When I lived in Australia I used to play cricket on a West Indies men’s cricket team but it wasn’t always like that. I had to prove myself.
Cricket is a game similar to baseball but it takes much longer to play.
Growing up I’d always played sports with boys and could hold my own on most games. But when I wanted to join a local boys cricket team the answer way always no? Why? because I wasn’t good enough? No it was because I was a girl and would probably cry and ruin the game.
So I set out to prove them wrong and join the team. Every week they would play and I would go and watch and help set up the game, collect the balls and keep score etc. I knew I was as good as most of them but they just didn’t know it yet.
One day they were short of players and they said I could fill in but warned me not to mess it up for them as they were playing a very good team.
Batting wasn’t my strength, as my forte was fast bowling, so when they got me out they were more excited to get a girl out than the usual ranting and yelling. It made them feel great and they laughed at me and told me to go home to mama. When it was my time to bowl I bowled out one of their best batters and they were stunned. I asked him what it felt like to be taken out by a girl and he put his head down in shame.
I continued on in the game to get many more of the boys out and when the game was over my team mates carried me around the field on their shoulders to celebrate our win. I was asked back to play many times after that and then I became a full time player and eventually the Captain of the team. I was the only female on the team but now they treated me as an equal but I secretly knew I was actually a better player than all of them.
Find me at: http://thethirdwavebook.com
3 comments
gretchen
That is so cool Alison! It is true that you don’t need special skills to be a volunteer. I love your last statement…
“EVERYONE IS NEEDED to help as the worlds getting screwed up but we can fix it”
Yes we can. :)
alison
Thanks Gretchen, i love volunteering, i have a blast i usually also lose weight, get a suntan, meet hundreds of new people, help save lives, feel confident inside and sometimes i fall in love.! Its a pretty good deal. I’m really a pretty ordinary person and i don’t have a lot of big trained skills but all the little ones add up. I’m a big believer that you don’t need many skills to be a volunteer. Its not hard to hand out water or give a hug no matter what age you are. I was just running a refugee camp of 65000 people with actor Sean Penn in Haiti and he would bring his two teenagers aged 16 and 17 to Haiti all the time to volunteer. They would run around doing all these amazing things and they just used their common senses. I just want people to know that EVERYONE IS NEEDED to help as the worlds getting screwed up but we can fix it.
love Alison
http://thethirdwavebook.com
gretchen
Alison – I’ve been there done that. Love your story and I am just picturing the look on those boys’ faces!
Your web site, though, just blows me away. Your movie “The Third Wave” looks stunning. What an incredible display of compassion. Please feel free to plug that on my site any time. We’d love to hear more about your work!