By Amber Roth:
Well, where to start? I have never written a blog before so this may be a little rough. So, let me apologize in advance. Nowadays, it's all about facebook statuses and tweets, or is it twits? Not really sure. Anyhow, let's see, a good starting point. Well, I am Amber Roth. I'm a fifth year senior on the softball team here at North Dakota. I know what you're thinking, holy cow! Five years?! I didn't know people actually stuck around North Dakota that long! Well, they do! I'm originally from St. Paul, Minnesota. I just graduated in December with a degree in Criminal Justice. Now, I know what you're thinking again. If you graduated, why the heck are you still playing sports? Well, I just couldn't get enough so I am going to Grad school for forensic psychology and playing softball for my final season!
Anyways, enough about me. Let's talk about how we're going to defend our conference championship this year. With only a little over 2 weeks before our season opener at the University of Northern Iowa emotions are running high and the "itch" to get on the field is in full force. Again, this year we are a very young team with nine incoming freshman and 11 sophomores; leaving only three upperclassmen. But, when we won the conference last year you could argue we were an even younger team with three upperclassmen, along with two sophomores and 13 freshmen! So, now you not only see that being young is definitely something our team doesn't consider a problem, but also that I am considered to be "the grandma" on the team. Which is great!
When the University decided to transition to the division I level, the softball team began making its own changes. In hopes of creating a program that would leave a legacy and create a tradition. UND's softball team began to rebuild itself from the ground up. Being here for FIVE YEARS, I have been a part of this and seen the changes that have gone on in this program. I feel honored and privileged to be a Sioux athlete and still be a part of the legacy and tradition that has been created. Going into the conference championship last year seeded fourth (out of four teams), being the ultimate underdog, and then coming out undefeated in the face of adversity, was a feeling only an athlete can imagine. That is the feeling that keeps you coming back for more; accepting failure over and over again and searching for that same feeling of accomplishment you were able to share with your teammates who went through it all with you. That is the feeling maybe only an athlete can truly understand, but I feel so blessed to say last year made it all worth it for me and the rest of my teammates. This year we have put in countless hours of hard work in hopes of continuing the tradition that has been started with a repeat championship!
Ok, enough with the sentimental stuff and lets get to wrapping this first introduction blog up. Even though the only introductory information this blog gave was that we have nine freshman, 11 sophomores, two juniors, and me, the grad student. I was trying to "reel you in" so you would come back next week and meet the team!
