Personal Narrative: My Role In Baseball

Helping others has always been a passion of mine. Specifically, I love to participate in the West University Challenger Baseball program – where athletes help mentally disabled students play baseball. After six years of participating in the organization, I was promoted to be a senior buddy. This new leadership role allowed me to be a part of many new experiences. One of the responsibilities that came with my new position was to teach the new buddies, the volunteers, how to properly keep the players safe. I made sure the buddies knew what to do when their challenger player went up to hit, and how to properly keep them safe while playing defense. After I instructed the buddies on the rules, I would help supervise the games. During the games I would watch and

make sure all of the challenger players were behaving well, and that they were not trying to escape from the field of play. I usually supervised the games that the Cardinals were playing in for this exact reason. One of the players on the Cardinals always would try to make a run for the fence whenever he got done hitting. He would sprint passed first base and proceed to create a big game of tag, as he liked to call it. For this reason, I would always stand by the fence and make sure that there were no games of “tag” going on outside the field. I also watched the Cardinals games to make sure Jackson, a player who liked to throw the balls at his buddy, was under control during the games.

There were multiple games when Jackson was acting up, so it was my job to be his buddy. When I saw him throwing the balls I would put his previous buddy with another player, and I would take over and make sure Jackson did not throw the balls at anyone else. Finally, I made sure that all of the players and buddies were well hydrated. Many times the players needed help getting water, so I helped them make sure that they could stay hydrated. After the games I also made sure that everything was put away in the dugouts, and made sure that everyone had a good time. I pick up trash and put any left gloves or bats in the lost and found as well. Overall, while being a senior buddy, I was able to accomplish a lot as a leader. I felt that helping all of the players and buddies safe was a giant accomplishment. I was lucky enough to never have a serious injury occur on my field, and this is something that I am truly thankful for. Overall, my experience as being a senior buddy has taught me a lot on how to be a leader, and has allowed me to refine my communication and leadership

skills.