Texas Tech University Athletics
Softball Player Journal - Elyssa Sigala
February 25, 2004 | Softball
My life as a student-athlete has been wonderful thus far into my senior year of college. I have had the privilege to be a part of some outstanding teams, with great coaching. I have also had the opportunity to see many places that I would have not seen otherwise. I was given the opportunity to play the sport that I love while finishing my education at Texas Tech University, giving myself, as well as my friends and family back home something to brag about. Up until this past weekend, my traveling experiences were somewhat eventful, but none can top the weekend trip to Lafayette, Louisiana.
Having in mind that softball and Mardi Gras was lingering in the air, our team as a whole was excited to travel to the Mardi Gras Classic. First and foremost, we had five games to play, but we also had the excitement of the beads, parades, and all of the commotion that goes along as well.
Our early morning flight into Lafayette was great. It not only gave us the opportunity to relax throughout the day, but it also gave the team the chance to be together and see the city before the tournament started the next day. We started the weekend at a little restaurant called The Blue Dog Cafe. Live music, great food and a wonderful environment set the tone of what was going to be a great weekend.
Friday morning came almost as soon as I shut my eyes, and I knew it was game day. The weather was great, the field was beautiful, and I knew we were going to "GET `ER DONE!" And that is exactly what we did. Our first win of the tournament was our fourth win of the season, and it felt like the first. Later that night, we played the No. 10 team in the nation and the feeling the team had as a whole, was the best we have ever had. Everything that night was on key, hitting, pitching and defense. We knew we were in the game since the first out, and it was going to be a great one, and that it was. The whole eight innings of the game, we as a team knew that we could not be beat. And I loved that attitude that we had.
As the tournament went on, we took some losses, but we as a team wanted that perfection we had the day before; and we knew we were capable of it. That is what I love about this team, we always want to fight back, and we want to be the best, never giving up throughout the game. We can see the fierceness in each other's eyes, and the want to be successful. Though we have had some struggle getting to where we want to be, nonetheless, I can sense that we want it bad!!
As our weekend was winding down, just the thought of being home again was the on our minds. But as luck would have it, the weather coming back into Texas was horrible. Our plane could not land in Houston due to the storm and our plane had to circle the airport before we could land anywhere. The plane finally landed at an air force base to refuel the plane and we were again on our way home...so we thought. As we arrived in Houston, the connecting flight from Houston to Lubbock had taken off with only eight people on the plane; needless to say, we stayed over night in Houston. Eighteen girls with nothing else but what we boarded the plane with, at midnight, made for a great ending of the weekend.
Coming back to school on Tuesday, the weekend made for a great story; the best headline being that Natalie Enderlin and I had made the All-Tournament Team for the Mardi Gras Classic, we played a really great game against Lafayette, and we got to experience what was the greatness of Mardi Gras. Something that I probably wont ever get to do again.
