After a full commitment of 5 weeks of the short Softball season, we were competing in the SEASAC Division 1 tournament. The SEASAC tournaments provide us with the players and experience to play against students of the same age from around South East Asia. It is a celebration of the game as much as it is a competition. Our school has been a very competitive school in terms of Softball and has won this SEASAC tournament 2 years in a row prior to this year.
Our first match of the tournament was an important one as it was against our rival campus, Dover. Being the first game in the tournament we were caught off guard and let in too much for us to get back. However, through this loss, we were able to get our motivation up to beat them in the final and made us look back on our weaknesses and the improvements that we could make.
As the tournament unfolded, we convincingly won against all of the teams that we matched up with, and we were quickly back on track to claim the title again. The final brought us back to the opening match of the tournament. East against Dover, a rivalry which always brought the best games as we all fought hard to be better. Playing under the blazing Sunday sun with a full bleacher cheering is an experience that I will never forget. Full 7 innings fought hard and with passion. The game was as close as it could have gotten. But in the end, I was able to get the last out which sealed us the victory over our rivals on the stage which we were working towards for the whole season.
This was a great learning experience for me as we were able to identify our weaknesses as a team improving upon them and play with our strengths. Softball is a team sport, it requires everyone on the squad to collaborate with each other to pull out the best in the individual. We were able to to do that especially in the Final were we trusted each other and collaborated with each other to claim the victory. As much as collaboration plays a part, commitment is extremely important. As a team, most of us came to the morning pre-season session to further develop our skills.
As for personal achievements, I was able to claim the MVP(s) prize along with 3 of my teammates and also the Spirit of Sport award. Given to the person with the spirit and passion for the sport.
