WELCOME to the leadoff Initiative
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Maggie HeaphyFounder, The leadoff initiativeAs a part of my Baseball for All Junior Captains and Captains Project, I decided to create The Leadoff Initiative, a website and resource page aimed towards girls who love the great game of baseball. I’ve been in love with the game for as long as I can remember, and although I am extremely lucky to say that my path as a ballplayer has been a lot easier than others, largely due to the support of my family & friends, some great coaches, some great teammates, and many others who have helped me get to this point, I can clearly say that, like every girl who is choosing this path, there have been some bumps in the road. I've been playing organized baseball since I was around the age of seven, and ever since then, I've just about always been the only girl on the field. And, I'm sure it's the same way for most girls. This is one of the many challenges that we, as female players, face, and, to be quite honest with you, it doesn't go away. When you find yourself sitting far away from the team on the bench, or are the last person chosen to throw with, resulting in warming up with the coach as your partner, how do you feel? Distant? Alone? I've been through it too, and believe me, it hasn't been easy. I play on a highly competitive travel team in my area, as well as my high school team, where just about all of my teammates are a foot and a half taller and sixty pounds heavier than I. I know how it is to feel like you don't belong there, but the reason I founded The Leadoff Initiative is to tell you all that you DO belong. If you want to take part of this crazy journey and go down the path of a female baseball player, it won't be easy. But you can do it. I know you can. We all have those hard practices, the snarky comments said to you, making you, once again, feel alone. However, I hope that this site will help unite us. The biggest issue for me growing up in the sport was that I never really had anyone to go through it all with, and so I hope that I can offer a bit of wisdom, companionship, and support through your darkest as well as your brightest moments. Thank you so much for your support, and I hope you can help through this journey.
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