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Pac-10 In Print
• Oregon Softball Oregon Softball 2007 Written By Joanna Gail
Growing up the only girl between two boys, everyday and everything became a fierce athletic competition. When we weren't competing with each other, my brothers and I were involved in as many different sports as we could possibly cram into our schedules. It was a rare weekend when one of us didn't come home with some sort of medal or trophy for our efforts. My parents even jokingly came up with a catch phrase that stuck through our years of successful athletic competition, "Another weekend, another trophy." That same confident mindset has carried over into all my academic and athletic endeavors. Last year, the Oregon Ducks softball team had more than enough talent and experience to succeed. The only thing we lacked was an unwavering positive belief in our abilities. With our dominating performance in the Aztec Invitational last weekend in San Diego, we continue to build upon that confident foundation. My team turned in another undefeated weekend, winning six games in four days and outscoring opponents 42-8. "Another weekend, another trophy" was never interpreted as arrogant within my family's four walls. Instead, it was a celebration and encouraging acknowledgement of my family's athletic blessings. I take immense pride in my family's achievements. Even more important though, it taught me the value of carrying a confident attitude into any challenge I might face. Now my extended family, the 16 amazing girls I have the privilege of calling my team, is developing the same mindset of my youth. We enter each game with the confident knowledge that we are more physically and mentally prepared for competition than the opponent we face on any given day. Our potential is limitless if we can continue to nurture this approach. We travel to Honolulu, Hawaii this weekend to square off against our best competition of the pre-season in #23 Georgia and #25 Hawaii. We are also putting our school record 15-game win streak on the line. Wish us luck!
Joanna Gail
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August 2008:
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