http://www.bakersfieldvoice.com/home/Blog/bakerstowngirl/28171 I wonder sometimes if young athletes are expected of too much these days. I don't know whether that sentence even makes sense but, what I mean is, as an athlete who would LOVE to receive a scholarship to Sac State to play ball, I feel like I am not doing enough to stand out to the college coaches. Here's my summer schedule; Lessons for catching and hitting in the mornings, the edge (ran by Terrio. FANTASTIC, if i might add) for an hour 3 days a week, then travel team practice from 6-dark daily, then sometimes some sort of team bonding after practice. I have a tournament every other weekend, scrimmages some afternoons, and barely any time for summer &quot;break&quot;. In the fall, I will play fall ball, on-top of MORE lessons, more practices, extracurricular activities such as&nbsp;school clubs and church volunteer, i will be Junior Class president next year so I will have ASB stuff, AP and Honors classes,&nbsp;and I am also playing Tennis because it &quot;looks better when you have more than one sport&quot;. And I know I am not even doing as much as many of my teammates are. I just feel that sometimes I am over-achieving, trying TOO hard to get into these amazing schools I dream of attending, and I fear sometimes that it all wont even matter, I will of 'wasted my time', and I wont (Hm. question. Why don't we say&nbsp;&quot;will'nt&quot; instead&nbsp;of wont?&nbsp;like, will-not, will'nt. hm)&nbsp;even get looked at for softball. The pressure these days is on us kids badly. Our parents want it for us, our families are supporting us, our coaches are helping us, and all we want to do is just get it done. I feel the pressure from other players, seeing all they are doing and achieving, which makes me just want to one-up 'em like any good competitor does. I feel pushed by everyone to do more and more and sometimes worry if I will be paying for it in the future whether it be physically or mentally... &nbsp; &nbsp; Well, I am off to work-out now, then practice tonight. And I am missing a church get-together, too. Dang. My dream life for the next two years; Get faster, hit more home-runs during games, have my name in The Bakersfield Californian with my stats, get recruited by at least two schools, and have fun doing it all... Oh, and making First-team All-League wouldn't hurt any :D I wonder sometimes if young athletes are expected of too much these days. I don't know whether that sentence even makes sense but, what I mean is, as an athlete who would LOVE to receive a scholarship to Sac State to play ball, I feel like I am not doing enough to stand out to the college coaches. Here's my summer schedule; Lessons for catching and hitting in the mornings, the edge (ran by Terrio. FANTASTIC, if i might add) for an hour 3 days a week, then travel team practice from 6-dark daily, then sometimes some sort of team bonding after practice. I have a tournament every other weekend, scrimmages some afternoons, and barely any time for summer &quot;break&quot;. In the fall, I will play fall ball, on-top of MORE lessons, more practices, extracurricular activities such as&nbsp;school clubs and church volunteer, i will be Junior Class president next year so I will have ASB stuff, AP and Honors classes,&nbsp;and I am also playing Tennis because it &quot;looks better when you have more than one sport&quot;. And I know I am not even doing as much as many of my teammates are. I just feel that sometimes I am over-achieving, trying TOO hard to get into these amazing schools I dream of attending, and I fear sometimes that it all wont even matter, I will of 'wasted my time', and I wont (Hm. question. Why don't we say&nbsp;&quot;will'nt&quot; instead&nbsp;of wont?&nbsp;like, will-not, will'nt. hm)&nbsp;even get looked at for softball. The pressure these days is on us kids badly. Our parents want it for us, our families are supporting us, our coaches are helping us, and all we want to do is just get it done. I feel the pressure from other players, seeing all they are doing and achieving, which makes me just want to one-up 'em like any good competitor does. I feel pushed by everyone to do more and more and sometimes worry if I will be paying for it in the future whether it be physically or mentally... &nbsp; &nbsp; Well, I am off to work-out now, then practice tonight. And I am missing a church get-together, too. Dang. My dream life for the next two years; Get faster, hit more home-runs during games, have my name in The Bakersfield Californian with my stats, get recruited by at least two schools, and have fun doing it all... Oh, and making First-team All-League wouldn't hurt any :D en-us Tue, 10 Jun 2008 14:13:48 PDT <p>You are doing everything right.  Keep doing it.  Better yourself, be well-rounded, keep studying, and it WILL all pay off.  Take it from someone who knows (and who better to trust than a fellow Star?) .  haha!  Even if you don't get to go to your dream college, you WILL get in to a college, and you'll be better off for how you've styled your life.  I am proud of you, and I don't even know you!</p> <p>Let me ask you a question: Where did you go to junior high?  Who was your English teacher, because YOU AMAZE ME with your ability!  I know adults who can't write as well as you.  Dang!  </p> <p> </p> http://www.bakersfieldvoice.com/home/Blog/bakerstowngirl/28171/#c_254157 http://www.bakersfieldvoice.com/home/Blog/bakerstowngirl/28171/#c_254157 <p>You are doing everything right.  Keep doing it.  Better yourself, be well-rounded, keep studying, and it WILL all pay off.  Take it from someone who knows (and who better to trust than a fellow Star?) .  haha!  Even if you don't get to go to your dream college, you WILL get in to a college, and you'll be better off for how you've styled your life.  I am proud of you, and I don't even know you!</p> <p>Let me ask you a question: Where did you go to junior high?  Who was your English teacher, because YOU AMAZE ME with your ability!  I know adults who can't write as well as you.  Dang!  </p> <p> </p> <p>I think the key word you used is 'fun'.&nbsp; As long as it's fun then the hard work is worth it.&nbsp; An old saying that I like is this:&nbsp; Luck is when preparation meets opportunity.&nbsp; Doing what you love can be hard sometimes if you're working toward a goal, but keep after it.&nbsp; No matter where the hard work leads you can always be proud knowing that you've given it all you've got.&nbsp;</p> <p>I'll look for your name in the papers.</p> <p>Rusty</p> http://www.bakersfieldvoice.com/home/Blog/bakerstowngirl/28171/#c_260190 http://www.bakersfieldvoice.com/home/Blog/bakerstowngirl/28171/#c_260190 <p>I think the key word you used is 'fun'.&nbsp; As long as it's fun then the hard work is worth it.&nbsp; An old saying that I like is this:&nbsp; Luck is when preparation meets opportunity.&nbsp; Doing what you love can be hard sometimes if you're working toward a goal, but keep after it.&nbsp; No matter where the hard work leads you can always be proud knowing that you've given it all you've got.&nbsp;</p> <p>I'll look for your name in the papers.</p> <p>Rusty</p>