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We received close to 100 softball poems overall. Their quality was outstanding. You will be able to see for yourself when we will publish a significant amount of them on the site within the next few weeks.

Because of the number of softball poems and their quality, I assigned the task of picking a winner to an independant judge. The judge is both a softball and an amazing writer.He took a couple of days to review them and has now made his choices.

Here is what he said about the softball poems when he reported back to me:

"Wow! This was really difficult. There were a lot of great poems in here. Everyone who entered should be commended for their heartfelt efforts."

So I would sincerely like to thank everybody who took the time to write a softball poem and submit it. It was truly enjoyable to read them all.

Since the quality of the softball poems was so good, our judge made a suggestion:

"Because of the quality, I would like to see two winners — one in the player category, and one in the parent/adult/coach category."

I agree and two winners were selected. They will each receive a $100 gift certificate. (yes, we increased by $25!)

Drum roll please…. and the winners are:

Winner #1 - Player Category - Debbie Garcia

Judge comments: "For the player category, I choose Seasons by Debbie Garcia. I thought she really captured the essence of the whole softball experience. It wasn’t about personal glory, but more the anticipation of and love for the game."

Seasons by Debbie Garcia

Season starts
Wind whistles on my ears
Hands cold as ice
Are you sure its spring?

Sun starts to shine
Goodbye to cold weather gear
Warm rain on my face
What team will today bring?

The team is pumped and looking fine
We show absolutely no signs of fear
Pressing our competition hard and setting the pace
Hearing sounds of our fans cheering.

Nothing but softball on our minds
The heart of the summer season is definitely here!
The sounds of the bat, the race to the base.
The thrill of the championship nearing!

Believe and Achieve is engraved in our hearts
Our team spirit is endless, we win!
Suddenly awake, I look around the place
To realize I've only been dreaming!

Determined now to make it reality!

Winner #2 - Parent/Adult/Coach Category - Skip Conway

Judge's comments: "For the parent/adult/coach category, I choose Poem About Growing Up by Skip Conway. He is obviously going through what I am, this being my youngest daughter’s last season. I thought he captured the bittersweet emotions of seeing your daughter go from the beginning to the end of her career very well."

Poem About Growing Up by Skip Conway

The game is over
One year has past
Only the memories remain
Of what happened last

She played the final out
On this field of her dreams
It was like yesterday
Or so it seems

She has now graduated
Moving from youth to adult
A rich life lay ahead
Yet sadness is about

What seemed like eternity
Went by so quickly
The laughter, the tears
The growth to maturity

The game she loved
And played with a passion
Still beckons and gnaws
Calling for direction

Perhaps in the future
When her daughter turns five
She can give back
Making another’s come alive

Congratulations to both Debbie and Skip!

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