Softball Women Build
Friday, September 28, 2007 | Softball
On Saturday, September 22, the University of Florida softball team was involved in building a Habitat for Humanity house in east Gainesville. As a member of the team, I know that we all had a very good time. We were fortunate to be working right alongside some very special people that have dedicated many hours of their time to help others. We were also working alongside the family that will become the owners of the house we were helping to build and their level of excitement about their new home was infectious.
I have been fortunate enough to call Gainesville home for the past three years. This is truly a great town and it has been a privilege. This year's softball team includes nine new players, all of whom got their first taste of Gainesville outside of campus life while working last Saturday. Hopefully, in a few years they will all feel the same way I do about this amazing place. As an athlete at the University of Florida I realize the amount of support the surrounding community gives its athletes. This weekend we all had a chance to flip the script and give back to the city that gives us so much.
Our jobs for the day included installing windows and doors, placing a drip edge on the roof and various other odd jobs. Some of the work was tedious and took some patience, but the results were rewarding. Everywhere someone was doing something and working extremely hard. At the end of the day we were all sweaty and tired, but there were smiles all around. It was amazing to witness the transformation of the house in only a few hours. Thirty people working toward the same goal tends to lead to some quick results.
We had the chance to work alongside some of Gainesville's finest. The ladies of the Women's Build are inspiring. They have given so much of their time and effort while asking for nothing in return. We can only hope that some of their unselfishness can rub off on us all, at least a little. For a lot of people the UF Softball Team is defined by wins and losses, but that far from tells the whole story. There will come a time for us all when we have to hang up our cleats and instead of being defined by athletic achievements, we will be defined by the lives we have changed. Hopefully for most of us this was a small step in the right direction.
