Xiara Diaz

ENGL 134

Dr. Peters

31 October 2019

My Discourse Community

It’s the bottom of the seventh inning, the games tied, there’s two outs, you have a runner on

third base, and you are up to bat. Your count is full, and the pitcher is ready to pitch the ball,

everything that happens next is in your hands. You can hear your teammates in the dugout

cheering you on and you can feel the crowd erupt as the pitcher steps into the circle. You put one

foot into the batter's box and close your eyes to calm your nerves and to prepare yourself to

battle against the pitcher. The pitcher prepares for her windup and in less than two seconds your

brain has to tell your muscles to either swing or hold back. The ball is released from her hand

and you can see the 60 mph fastball make its way over the heart of the plate. Boom, faster than

you can blink, the bright yellow ball sails into the night sky and over the center field fence. You

just hit the walk off homerun for the championship game.

Ever since I can remember I have played the greatest sport of all time, softball. My

decision to get involved with softball all started because of my father and my brother. My father

grew up playing baseball and so he passed on his passion to my older brother as well. I saw how

much the sport positively influenced both my father and my brother on and off the field. My

brother gained confidence, knowledge and friends as a result of competing in baseball. I also saw
how close he was with his teammates and even his teammates families. Being apart of the

baseball community is just like being a part of a family. One day I told my parents that I too

wanted to play the same sport but for girls, so I picked up a bat and a glove and started playing. I

started off in little league and I quickly met new friends and fell in love with the sport day by

day. As I improved over the years I began travel softball, which is a more competitive level of

softball. During my time playing travel ball i met some of the most amazing group of teammates

and families. We trained four times out of the week together, played every weekend together and

traveled together, making my team more than just a team, they were my family. Being apart of a

softball team is just like being a part of a family and that's what makes this community so

unique.

I decided to interview my roommate and teammate Juju for this essay because we belong to

the same discourse community. I sat down with her in my dorm room after our classes and asked

her insight questions that shared her perspective of her membership in her community. I asked

simple questions in the beginning to help set up the more thought out questions at the end of the

interview. I was able to retrieve some great feedback from Juju and her experience playing

softball. Because of the interview process, I was also able to understand who she is as a person as

well. Juju began her softball journey at the age of five years old. She decided to join this

discourse community because her brother was a part of a similar community just like my brother.

She explained how her brother appeared “to have so much fun playing baseball” so she wanted

to do the same. Throughout the years she enhanced her softball abilities, which got her to be

recruited and given a scholarship to play softball here at Cal Poly just like me. “All the hard
work she put in playing travel softball finally payed off” she stated. Some shared goals she

explained to have on the Cal Poly softball team is winning all home games, winning conference,

and making it to postseason. The communication the community uses is all via IMessage and

group chats between the players and coaches, just the players and a position group chat. The

purpose of the group chats is to inform weights, conditioning, practice, game and meeting times

and of course to make sure everyone is receiving help if needed. In this community we also use

our own type of lingo unfamiliar to non-athletes. Some examples of phrases used are “on deck”,

“in the hole”, “roll it up” and “foul poles.” To improve our skills as a team we also watch and

review our practice and game day film to see what areas we can improve and what areas we did

well. A hierarchy is also in place where, the underclassmen (freshmen and sophomores) are at

the bottom, the upperclassmen (juniors and seniors) are in the middle and the coaches are the

rulers and leaders at the top.

In my discourse community, one key artifact we use is the “Cal Poly Softball Team Rules

and Policies.” This average piece of paper has a list of sixteen rules written by my coaches for

everyone on my team to follow. These rules hold individuals responsible for their behavior as

team members, both on and off the field, so that the structure of the team remains stable. The

coaches develop these rules based on past events that have occurred so that they don’t happen

again. Most players abide by the team policies, but some find it difficult to follow the academic

rules. Underclassmen receive more leeway for not completely following the rules, but

upperclassmen must go by them without a question. If team members decide to not follow the

rules, then consequences include “foul poles.” For you non-softball players, “foul poles” are
sprints on a softball field where you run from one foul pole to the other. Lexis used in this

community include “on deck”, “in the hole” “double play” and “pickle.” The coaches give out

this paper at the beginning of the year to all players and we are to follow each and every rule

before, during and after the season. Other athletic communities follow some of the same criteria

as we do, but certain rules might differ and sound more harsh to them. As Cal Poly athletes we

know these are effective and are in place so that we can be the best athletes we can be.

After interviewing Juju it truly opened my eyes to how amazing it is to be apart of this

discourse community. The hard work and dedication that everyone shares in this community

shows the immense proof that being a part of a team can shape who you are. “I wouldn't be the

person I am today without the sport of softball”, expressed Juju as she feels that the community

she is in has guided her in the right direction. For me, softball is a privilege that I am thankful for

everyday. It has given me the greatest opportunities and memories that I will never forget.
 Work Cited:

Sargent, Juju. Personal Interview. 22 Oct.2019

Condon, Jenny. Cal Poly Team Rules. 19 Sep. 2019