April 29, 2013
STANFORD, Calif. - Stanford outfielder Cassandra Roulund talks what an inspirational week the team had. The sophomore will be blogging all season long to give Cardinal fans a behind-the-scenes look at the team.
Hay! (Is for horses)
What another b-e-a-utiful weekend here on The Farm! It was (and still is) sunny with blue skies and feeling more and more like summer every day. Not only was the weather absolutely superb but Stanford also had a stellar weekend on the field. Go Card! Three wins in three days... now, that's what I call efficiency! But even before our lovely weekend, the coaches planned a little surprise for us. Thursday, we walked into the locker room and found pictures of us playing softball as little girls and a ton of inspirational quotes everywhere. (Check out the pictures and see if you can guess who's who!)
The first quote that we saw when we walked in the door was by Mia Hamm and says, "Somewhere behind the athlete you've become and the hours of practice and the coaches who have pushed you is a little girl who fell in love with the game and never looked back, play for her."
Later at practice, Coach brought up this quote and told us to remember that as little girls, we all wanted to be exactly where we are now; both academically and athletically. Now, if that didn't put things in perspective for us, I'm not sure what would. But we definitely all got the picture (no pun intended). None of us would rather be doing anything other than working toward the World Series with a group of girls we admire, look up to, and love. Another thing our coaches have been known to remind us of is the fact that we will never be given this opportunity again. We will never be working as hard as we do, on a daily basis, to achieve a common goal. No other group of people, in the future, will care as much as we do now.
Since this blog post seems to be taking a turn in the inspirational direction (I mean, we all need a little inspiration on a Monday, am I right?) I thought I would mention my little meeting with Jessica Mendoza this weekend. Erin and I got the pleasure of picking her brain (or maybe just gawking at her greatness) over some ice cream. She told some tales of her times at Stanford and living in Roble senior year (ew, sorry about that!) and how the campus has changed in some ways. She also went into detail about how she never had the confidence she should have had while playing for the Olympic team. Confidence came with age and perspective, but what she did have was the knowledge that she worked harder than anyone and everyone else. She worked her butt off to achieve what she did, but she still stresses the importance of confidence.
Throughout this year, the coaches have prepared us and we have done everything to physically prepare for the World Series. It's now up to us in executing and mentally believing that we are capable of greatness.
Inspirational Quote of the Week: "Believe you can and you're halfway there." Theodore Roosevelt
Standout Teammate of the Week: Hanna Winter! (I apologize for the repeat, but it's well warranted). She hit her first collegiate home run!!! IT WAS AMAZING! I don't think our team has ever squealed so much! AND IT'S TELEVISED! YAY HANNA! So very proud! OPA HANNA STYLE!
Why is it so nice out during midterm week?
Boo
Past Blogs
Rain Rain Go Away
Life without Softball
Oregon Trip Take Two
Our Time
Oregon Trip
Locker Room Frenzy
Photo Challenge
Staying in 'Tune'
Coaches and Support Staff
Opening Weekend
Rolling with Boo