Back row L-R Me, Robyn, Bronnie, Kylie, Front row L-R Patricia Tracey & MichelleThe theme for Flashback Friday this week is Group Photo. This was my softball team back in Canberra; a mixture of my friends and my younger sister Bronwen's friends. It was the last day of the season and we'd done quite well considering what a scratch team we were.
I love softball. I'd probably still play it if there was a nearby team and I had any free time. I was a district representative for an under-16 team that played in a big Melbourne Competition (we were billeted and everything!) and the coach used to put me as first batter because I'd hit anything and was never scared. My favourite fielding position was Catcher; you had to be able to throw to 2nd base to stop runners 'stealing second'. There was a huge amount of bluff associated with this. When you warmed up, pre-game, you put in the effort to send a good hard throw to 2nd base so that the batting team would be too intimidated by your good throwing arm. Once you'd done the good throw in the warm up you could merely jump up with a menacing look and the would-be stealers would slink back to first base and never test you out.
For a change I know what year this was taken because my hair is still braided (or French plaited as we called it) from my Year 10 Formal, which means it was 1982. That was the year I was the lead in the school play and therefore more popular than I'd ever been at high school, which I did not realise until too late. It kind of hit me after the play, because suddenly cool kids smiled and talked to me. And then at the formal Ben Welze asked me to dance with him and he was the best looking, sportiest, coolest, everyone-likes-him boy in our year. I was so shocked. I didn't really know what to do. I think I danced with him without exchanging a single word. It's possible that I barely looked at him.
Definitely didn't get to second base with him. Nor first neither. *sigh*
I'm the guest tyrant over at Sussanah's for Come The Revolution Friday.
A place where nobody dared to go, the love that we came to know, they call it Soozadoo
(that's for my BFFF Nell who did not sleep wiz ze Frenchman)
A place where nobody dared to go, the love that we came to know, they call it Soozadoo
(that's for my BFFF Nell who did not sleep wiz ze Frenchman)
Wow!
ReplyDeleteThe things you learn!
-J.
I loved softball. Even after I got clobbered in the head by a flying aluminium softball bat that the current batter chucked once she hit the ball.
ReplyDeleteIt's true what they say, head wounds really do bleed a lot.
Oh, sorry, I've made this about me again, haven't I? :)
Like most sports, I got bored with Softball as there wasn't enough batting and too much boring outfielding, where i'd daydream and not pay attention to the game.
ReplyDeleteWow, you really were a mover&groover in school - talk about jealous !!
I don;t think i've got any group shots for today - an attestment to my own popularity, perhaps ?!
hmmm
Softball? Softball? The ball was so hard, and I was scared of it. Only the tough, sporty girls played it (and netball) at our school, and I was scared of THEM.
ReplyDeleteI bet that boy remembers you as the one who got away...
(BTW, hope you're feeling well?)
I was like h&b - out in the outfield daydreaming. Not that I played a lot.
ReplyDeleteHow cute that that guy asked you to dance and you barely looked at him! hehe
*Snort* at LC.
ReplyDeleteWhat she's really saying is "I hope you're not pregnant ?!"
*giggle*
Yes, I was a daydreamer too, and my throwing arm? no good. I got hit in the head too, but not by the bat, by the ball. And no I wasn't fielding at the time. I can confirm that the ball is definitely -not- soft.
ReplyDeleteI was most definitely NOT a mover and groover at high school. Doing drama kind of saved me, and gave me my little moments of sunshine. For the rest I was shy AND a girly swot, not to mention pale, red-haired and under-developed when the thing to be was blonde, tan and buxom.
ReplyDeleteAlso, outfield-ing was incredibly boring and I too hated being given that gig.
Girls; there was no vomiting, the MAPs of today have most definitely improved.
and no I wasn't batting either. I was pretty bad at most sport but not that bad.
ReplyDelete(I was sitting on the side waiting to bat)
Only sport I ever liked. Not for sissies though!
ReplyDeleteLacking in hand/eye coordination, softball was my definition of hell. Nothing like a hard (yes LC is right...it is bloody hard) ball being thrown at you at great speed by one of the tough, sporty girls.
ReplyDeleteYou can see why people go into the performing arts...it does offer coolness by the bucketload!
You must have been tough and strong. I am very impressed that you could even throw to second base! Lucky you didn't talk to the best guy in school. Those dudes always peaked too early. High school was the pinnacle of their social development. The quiet, nerdy guys grew up to be much nicer.
ReplyDeleteI am afraid that that hard ball had me freaked out too and like Fairlie I was not the most coordinated of girls. Isn't it amazing how moments like yours at your school dance can remain so clearly in your memory bank - mind you it was obviously a pretty significant moment! Gawd just seen the word verification code - I swear they are getting harder to read!! Yep got it wrong - have to try again!!!
ReplyDelete..and I used to play second base and was so proud of being able to throw the ball all the way back to the catcher!! I loved Softball too - and I played in Canberra - that photo is eerily similar to some I have!!
ReplyDeleteWe had to play softball in primary school, and I can't say I much enjoyed it. I can only catch with a mit on my right hand, but I also throw right-handed, so every time I caught a ball I would have to then hold it in my left hand while I shoved the mitted right hand under my left armpit to extract said right hand and then throw the ball - v, time-consuming. Also no-one liked me much so they would make me bat when the bases were loaded and the pitcher would always hit me with the ball so my team would get at least one home on a walk, but the other team didn't care because they got to inflict pain. Nice town I grew up in.
ReplyDeleteI loved softball.
ReplyDeleteBut I got hit a lot.
What an awesome picture. I have a pretty hilarious softball team picture. The scenery there is amazing. Those mountains!
ReplyDeleteThe ball IS hard. The only time I ever hit the ball was when I had my eyes closed.... sigh, can't imagine why they didn't put me on the actual team! Nell - you let zee freeenchman git away?!
ReplyDelete: )
ReplyDeleteis it anything like rounders? I loved rounders at school as long as it wasn't played seriously. As soon as a game got competitive it lost its fun.
ReplyDeleteI could spot you in a second, you still stand like that....
ReplyDeleteNow that crazy malarky market is over time for a coffee and gossip methinks?
You psyched out your opponents? Heck, you'd have freaked me out. I loved softball but I couldn't hit hard enough. But that satisfying thwack! when I did hit it? It's still with me!
ReplyDeleteWhat a self-possessed young person you must have been. =Ok, excpet for the dance. But on the field, whoa, you must have been some opponent!