Dominique Navarrete of Santa Maria grew up looking up to her older sister, Lilly. When Dominique—now 17—was in third grade, she would watch Lilly play softball almost every weekend.
“I wanted to do everything my sister did,” Dominique said. “Her and my mom have always been my heroes, seeing how hard they work and how much they’ve accomplished.”
It wasn’t long after seeing her sister play that Dominique decided to try softball out herself. And almost a decade later, Dominique is a junior at Valley Christian Academy (VCA) and plays on the school’s varsity softball team.
“My favorite thing about playing on a softball team is that we all have to work together,” Dominique said. “It’s not just one person carrying the team. Whether it’s batting or fielding, the pitcher gets it across the plate and then it’s up to us to back her up.”
But like almost everything else, softball is not without its cons, Dominique said, although the pros far outweigh them. One of these cons however is anxiety, she said.
“My least favorite part about softball is that there’s a lot of pressure,” she said. “One mistake could mean up to four points scored.”
But the goal to win and the exhilaration of achieving that goal is more than worth it, Dominique said, especially when it seems impossible.
In the beginning of April, Valley Christian Academy played against Bishop Garcia Diego High School in Santa Barbara. What unfolded that day was a true underdog story, Dominique said.
“We were assuming they would crush us because they aren’t in our league, but we tied them and went into overtime,” Dominique said. “The game ended up lasting three hours, and we won 17 to 15!”
Apart from softball, Dominique is also passionate about dance and basketball, she said. She’s excited for summer to start—she will play for VCA’s summer varsity basketball team.
After high school, Dominique hopes to be accepted into the nursing program at Cuesta College and eventually become a neonatal intensive care unit nurse. But that doesn’t mean Dominique is giving up softball, she added. She also recommends the sport to anyone motivated to play, even outside “business hours.”
“My advice for someone who would want to try softball but never has would be to work hard even outside of practice,” Dominique said. “Just be the best at what you do. And that’s about it.”
This article appears in May 4-11, 2017.