Chelsey Anderson:

To help make a difference in 2008. I'm going to "Adopt" a soldier http://www.soldiersangels.com/ and do more things for the soldiers in Iraq, like donate care packages, and write letters to children who's parents have passed away. 

• www.quietlyworking.org

• www.woundedwarriorproject.org

I also want to do a lot of community service, and helping out anyone who needs me, donating food, clothing, anything needed.  I believe doing small things in life will make a big difference for anyone.

Jenna Stark:

DeeDee Burns:

I wouldn't actually call my idea a change, but it is definitely something that I would like to see happen.

You might be familiar with the song 'If Everyone Cared' by Nickelback. It basically is talking about if everyone stopped caring for just themselves we would see the day when nobody dies. I know that we can't prevent anybody from dying, but we can care about other people more than ourselves.

I think it would be amazing to live and see the day when nobody dies.

Have a safe and happy New Year.
<D>.<D>

Jessica Richards:

Niki Mendez:

I think making a difference in the world can come in many ways. A difference doesn’t always have to be huge. By doing one small thing you could change someone’s life.

I think about every night what kind of things I can do the next day to make one more person happy. Something as simple as smiling and passing on that smile could make a day for someone.

I heard a story about a man who was planning on committing suicide that very day and as he was walking on his way home from school some bullies came up to him. They knocked down his books and backpack and left him stranded. A boy close by watched the whole act and ran up to him and helped him out. They started talking and walked to their homes together. These two boys became best friends and as simple as helping this guy out, a life was saved.

For my difference that I am/want to make is to help little girls out with their sports. I workout with a few younger girls and help them become better at softball. They really look up to me and there parents are amazed by the difference their daughters have made. One week a young girl, Courtney, needed help with diving, so I helped her. The thing that she lacked was the confidence. She had the skill and the ability to dive but she was scared and had no confidence to push her forward. She had a previous coach that tore her apart. He stripped her of all her confidence and she had no self esteem left. At that day and point in time I had no idea I would be making such a big impact in her life but later I noticed I did. So we worked on diving and different drills for about an hour and I was amazed and proud of the accomplishment she made. I started making the drills fun and I interacted in them as well to make her feel more comfortable. We ended the day good and well, with them a lot of dirt on their shirts. Next week we started warming our arms up and I was chatting with one of the moms. Well all of the moms of the little girls are spreading the news around of my practices and how much their daughters are improving and how they feel about themselves. Courtney’s mom in particular couldn’t believe that change and was so happy of how she feels now.

It’s something as simple as that that can make a difference. I was extremely happy when I heard this news and really made me feel good inside. Just imagine if everyone around the world could make a difference everyday. This place would be an awfully good place!

Mackensey Carter:

Special to StudentSportsSoftball.com

Story of the Year #8: passion
 

Talk about it in the Message Boards
First published December 4, 2007 as "Let's make a statement."

I am writing this article not to protest, but to take a stance on the growing trend in our game of softball. I have been a proud softball player since tee ball and have seen the game change. I have seen it change from a game focused on building self worth and confidence in girls of all ages to a game of unnecessary pressures and unreachable standards of perfection; these pressures and standards are increased by the recruiting process.

There will always be pressures during recruiting and I understand that. Truthfully, that is some of the fun of recruiting; it makes you grow as a person and player. What I want to take a stand against is the increase in early commitments. This increase is hurting our sport and will continue to escalate if it continues to go unchecked.

I have helped coach younger athletes and when I see them loving the game, I see the future of our sport. I want that future to be preserved. I do not want that passion and love to fade once they reach adolescence and I am afraid it will, if the early commitments continue. I am afraid that if they do continue, we will start seeing 10 and 12 year olds beginning the recruiting process.

Right now in travel ball, everyone is working for the same goal: get recruited by the "best" school, get the most money, and do it fast. For some people this goal is reached but for the majority it is not. For that majority, the pressure is even more intense because, although people will not say it aloud, the softball world's view is, the earlier the better. I know because I have experienced all the pressures involved with this process and I have had friends who have been in both situations.

Many uncommitted seniors feel as if there must be something wrong with them if they are not committed by a certain time. They begin to tell themselves these lies of self-doubt and their love of the game slowly fades. If we want to stop this trend, it needs to start with the softball community: the players, the parents, and the coaches. While I know it will not happen overnight, we need to make a joint effort to end this mindset and bring back the passion in softball.

Mackensey Carter pitches for TeamSmith 18U Gold.

If the only reason we are playing softball is to get a scholarship then, what is the point? Why do we spend every weekend driving to secluded fields to play at least three softball games in one day? Why? The answer should be because we get to and want to play this game, not because by doing this we will eventually get a college scholarship (although that is a good perk).

We play to grow not only as an athlete, which pales in comparison to life as a whole, we play to grow as an individual. We play to have fun, to learn about ourselves, and to learn how far we can push ourselves.

In the scheme of life, the lessons we learn and the character we build from this sport are far more important than when we committed and how much money we get. We need to continue playing softball with passion from the heart; the kind of passion that would be the result if each of us knew we only had one day left to live.

Not only do early commitments put pressure on the athletes, they also put pressure on the college coaches. Many college coaches oppose the shift to early commitments, but, in order to be competitive, they feel they must reluctantly jump on the bandwagon. I feel this action has caused a terrible snowball effect without an end or solution in sight.

We have opened Pandora's box and now we cannot seem to find a way to close it again. The programs with the most money effectively control the recruiting spectrum, putting the programs with fewer funds at a disadvantage when it comes to recruiting. I cannot think of a solution to fix this situation if the NCAA will not address it other than individuals taking a stand for what they believe to be right. This may not produce immediate results but at least we are not sweeping the problem under the rug and hoping it goes away on its own because it will not.
 

Lastly, we are talking about teenage girls, sophomores and juniors in high school making a decision that will change their lives. This decision should not be made lightly. I know, because I am a teenager, that most of us do not know what we are going to wear the next morning let alone what we want out of life. With the decisions being made earlier and earlier, transfer rates are on the rise because athletes do not do their homework about the school in the first place.

This is where parental pressure also plays a role. Some girls will go where their parents want them to go without considering whether she will be satisfied with the university as well. Parents should be an integral part of this major decision, but the girl should have the last say in the matter. She is the one who is going to have to live at the university for four years.

I feel that we all mature in high school and usually, we somewhat understand who we are and what we want by the end. If we make such a huge decision before this maturation occurs we may live to regret it.

I do not expect this article to change the whole softball community, but if I opened at least one person's eyes to the changes that need to be made I will be satisfied. In this article, I only speak for myself because I have felt many of the feelings that I have described. My experiences have made me passionate about telling others and warning everyone about the behind the scenes consequences of early commitments.

I do not want the future athletes of our sport to have to deal with these unbearable pressures applied to softball through early commitments. I would love to see individuals stand up beside me and not turn a blind eye to the changes in softball today. I want this sport, which has helped make me who I am today, to be more than just another rat race based on money. I want it to be a game that teaches girls about life and allows them to push themselves farther than they ever thought possible. Let's take a stand so that every girl will grow up passionate and proud of being a softball player.

If you want to contact me, comment on my article, suggest any ways this issue can be curbed, or just take a stance with me please go to www.respectsoftball.blogspot.com and leave a comment. Change the sport one individual at a time.

Mackensey Carter
Senior at Mission Viejo High School
Teamsmith 18U Gold
Committed to Georgetown University