but every girl out on the field. She is the team mother on my nieces current team and over sees everything the team needs. If a girl were to need anything while playing a tournament my sister is the one to go to her bag is always filled with the essentials.

Right now they are both working toward going to the FASA World Series in Branson Missouri. My sister taking care of getting all the girls shirts, towels, and pins for the opening ceremonies. My niece is playing in a tournament every weekend to earn points for her team. They are also both working on fundraisers to get enough money to cover costs while in Branson for a week. Both of them would not be who they are if it weren’t for softball tournaments.