The adventure of a lifetime: Maren is headed to Israel
It’s no secret that I haven’t played competitive softball in eight years. I’ve trained, I’ve practiced, I’ve coached and I’ve given lessons but played in a game? Nope.
Which is why over the next few weeks, I will take every one of our Fastpitch News readers on a trip with me as I step into my (brand new) cleats and back onto the competitive playing field… in Israel.
Almost one year ago, I was presented with an opportunity to try out for Maccabi USA in Chicago. I worked out for a couple of months to prepare. The idea was out of left field. I didn’t even know this team was a thing but I got in my car and drove eight hours north.
I pulled into the parking lot, took a deep breath and told myself that I had nothing to be afraid of. I quickly noticed that I was the oldest one on the field and one of the few who didn’t play in college but that didn’t affect me. I felt like my career was unfinished and if I didn’t give it my all, I would always regret it.
The sun was beaming and I could feel the heat rising off the turf. Temperatures were closing in on what felt like triple digits with outrageous humidity. I kept going. A few hours and a broken bat later, the tryout was over and the waiting game began.
A month or so later, I received the email that changed my 2016 and now, 2017. I made the team and was going to Israel.
It’s unreal how quickly time flies. I remember reading the email, reaching out to my teammates and training with whoever would help me. It’s definitely been an interesting year and I only have five days left in the States before boarding an airplane bound for Tel Aviv.
I will be keeping a blog to keep every one of you in the loop. From what I’ve seen, we will play about eight games over the course of two weeks against Canada and Israel. I have to get back to packing and running my errands around town. Talk to you all again soon!