My Journey - Kristina Thorson, Chicago Bandits

By Kristina Thorson, Chicago Bandits
NPF Association
May 8, 2009

It was Marriane Williamson who first said, “Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.” That being said, each and everyone one of us has what it takes to live out our dreams.

I started playing softball when I was 8 years old in the North King County Little League, based just outside of Seattle, WA. At my first practice ever, my coach had everyone try out for pitcher. Turned out, I was the only one on my team who could consistently get the ball over the plate. Year after year in the NKCLL coaches put me in the pitching circle. I played in the NKCLL through 8th grade, and decided at that point to play only on ASA summer teams.

In little league everyone knew me as being “the pitcher.” When I started playing summer ball in 7th grade, I became known as the little one. I’d always been the smallest person on my teams, even in little league, but it had never mattered. As soon as I started playing summer ball, however, that was a different story.

On my first summer team, the Cobra Maddness, my coaches let me throw 2 innings all summer. That was a tough transition for me coming from being “the pitcher” in my little league. Looking back, I don’t know if it was because I was not as good as our other pitchers, if it was because I was so small compared to our other pitchers, or maybe I just didn’t throw hard enough.

It was the same story for me in eighth grade. I was smaller than our other pitchers, didn’t throw as hard, and both of the coaches were their dads. At this point I was introduced to Jim, who would become my pitching coach. The first time I met Jim, he asked me what my ultimate goal with softball was. I told him that I wanted to play for Stanford. His response was that I would be lucky if I got two or three letters from D2 schools.

A year later, my freshman year in high school, I played volleyball and soccer in the fall. So, for three months I didn’t really get to pitch. When I started up with Jim again in December, he told me that I “stunk worse than skunk poop.” At that point I knew that I needed to make a better commitment to pitching if I wanted to achieve my goal.

But my newfound commitment didn’t pay off for my summer team that year.

Or the year after.

Or the year after that.

I didn’t become an ace on a summer team until my senior year. And I never played on an 18 Gold team.

But you know what? If I hadn’t been told that I couldn’t achieve my goals, or that I didn’t have what it took, or that I was too small, didn’t throw hard enough, etc., I don’t think I’d be where I am today, let alone the person that I am today.

Even after everything I’ve accomplished, I know that nothing is guaranteed. I know that nothing will be handed to me just because of my history or who I am; everything has to be earned time and time again.

When someone tells you that you can’t achieve your goal for whatever reason, look at them and just think to yourself, “Just you watch. I am going to achieve my goal.” Don’t let anyone steal your dreams. They are yours, and everyone has the ability to make those dreams reality.