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Packing For a Day at the Softball Field

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Fastpitch Softball - A Mom's View

My view of fastpitch softball comes from my years of experience with my daughters ages 12 and 15 who have played softball since the age of six. Then they played t-ball, and boy was it fun. Now they both play select softball and the quality of play is a little better. Select ball is played at a higher level of competition than you will find in recreational sports, like Little League, for instance. Both my daughters have played Little League as well and some of my best memories of their games come from there. I hope you enjoy this lens as much as I know I'll enjoy writing it. I hope you'll learn something too.

Now the one thing I plan on making sure you know is what to pack to survive what can be a very long day. We've spent up to 12 hours at the field. You really gotta love it to spend that much time there.

UPDATE: I started this lens about three years ago when my daughters were 12 and 15. They're now 15 and 17 and still play select softball. My older daughter is a senior in high school and plays for her high school team as well. Her younger sister will also play for the high school as they are now a sophomore and a senior. This year they play on the same select team which makes it awesome for me as I don't miss any of their games!

New Table of Contents

  1. Packing For a Day at the Field
  2. Umbrellas
  3. Take a Seat
  4. Bleacher chairs
  5. Keep Warm
  6. Blankets
  7. Heaters
  8. Siblings Need a Place to Sit
  9. Little Tents for Little Ones
  10. A Cooler Full of Food
  11. Coolers
  12. The Top 10 Foods to Pack for a Day at the Field
  13. A cart for all your stuff!
  14. Keep Softball in the Olympics
  15. Fastpitch Softball
  16. Great Stuff on CafePress
  17. Put Your Game Face On
  18. Customized Softball Shirts
  19. Everything Softball
  20. Visit My Hub on Girls Fastpitch Softball
  21. Protect Your Skin From the Elements
  22. Sunglasses
  23. New Guestbook

Packing For a Day at the Field

You play come rain or come shine.

So you better be prepared. Lots of tournaments have their first games scheduled for 8 am. That means being at the field before 7 am for pre-game warm up and practice. You may have your last game at 4 pm, or sometimes later. It may be 40 degrees when you arrive in the morning, and 60 degrees when you leave in the evening. It may be raining. It's important to know that if as long as the fields haven't turned into puddles, you keep playing. Bring an umbrella.

Umbrellas

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Take a Seat

Get Comfortable

You'll want to be comfortable. You can either get an easy to carry lawn chair, or you can get a seat that connects to the bleachers. Sometimes there are no bleachers, but at select tournaments that's usually not an issue as they are at nice facilities for the most part.

Bleacher chairs

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Keep Warm

You'll need a blanket or two.

Some teams buy blankets and have their team logo embroidered on them. I love mine. It has a shark on it. But having a warm blanket is the main thing.

Blankets

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Heaters

There's nothing better on a cold day

Everyone gravitates toward the lady with the heater. Some days are just so cold, you really will welcome a portable heater. We love our moms who bring them!
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Siblings Need a Place to Sit

Younger siblings will get bored, tired, hot etc. I've seen some really fun little portable tents that small children can cozy up in, whether to take a nap or to get out of the sun. Or just to snuggle with a good book when they're cold. They keep the wind out too.

Little Tents for Little Ones

Give younger siblings a place of their own

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A Cooler Full of Food

You will spend almost every weekend from March until July at the ball field. There are concession stands and you can get hamburgers, hotdogs, chips, donuts, muffins, soft drinks and such. The major food groups - they're not! You most likely will want to bring your own lunch, snacks and drinks. You can get a cooler on wheels, (sometimes you have to walk quite a ways), or you can get a soft insulated cooler, depending on how much food you need to pack. Make sure you have ice packs for the perishables.

Coolers

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The Top 10 Foods to Pack for a Day at the Field

In no certain order...

You might wonder what the best and easiest foods are to take along for the day at the field. Here's what I suggest.
  • Water - of course; not Gatorade or a Sports or soft drink; your daughter needs water. Pack whatever you'd like for yourself.
  • Bagels - these are so simple to bring along, they don't need to be kept cold, you can eat them plain or bring a tub of cream cheese and a plastic knife for spreading.
  • Granola bars - perfect! Easy and nutritional.
  • Fruit - it can be any kind; bananas are easy, so are grapes and apples. But any kind will do.
  • Cheese and crackers - I love the trays that you buy at the grocery store that come pre-packed. Some even have pepperoni slices. Yummy.
  • Yogurt or fruit cups - you'll need a cooler, but these are easy and nutritional. Don't forget a plastic spoon!
  • Peanut butter or cheese crackers, or both. Once again, very simple, yet nutritional.
  • Muffins - I'd prefer banana or poppy seed, or blue berry - just seems a little more healthy than the chocolate, chocolate chip kind that my daughters love. Of course, so do I!
  • Rice cakes - these seem to go over well with the girls and it couldn't get any easier. No need to keep cold: just eat right out of the bag. They are made with whole grain brown rice, and come in several flavors.
  • Ok, I hate packing a lunch, but if you're more ambitious than I am, you can pack just about anything - any kind of sandwich, or left overs, or anything else you can fit in a cooler. Packing your own food will save you a lot of money.

A cart for all your stuff!

You've got your heater, your cooler, your tent, chairs, blankets, etc. and now you can't carry it all! Wagons come in handy for these all day events.
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Keep Softball in the Olympics

Sign the petition to put softball in the 2012 Olympics

If you're reading this lens, I assume you must be a sports fan, and you may not realize that softball (and baseball) have been voted out of the 2012 Olympics. So as of now, the Beijing Olympics in 2008 will be the last time we'll get to watch women's Olympic softball. This is sad, and unfair. Since the US Women's team joined the Olympics in 1996, they've taken gold. The IOC, (International Olympic Committee) consisting mainly of European countries voted softball out. Please sign the petition requesting softball be reinstated into the 2012 Olympics. Click here to sign the petition.

Fastpitch Softball

Spending your weekend at tournaments

Packing for a softball tournament takes practice, several years and a couple daughters' worth. But you can learn how a lot faster by reading my lens.
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Put Your Game Face On

A piece of protective equipment you must have

This weekend we had our first official tournament. That means we played three games on Saturday, which is just for seeding to see who plays who for the championship games. We seeded number three. We beat the first team we played which meant we continued to play. If you lose that first game, you're done for the day. We also won our second game which sent us to the championship game. We lost. But that's ok. Taking second in our first tournament of the year is just great.

I'm writing to tell you about a scary incident that happened in the last game. My daughter is a pitcher. She throws the ball about 50 to 55 miles an hour. I don't know how fast the ball is going when it comes off the bat, but it comes fast and hard. It came right at her face. Instinctively, she put up her hand to protect her face. The ball hit her hand which hit her mask which sent the mask flying off her face, dropping her to the ground facing the opposite direction. Now that is a scary sight. A mom's biggest nightmare. She was alright. Luckily. We make sure our girls don't play any infield position without what's called a Game Face. It's a protective mask and it's well worth the small price. If your daughter plays fastpitch softball, this is a necessity. You can only imagine what would have happened if the ball hit her in the face with no protection. It's not a pleasant thought. Buy your daughter a Game Face.

Game Face Protective Mask

Customized Softball Shirts

Click Here to create Personalized T-Shirts

Everything Softball

Fastpitch Softball Equipment, Advice, Training Videos and More

Amateur Softball Association
The Amateur Softball Association is the governing body for softball.
Sue Enquist
Sue Enquist, like John Wooden and those legends who have come before her, does not define success in the amount of accolades she has received; instead, Enquist's success is defined through the lives of those she coaches. After 27 years at UCLA, Enquist retires as head softball coach.

"I prepare for the game, I honor the game, I love the game."
Bats Bats Bats
Softball Bats at discount prices; reviews and bat sizing; other gear and accessories. Get your game gear online.
Softball.com
Softball Bats, Softball Footwear, Softball Gloves, Softball Apparel, Catcher's Equipment
The National Softball Association
The National Softball Association is a full service organization that offers a division of play and a level of competition that YOUTH through ADULT can enjoy.
Fastpitch Home
Fastpitch Home - from T-ball to Select, it's all about girls fastpitch softball, the girls who love to play it, the parents who love to watch it, and the coaches who love to coach, and a little on umpires too. plus rules, terminology, equipment, gear, a mom's point of view, a coach's point of view.

Visit My Hub on Girls Fastpitch Softball

Visit Select Fastpitch Softball It's all about my daughter's fastpitch softball: Little League, select, travel tournaments, college recruiting, etc.">

Protect Your Skin From the Elements

Whether the weather be cold and windy or hot and sunny

This is something I often forget, but the weather can wreak havoc with your skin. I've gotten sunburns and wind burns, and even on cool sunny days when the rest of my body is covered to stay warm, I oftentimes get a sunburn. Be prepared and pack a sunscreen and some lip balm.
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Sunglasses

Be prepared to look like a raccoon

It's really annoying when you're trying to watch a game but are being blinded by the sun. Better get some sunglasses!
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sandif

Hello, I am the mother of two daughters ages 12 and 15 who are smart and athletic too. I love watching them play their games; soccer, basketball, volleyball,... more »

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