Delaney Elling, one of the 2016 Hot 100 top softball players in the nation, says there are too many people to thank for all of their help in getting her to where she is, but there is one group of people she’s grateful for who “keep me in the present… pull me back to Earth when I am lost in my own head (and are) the most important people in my life: my family.”
In this blog, she points out how her parents and sisters support her and what they mean in her life.
Delaney is from Washington, Pa. and is a 6-foot first baseman/catcher who is talented enough on the field to play in the Big Ten at Penn State, while also smart enough to have been offered by Stanford with her 4.0 GPA and 30 on the ACT. She plans on majoring in Bio-Medical Engineering once she hits the Nittany Lion campus.
As a sophomore this past spring Delaney was named a Pennsylvania AAA All-State 1st Team catcher after hitting .684 with 32 RBI.
Be sure to check out Delaney’s previous blogs and those of our other standout bloggers!
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The cool autumn breeze and the smell of turkey in the air can only mean one thing: Thanksgiving is here, my friends!
Thanksgiving is not just the time of year where schools give a week break, although that’s very nice and very important, but it is also the time to truly reflect and give thanks to those all around you.
At first when I knew I was going to write on the topic Thanksgiving, I tried to find specific people and opportunities in which I was grateful for.
However, as I soon realized, there are way too many people to thank for all the wonderful things that have happened in my life. I realized I could not possibly mention everyone I was grateful for in this blog or else you would become utterly bored before I even finished this paragraph.
Therefore, I want to thank those that keep me in the present, the people that pull me back to Earth when I am lost in my own head, the most important people in my life: my family.
I’m a worry-wart and a bit of a perfectionist to state it simply. Okay, maybe more than “a bit” but you get the point.
Recently I have really struggled with my compulsive inner drive for perfection in all aspects of my life. When I sink beneath the surface of the sea of stress in my head, I look to my family to help pull me out of the water before I drown.
Not only have my parents supported me in all the endeavors I chose (even when I was learning the violin and made them both listen to me play “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” multiple times a night. Wow, I am so sorry that they had to go through that) but they never lost faith in me or my abilities when I lost the faith in myself.
Of course I am grateful for all the mileage, all the equipment, all the time, all the everything that goes along with playing competitive softball, but it is their support and unwavering belief in me that I am eternally grateful for.
Similar to my parents, my three sisters are my anchors when it comes to life in general. My older sister is arguably my biggest fan. Even if I would go 0-for-100 at the plate, she would be the one to bet any money that I would hit a home run the next at-bat. Her money is on me. Always.
There is so much I could write about my little sisters. I don’t even know where to begin. They truly bring out the best in me. They show me why I started playing softball when I need the reminder. They remind me to have fun and, trust me, no one knows fun like two 10-year-olds! They undoubtedly push me to be a better person and to be a good role model for them.
My sisters’ constant support in not only softball, but all aspects of life, shapes me into the person I am. I wouldn’t be the same player, or person for that matter, without their influence. For their confidence and faith in me, I am always thankful.
I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not the best in expressing my thoughts through words and I know how hard it is to try to explain your feelings to people. However, I challenge you all to say thank you to someone who is important to you. It can be as simple as a “Hey, thanks for being you.” Or you could write a letter to them detailing why you are thankful for their existence.
Bottom line: Say thank you to someone who means something to you this Thanksgiving season. You never know if you will ever get the chance to again.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
Delaney Elling
Class of 2016
We are… Penn State