Throughout her life, Amanda Blakely’s passion for softball has been on display. Ever since she was three years old, starting her career playing tee-ball to now fast pitch softball all year round, she has enjoyed every minute. At an early age, Amanda seemed to gravitate more towards softball than any other sport and has credited many of her heroes, including Derek Jeter and Jennie Finch for being her role models in sports. Nevertheless, one night seemed to have a bit more meaning than any other night, as Wayne Varsity Softball was playing their rival, Palmyra Macedon at Wayne. Blakely, who is a power and contact hitter, was coming up to the plate in the bottom of the seventh inning with two outs and Wayne was down by one. As Amanda stepped into the box, she had composure and calmness. I…show more content… Nevertheless, as Amanda sat down with me, she told me that she usually does not dwell on past performances, whether they are positive or negative. “I usually just put the game behind me and hope that I can improve more in the next game,” she said. I eventually got around to the thought off “Do you feel as though too much pressure is put on you while batting?” Her response to the question was not surprising, as she simply stated, “Yes, especially by my teammates and coaches”. Pressure to excel seems to be put on superstars in certain situations of blood pumping, sweaty palmed nervousness. Some may excel in this type of environment, pushing the envelope of a gym class hero in a passively aggressive manner. Anyhow, there are many like Blakely who excels to high standards in the sport of softball, but do not like to take their actions too far. Blakely pushes herself every season to be the best she can be on and off the field but also have time to be a teammate, daughter and sister to my family and I and I see nothing but good things down the
