My batting cage experience..Batter up

Barry Bonds I am not!

 

I have never really played baseball as a sport although as a school sporting activity I have tossed a few pitches and knocked out a grounder or two. But I have always wanted to try hitting some home runs in a batting cage. Recently I was having a  weekend away with the family when I happened on a facility that had batting cages. Righto I said here is my chance be Barry Bonds.

 

Set achievable goals

 

One of the most important aspects of having a life list is to make it achievable. If you build a list and it only contains blue chip experiences, they are difficult and often very expensive to check off. You can lose sight of your goals and stop chasing your dreams. Therefore I always suggest to find some “filler” goals. Experiences that are affordable and quite easy to check off.

My batting cage experience is one of these types of goals.

 

100 kilometre per hour fastball

 

The manager of David Grahams Golf Complex  tells me the pitching machine will be hurtling balls towards me at over 100 km per hour. I am pacing around like a nervous kid but I will be doing my level best to smash them back at terminal velocity.

I drop my coin in the slot and hear a beep, I race to the plate and get ready to unleash. First pitch flies through the strike zone and I didn’t even see it coming.

Wowzers this could be ugly.

 

 

 

Hey batter, batter, batter…..swing batter

 

As I bare down and grip my bat tight,  I catch a little of the next pitch and pop up a fly ball. It’s OK as I can see the ball and know its flight path. I am gaining confidence, the next few I am able get a little more bat on and eventually they start coming straight out of the sweet spot.

 

Excitedly I and now driving them out of the park. I can hear the crowd roaring and I  point to where I’m going to hit the next one. I take a look around to see if any scouts are watching this phenomenal display of power hitting.The game is in the balance, it’s the bottom of the ninth my team is behind by 3 runs, the bases are loaded. It’s all up to me this last final pitch, I am swinging for the fences. The crack of a metal bat on the ball. 30 thousand fans screaming at the top of their lungs. The ball is long and it is sailing way over the fence……

 

I hear another beep my 18 pitches are over, it all happens too fast.

I’m back in the real world and see. I managed to knock a few balls  into the field behind the pitching machine. I have really enjoyed myself.

The fact that I was able to hit a few balls was extremely rewarding but the really satisfaction is derived from knowing I created another NEW experience for myself. No matter how small, it was still a first time experience and this is the essence of This Life List.

 

Another This Life List experience checked off