|
Adam Sarancik Shanika has one sister, 17 and four brothers 13, 7, 4 and 2 years old. Her 17 year-old sister lived with Shanika and her family the first 15 years of her life, but two years ago she moved in with her birthfather. Shanika rarely sees her anymore. Shanika's father and her 13 year-old brother have not seen their father in six years. They and their three brothers live with their mom and the father of their three younger brothers. That man has serious health conditions and his employable work options are very limited. Shanika's mom works two jobs to support her family, but they may not be able to pay their rent next month. Shanika and her 13 year-old brother have been bullied every year in school because they are taller and larger than their classmates. They are also two of the very few children of color at their school. They also have been in Spanish immersion classes since kindergarten. Shanika is a kinesthetic learner, but she has been "taught" via auditory methods every year in school. Shanika does not like school and struggles to find a reason to attend. While other classmates spend their free time playing multiple sports and doing extra-curricular activities with their friends, or just spending time with one another being kids, most of the time Shanika and her 13 year-old brother babysit their younger brothers and do household chores and yardwork. Shanika is 14 years old. She is also a softball pitcher. Shanika's three coaches are fathers of three of the other players on the team. Shanika sees and hears other fathers yell encouragement to their daughters from the bench and stands. Shanika does not see or hear her father. While pitching, Shanika's coaches call every pitch for her to try to help the team "win" the game. She does not need this kind of help to pitch well. Shanika has four pitches she can command in the strike zone in any count. She is fluent in pitch grips, speed differential, spin rate and spin axes. She can watch one practice swing of a hitter and can recognize immediately the appropriate attack plan to get her out. What Shanika needs from her coaches is help differentiating between being responsible to her team for her effort and attitude while not being responsible for her team winning or for the happiness and security of her mom, her sister, and brothers. When Shanika steps into the pitching circle, the circle becomes a microscope lens. She not only feels responsible for her team, she feels responsible for her world. The seven ounce ball feels like seven pounds. The 17" plate looks as wide as a shoestring. When Shanika pitches, the coaches expect her to pitch the team to another victory toward another championship. They are acutely aware of every tactical aspect of their opponent and the game itself. They do not have a clue about what really goes on inside the mind of their pitcher. When Shanika pitches, despite all of the screaming she hears from the benches and the stands, she feels alone. And yet, she is not alone. She is just like many, many other kids who play sports hoping to have fun, when the reality is, fun is defined by many coaches and fans as winning games and championship trophies. But the irony is Shanika wants to have fun by pitching well, but to do that she needs to feel understood as a person. She needs to know that her coaches, teammates, and fans care more about who she is as a person than what she does as a softball player. She wants them to see her not just as a pitcher, but as a daughter, granddaughter, sister, student and friend. When Shanika steps into the circle, this is who she is and this is what she takes with her.
Adam Sarancik is the Author of Five Amazon Top 100 Best Selling Baseball Coaching Books:
|
When Shanika Steps Into the Circle
