In the fall of 2010, Jordan Patterson started college at the University of Alabama and joined the school’s softball team. During her four years in Tuscaloosa, the Tide went to the Women’s College World Series twice – and one once. But despite the team’s success, Jordan struggled with disappointments and setbacks. In a recent blog post, Jordan told her story of how those disappointments led to victories in unexpected ways.
Jordan came to Alabama as a catcher. She spent her first two years training and learning from the two older catchers on the team. She always came to practice early and stayed late. She wanted to be ready when her time came. During her sophomore year, Alabama won the Women’s College World Series. The next year she would finally get her shot.
Coming off of the National Championship, I was more determined than ever. We had two catchers coming back- myself and a sophomore, Chaunsey Bell. I knew that both of us would be given opportunities to prove ourselves early on, and I was going to give it everything that I had. I had played the role of supportive teammate for two years and really took pride in that. It’s so important. Every team needs role-players who take pride in their job on the bench. But now, I wanted to be on the field more than ever.
But that summer, she learned that a transfer student would be joining the team as another catcher. Jordan and her new teammate quickly became close friends, but the transfer student was an incredible catcher and player. Jordan knew that she would probably be sitting on the bench again for the next two years. Although she was disappointed, her focus began to change, and Jordan learned to find peace in her new role on the team.
When I began to accept that my job as an upperclassman was going to be leading from the bench, I was able to truly commit to it. I kept working hard, still came early and stayed late, but my motivations for doing so began to change. Instead of being motivated by the desire for personal success, I was motivated by the desire for team success. I needed to work my butt off so that I could demand that others do the same. I needed to keep getting better at blocking and framing so that the other catchers were pushed to get better. While I had always been a “team player” on the surface, I had finally morphed into a “team player” at heart.
There were times when she still felt angry, frustrated, and sad. But, as she learned, “That’s life. Sometimes, you are going to put every ounce of your being into something, and it’s not going to work out exactly the way you wanted it to. Get over it.”
After she graduated, Jordan decided to go to law school. She knew that the job market would be tough to break into, but softball had taught her patience and perseverance. Through a family friend she was connected with a Hiring Partner in charge of hiring Summer Associates at a law firm in Washington, D.C. Before meeting her, the partner Googled Jordan and found a Tuscaloosa News article that documented her story of learning “resiliency,” “selflessness,” and “how to take pride in your work” while playing softball.
The Hiring Partner was impressed and set up interviews with five other partners in the firm for Jordan. She was soon offered a Summer Associate position and is now living in D.C., working alongside some of the best lawyers and clerks in the country. All because playing softball at Alabama taught her to keep fighting and be a true team player.
So, to any players out there struggling with being a role-player: keep working hard. Keep putting the team above yourself. Keep trusting your coaches. Believe me, I know that it hurts at times. But the Game sees you, and it will reward you. It won’t always be in the way that you wanted or pictured it, though. Sometimes the reward will come years later, in a way that will have a much greater impact on the course of your life than getting more playing time ever will.
And I wouldn’t have it any other way.
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