Our decade long friendship started with Camp Crush. A small section of shade where the team would eat our sandwiches and goof around in-between softball games. It is here that our lifelong friendship began.
At the young age of eight, I began playing summer travel softball for Campbell Crush. Ten years later, and the friendships that I had are still going strong. Many travel softball teams change from year to year. Players leave, new players come, coaches change, and the team dynamic drastically changes. However, for the lucky members of Campbell Crush, we had the same team for four straight years, with many of us also playing together in the years prior. We spent our softball careers growing up together as both players and people. Over the years we developed a special bond. We learned each other’s strengths and weaknesses, likes and dislikes, and passions. We were not simply a team, but a group of best friends. We spent every weekend together, traveling around the state and continually bringing home trophies. When we were not together playing ball, we were together having sleepover parties, going to the movies, and hanging out. Constantly being around each other, little arguments were to be expected, but we loved and respected each other like family. As our bond grew, so did our success. In our last year playing together we won nearly every tournament, finished top 5 in Western Nations (a feat no other Campbell team had accomplished), and obtained a 73-9 record. We were truly unstoppable.
While after those four great years we all went our separate ways, we will always share a special bond. The Campbell Crush team will always have a special place in my heart.
