St. George Health & Wellness Magazine May/June 2022

Page 76

Lessons I Learned on My Way to the World Series By Jenna Thorkelson, Snow Canyon High School

When I was twelve years old, my best friends and I went to San Bernardino, California, to compete in the Western Regional Little League Tournament. To everyone’s surprise—and I mean everyone’s—we actually won. We were the first 12u Utah team to move past this point in baseball and softball. Back then, it was my biggest accomplishment. A few weeks later, we placed 5th when we went to Portland, Oregon, for the World Series. Not only did we play teams from all around the nation, we played against teams from around the world. We were devastated to fall short of reaching our first-place goal. Two years later, our team won the Western Regionals again, and we made our second trip to the World Series in Kirkland, Washington. There, we gained the title of World Champs! I’ve been told that I should be proud. After all, how many teens can say they are world champs? Don’t get me wrong. I am proud, but that is not where I plan on peaking in my life. Neither is this title the most important thing about this experience to me. I don’t have “World Champ” tattooed across my forehead, and unless you’re a close friend or family member, you probably don’t even remember that I once was the MVP of a World Series. The most important things I gained from this journey were my relationships with my teammates, a good work ethic, and resilience. I can think of a dozen teams I’ve competed with that are better than my own, but those teams will never know the kind of team chemistry 76 www.sghealthandwellnessmagazine.com

our team has. Most elite softball teams draw from five or more different cities, and often, they draw from more than one state. On the other hand, my beloved team draws from a singular high school, with almost half of us living in the same neighborhood. To have as much success as we did with this kind of a sample pool is ridiculous. But the success is beside the point; we are the closest family of a team I could ever imagine. We grew up together. Most of us were on this team when we were eight year olds, and we only gained and lost a few along the way. I couldn’t dream of a better group of sisters. Together we have cried over countless wins and losses. Together we have stayed late into the night to win a tournament or left with the bittersweet sun still shining. Together we have created memories that will never die. Beyond the friendships that this experience built, I learned how to work hard and how to bounce back. We began every practice before the sun rose and before the St. George heat would become too unbearable. We fielded enough ground balls to fill an MLB stadium to the brim. We took batting practice from live pitching and often stayed late to see a few extra pitches. Every day of those summers, I pitched to my dad in my backyard after practice was over. We did this before the first World Series and again with even more ferocity before the second. The odds of returning were very slim, but we were beyond determined. Not only did we return, we won. No matter how cool my cousins think it is that I won the World Series, it will never be as cool to me as the love I have for the girls who won this title with me.


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Articles inside

Improve Your Mental Acuity by Engaging in Word and Number Puzzles Daily

2min
pages 78-79

Drawing on Experience: Pro Cyclist T.J. Eisenhart Crafts New IRONMAN Mural

6min
pages 18-19

Keep Your Boots Dusty This Summer: Six Tips for Hiking in the Heat of Southern Utah

6min
pages 14-15

Keeping Pets Safe in the Garden

3min
pages 80-84

Death with Dignity: Understanding the Value of Hospice Care

3min
page 77

Youth Diaries: Lessons I Learned on My Way to the World Series

4min
page 76

Lymphedema: Questions and Answers

5min
pages 72-73

The Profound Relationship between Our Physical and Emotional Health

5min
pages 70-71

Summer Sport Preparation

3min
pages 68-69

Reduce Dust, Pollen, and Viral Load with Good “Nasal” Housekeeping

7min
pages 66-67

Dixie State University Student Discovers the Path to PA School

3min
pages 64-65

Giving Service: A Cure for What Ails You

5min
pages 62-63

Nurtured by Nature

4min
pages 60-61

Desert Pain Breaks Down Everything Patients Need to Know about Medical Cannabis

4min
pages 58-59

A Zest for Life

4min
pages 56-57

What is Kayenta Arts Foundation/ Center for the Arts at Kayenta?

3min
pages 54-55

Remember When You Retired from High School?

6min
pages 52-53

Change Your Body by Changing Your Mind

6min
pages 50-51

Pure and Simple

5min
pages 48-49

Caves of the Great Basin

4min
pages 46-47

Mental Health and Emotional Wellness at School

6min
pages 40-42

Are You Ready for Summer?

3min
page 43

A Cowboy’s Memory

4min
pages 38-39

Childhood Obesity

5min
pages 36-37

What Is Vo2max, and How Can It Improve Sports Performance?

4min
pages 34-35

Vista Healthcare Helps Knee Osteoarthritis Patients Keep Moving

4min
pages 32-33

Five Questions for Your Ketamine Provider

4min
pages 30-31

The Restorative Power of Advocacy in Community Health Care

5min
pages 28-29

Get Off and Walk

4min
pages 26-27

What the Body Knows, the Brain Told It

4min
pages 24-25

Eating Well as You Age

4min
pages 22-23

Take Steps to Support Literacy: Eight Ways to Inspire Children to Read

6min
pages 20-21

Letter from the President

3min
page 11

Letter from the President

3min
pages 12-13

Letter from the Editor

3min
page 7

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southern Utah: Bridging the Opportunity Gap

4min
pages 16-17

Mayoral Message

3min
pages 8-10
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