Sports Saturday

Yesterday was a beautiful spring day apart from the bioterrorism clouds of pollen drifting through the air. To start the morning was First Presbyterian's second softball practice of the season and the turnout was actually pretty decent. Our captain/coach invited a friend of his that played semi-pro ball in Texas to give us some pointers on hitting which for some of us was desparately needed (myself included). Last season in practice I was able to crush the ball, but in game situations I tended to top it and hit a bouncy grounder to the shortstop but I was usually able to beat the throw to first. This strange occurance led to my favorite quote about me from an opponent in his dugout as I came to bat, "Watch out! He's big but fast!" Oh yeaher, fear the speed! Back to yesterday, last week I realized I wasn't rotating my hips during the swing and I started to pick up on it, maybe because I've been exercising more and am getting stronger and can sort of feel the muscles in there somewhere. The batting coach confirmed that I was an arm swinger but had great bat speed and form. He suggested bending my knees more and rotating back a little more and to step into the ball. What a miracle, almost hit one out yesterday and my line drives were much better. I don't think I even popped one up in the infield and last week I had quite a few of those and foul tips! I hope I can put the advice to use in our games this season.

In the afternoon, Katie, Joel, and I walked 18 holes at Quaker Creek in Mebane and had a good time. The weather was a little warm and humid but the breeze helped it stay comfortable. I started off really well and probably would have been on pace to finally attain my goal of breaking 100; unfortunately, it didn't happen. I don't know if I was getting tired or I just wasn't concentrating (that's probably it) but I fell apart on three holes in a row with 10, 10, and 12. Golf is a very mental game and even if the physical aspects are there if you're not in the right mindset it's not going to come together. I made myself slow down and get back in the groove and my game picked up on the last three or four holes. I shot a 121 thanks to the double digit land but knowing I could fix what I was doing wrong was a nice parting gift. Katie carried the day with a 116 and Joel followed up with a 119. After golf we drove back to Burlington and had some good BBQ at Hursey's and I went to visit the G-units for a bit.

On a side note, big props to the Chalmers yesterday. In the morning they ran their longest training run for the half marathon of 12 miles and then walked 18 holes which is at least 4 miles and the way we play which allows a tour of the entire course is probably over 5 miles.