(TGSP)

The TGSP is first and foremost somebody's little girl. At one time she looked cute as a button, dressed in pink with pigtails. She played with dolls, helped mom bake cookies, and has probably earned a few bucks baby-sitting. She has been, and always will be, daddy's or mommy's little girl.

The TGSP still has all those little girl attributes. The only difference is that now she looks cute dressed in sliders and shorts. If she is wearing ribbons in her hair, they are probably team colors. She still bakes cookies- for the team bake sale; and has probably earned a few bucks- at the team car wash. Now she is, and always will be, daddy's or mommy's little second baseman, shortstop, pitcher, or catcher.

The TGSP takes pride in how much dirt she can collect each weekend. Go to dinner on a night that she is not playing ball, it takes her an hour of primping to get ready. Go to eat after a game, she'll walk right into a restaurant with a streak of dirt across her forehead, ratted hair, stained shirt, and brownish white socks- or brown toes with sandals- and yell "LET'S EAT!"

The TGSP is ready and willing to play softball 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 a huge wardrobe- plenty of tournament shirts, and shorts from all the teams that she has played on. Her parents do her school shopping every weekend at the tournament T-shirt booth. When you say, "Wear something nice", she thinks it means a tournament shirt... WITHOUT dirt stains.

The TGSP needs to get an athletic scholarship. Her parents have spent $100,000 on camps, private instruction, batting cages, gloves, bats, equipment, uniforms, player fees, concession stands, travel, and lodging. THEY'RE BROKE!!!

The TGSP is a fierce competitor. She knows you get out of something only what you put into it. She is not the type of kid to take the easy way out! Standing maybe 5'2" and weighing 120 lbs soaking wet, she is willing to stand in against a pitcher throwing heat from a distance so close that even pro baseball players would get nervous. She is fearless as she plays first or third base at 20 feet from home plate, saying I dare you to bunt- just try to drive one down my throat!!! But mostly she is proud, for no matter what size she may be or what position she might play, no one can tell her that softball is soft- she knows that throwing like a girl doesn't mean what it used to.

The TGSP is playing the game for all the right reasons! SHE LOVES IT! 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 summers getting baked on a 95 degree field with no shade. But the TGSP has her priorities in order: tournaments, league games, team practices, schoolwork, individual batting practice, family, private softball instruction, church, conditioning, softball camps, and boys (maybe church comes before the batting practice- at least on Sundays).

The TGSP has more spirit than maybe any athlete who plays a team sport. At least it sounds that way. Softball is the only sport where a player's ability to cheer can sometimes effect roster decisions. Sooner or later, every fastpitch coach will find a player who can't bunt or hit, is a liability in the field, and spends a lot of time on the bench- but you've got to love her because she always wears a big grin and cheers constantly!

The TGSP learns many valuable lessons during the course of her softball career, like:

- How to get from home to every softball field within a 100 mile radius.

- Last year's sunflower seeds that she found in the bottom of her bat bag aren't too bad if she washes them down with enough Gatorade.

- You can stay at Holiday Inn for $6 bucks a night if you are willing to go 8 to a room.

- Hotels don't monitor pool usage and you can go swimming anytime, whether you're a registered guest or not.

- The hotel's continental breakfast means: 3 bowls of cereal, 1 bagel, 2 donuts and 4 glasses of orange juice.

- Never wash your socks when you're on a winning streak.

- Never wash your socks when you're on a hitting streak.

- Never wash your socks after you've scored the winning run, scored any run, or were close to scoring a run.

- Never trust a mother who says she won't wash your lucky socks.

The TGSP dreams of double plays, slap bunts, sacrifice hits, and future gold medals. 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, the TGSP has a lot of fun every summer- enough to make her come back each year. While the TGSP 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.