Editor’s Note: This is the first in a new series of posts featuring GTRI team members sharing what makes them fulfilled, both at work and beyond the office. Enjoy!
I have been a member of the USA Baseball Women’s National Team since 2008. (Yes, girls play baseball, with 60-foot 6-inch mounds; 90-foot bases; and 350-400-foot fences – and we are really good!) Playing baseball on the national team has been an absolutely amazing experience, and all of the hard work, pain, and sacrifices have definitely been worth it. I have been all around the country and the world because of USA Baseball and I love it – California, Arizona, Utah, Texas, North Carolina, New York, Japan (twice), Venezuela, Dominican Republic, and Canada! Traveling to these places has been life changing and I am so blessed for everything I have experienced!
The work ethic and sacrifice it takes to stay competitive at an elite level can be extremely challenging and at times seems impossible, especially working a full time job. However, the early morning workouts, tireless days at work, evening field trainings and batting practice, and overall lack of social life is what I love and it drives me. I love the feeling of working hard toward a goal and staying competitive and driven to reach my goals.
That is one reason why I love my job at GTRI; it is a new challenge for me and every day is full of new obstacles and different ways to adapt and find solutions. Everyone at GTRI has been very nice and helpful, even with my never ending questions!
I feel like I fit in here because it is a team atmosphere, and my entire life has been driven and supported by being a part of a team and understanding my role — sometimes you lead and sometimes you follow.
This summer is huge for the USA Baseball Women’s National Team, and Women’s Baseball in general. This is the first time our sport will ever compete in an Olympic sanctioned event, we will be playing in the Pan American Games in Toronto, Canada! I have always dreamed of being in the Olympics and this is the closest I will ever get. I feel like everything I have ever worked for is culminating into this summer!
I had never played organized baseball until 2008 when I was approached by a few Colorado Rockies coaches (family friends) and was encouraged to try out for our Women’s National Team. I played softball my entire life because when I was a little girl and my Dad tried to sign me up for Little League, he was told girls play softball and are not allowed to play with boys. So, I played softball and had an extremely successful career. I played Division I at University of Hawaii and Colorado State University and finished out my softball career playing in the European Professional Softball League and lived in Italy!
I knew my competitive drive was far from over and my desire to continue playing at an elite level drove me to try out for USA Baseball. It is a completely different game from softball and I was definitely put out of my comfort zone, but I pushed to be one of the best outfielders in the world. I will never stop learning or trying to improve myself. This truly is the sport I love and am passionate about and this time USA is bringing home the gold!
It is an amazing feeling to stand on that foul line with your teammates/family, wearing “USA” proudly across your chest and hearing our national anthem. It is something that is indescribable and one of the most incredible feelings I have ever had. I am so proud to represent our great country on a baseball field with my team, and I am grateful that I work for a company that understands the magnitude of the situation and is willing to let me, especially as a brand new employee, take the time to pursue my dream!
Interested in joining the GTRI team? Visit our Careers page.
