Playoffs are in full swing in many states across the country—in Florida, the championships are being played this weekend.

That means for many seniors there year is already over or soon will be and for many parents it’s just as impactful as for the athletes who may be playing softball for the last time.

 This week, Keith Sharon, a writer for the OC Register (Calif.), shared his thoughts on his daughter, Ali, and the end of her softball career at Tesoro High.  Below is the column and the link over to the full article on the paper’s website (which Keith gave us permission to run…)

Incidentally, he tells us that Ali will be attending Elon University in North Carolina to study psychology and won’t be playing softball.

 

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Dear Ali,

I remember your first softball game when you were 6 years old. You hit the ball off the tee and, with a big smile on your face, you ran proudly…

To third base.

I was a coach then, gesturing like a madman as I screamed, “First base!” The little girl who ran the wrong way will never leave me.

That was 12 years ago, a thousand softball games ago; two-thirds of your life ago.

Monday, your brothers, your mom and I will walk on the field with you for Senior Day at Tesoro High. Later that week, you will play your last softball game.

To read the full article, click here…