I love sports. Growing up in Alaska, the community revolved around the junior high and high school sports programs. Opposing teams traveled a great distance to play their opponents in other rural communities, so the mothers of the host teams provided meals for the visiting teams. Most of the community attended the game as there wasn’t much else going on in town. As a visiting team, we didn’t have the luxury of staying in a hotel (if there even was a hotel). After the game, you showered, ate the yummy dinner prepared for you, rolled out your sleeping bag in one of the school’s classrooms and spent the night. We woke up the next day where breakfast was usually waiting, played another game that evening, and then rode the bus for the long trip home. In the summer, we often attended a camp to not only improve our skills but also hear the message of the Gospel. The importance of setting achievable goals and the power of positive thinking were also emphasized. Through motivational talks, funny skits, and shared testimonies we learned about God’s love for us and the relationship between a positive attitude and success on the basketball court. If you conducted an informal survey, I’m sure you’d find many a child in the Pacific Northwest with fond memories of the camp coaches prompting, “How’s your Positive Mental Attitude?!” To which we all cheerfully responded, “Vroooom, I’m a self-starter!”
Clever, yes?
The lessons learned at camp are still with me, even though my days of playing sports are a distant memory. Now I like to watch my kids play. We often cheer for our favorite teams on television. In a different season of life, I earned a living watching sports while caring for injured college athletes. Even in this role, the benefits of positive thinking and an optimistic attitude were evident on the soccer fields, tracks, courts, rinks and gymnasiums. An injured athlete battles numerous mental hurdles in order to recover from a serious injury and eventually return to the field. During competitions, victory often belongs to the one who digs deep, persevering through hardship and struggle. The winner is often the one who wants it more, driven by the power of a positive mental attitude.
October in this hemisphere is not only about the beautiful fall foliage, mums blooming on the porch, and trips to the pumpkin patch … there’s also the beginning of college basketball, the ongoing rivalry between college football teams and, my personal favorite, the World Series of baseball. My second novel, Covering Home, is a clean romance featuring a professional baseball player and a sportscaster. Writing that novel involved a fair amount of research. I could probably tell you far more than you ever wanted to know about the sport. For the purposes of this post, I’ll focus on one of my favorite nuances of the game. Did you know baseball players have a walk-up song? It’s a song chosen to play over the loudspeaker as they walk from the dugout to the batter’s box? While I’m not an expert in sports psychology, I imagine the song selection is about mentally preparing to face whatever the pitcher throws. It’s also about filling one’s mind with positive thoughts and blocking out the negative messages which might impede performance.
If you’re reading this post, chances are you probably aren’t a professional athlete. But you probably are a person with doubts, fears and ongoing struggles. The Bible offers loads of verses and examples of people coping with heartache, loss, jealousy, regret, guilt … the list goes on and on. In addition to the Word of God, I’ve found my positive mental attitude is greatly assisted by listening to praise and worship music. Much like a professional baseball player headed for the batter’s box, I’ve discovered nothing fuels encouragement and inspiration like Biblical truth set to music by my favorite artists. The picture above features a snippet of the lyrics from one I play often, MercyMe’s song ‘Flawless’. If you’re interested, you can watch the video and hear the lyrics here.
Your turn: we love to hear from our readers, so please chime in with a comment below. If you could pick one song as a ‘walk-up’ song, your go-to tune for encouragement, what would you pick?
photo credit: unsplash.com
A Pacific Northwest girl at heart, Heidi was blessed to spend her formative years in Alaska. Her unique upbringing, coupled with Alaska's breathtaking scenery, fueled her active imagination and loosely inspired her debut novel, Unraveled. Heidi graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Sports Medicine from Whitworth University in Spokane, Washington and a Master's Degree in Athletic Training from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. After a brief career as a Certified Athletic Trainer, Heidi married her husband, Steve. They live in North Carolina with their three active little boys. When Heidi isn't stepping on Legos, chauffeuring the boys around suburbia or watching one of their many sporting events, she loves to read and write heartwarming romance.
Hi! I’m not a sports person to much but I do watch or take part once a while. Walking and swimming is as athletic as I get. If you consider cleaning a sport I could give you a run for your money. :):) My go to song would have to be “I Am” by David Crowder. Jenny
jennydtipton at gmail dot com
I love this idea! I need to find the song that get’s me going.
Music really does have so much power over our moods, doesn’t it? For me, it’s the memories a song can trigger. My walk-up song would have to be “Our God” by Chris Tomlin…really loud.
Hi Heidi, what does it say about me that my favorite song is Kool and the Gang’s “Celebration”? LOL. Probably, it says that I’m OLD.
I love hearing the baseball walk-up songs! It seems like you see a little hint of their personalities. (My favorite player uses “Here Comes the Boom” as his song.) My personal song would be “Awake and Alive” by Skillet. :)
I have never heard about walk up songs! Learn something new every day. Thanks for sharing this. As for me and my writing sometimes I like to listen to a playlist of music that gets me in the mood. Trouble is I like the sad and melancholy songs. Don’t know if I listen to those because my books tend to be a bit darker or I should listen to some other music! Anyhow, thanks for post. Such fun.
I think I’ll slide my desk next to Jill Weatherholt’s and listen to her playlist… at volume.
I can turn it down, Val. :)
My go-to song for encouragement changes from day to day. But, right now, my fav song is by Casting Crowns, “Just Be Held”. Beautiful song and message.
Hi Jenny! David Crowder is one of my favorites. I think I’ll go listen to “I Am” when I’m finished here. :-) Swimming and walking totally count. Thanks for stopping by.
Thanks, Ruth. I hope you find your song. Take care!
Indeed, Jill. Our brains are clever like that. Great choice on the song … definitely one best enjoyed at high volume. Chris Tomlin rocks!
It says you’re awesome. That’s a fabulous song! Thanks for stopping by, Lee.
Hi Christina. Who is your favorite player? That’s a great choice for a walk-up song. Are you enjoying the World Series? Game 1 was insane. Thanks for commenting. I’ve heard of Skillet but I’m not familiar with that song. I’ll have to give it a listen.
Hi Carolyne, it’s fun to learn new stuff, isn’t it? Thank you for reading my post. I’m always curious what people listen to when they write or if there’s a preference for total silence. I listen to country music when I write (with the occasional foray into classical). Take care.
Me too, Valerie. I’ll sit on her other side. :-)
Hi Melissa! I enjoy Casting Crowns, too. Thanks for visiting inspy romance today.
Love hearing which songs ballplayers choose too, and my ears really perk up when the song is one I’ve heard on Christian radio.
Right now, my walk-up song would have to be “Impossible” by Building 429. It offers great inspiration, makes you happy, and you can’t help but move to the song. :)
Heidi, thanks for the explanation of the songs the accompany a player to the plate. I especially noticed them when we used to go to the Jacksonville Suns games. It is a minor league team, and the ball park is small, so you really can see the players up close. I imagine my walk up song would change a lot. I find new songs that inspire me all the time. The most recent song that I listened to over and over again was “My Lighthouse” by Rend Collective.
Hi Heidi….you are right when you say most of us reading this post probably aren’t athletes because I sure am not :-) I was terrible at them in high school and many of our “jocks” and cheerleaders were stuck up and rude! I think the 3 I did enjoy was ping pong, volleyball and tennis. That being said, the only sport we watch here at home is NFL football. My husband introduced me to the love of it & patiently explained the game to me and still does if I don’t understand something. Our favorite team has to be the Seahawks since we live in Oregon, but we each have our own “favorite”, his is the Vikings since that’s where he did most of his growing up and mine is the Packers….even though I grew up in Illinios (can’t stand the Bears, lol). My family is a huge Bears fan :-)
I have so many songs that I really like, but I think the one that stands out to me is “Soul on Fire” by Third Day. For me, it portrays what I pray to be…..a soul seeking God will everything I have and holding nothing back!! And it does often feel like I have a fire burning in my soul. I want to run to God’s heart just like the song says because only in that way, will I feel fulfilled & happy :-) And I always want Him to restore to me the joy of my salvation. The words to this song are just incredible and the music always sweeps me away into the very presence of God, and isn’t that what worship should be?
Loved the video!! Thanks for sharing it!!
I think the only song I recognize above is Celebration, if it’s the one I’m thinking of. The song I would choose, or have chosen without even realizing it, is from Carousel, the musical … I think? You’ll Never Walk Alone. Whenever I’m having a tough time dealing with something, that’s the one that plays in my head. I clicked on the link to hear your song and ended up listening and watching several in a row. I think I need to check out this modern Christian music – those moved me greatly! Thanks!
Grichuk for the Cards – might have been rookie of the year if he hadn’t been injured near the end of the season! And yes, definitely enjoying the World Series, although I must admit I don’t care who wins. (I’m not supposed to say that in Missouri – when the Cardinals lose, people expect us to cheer for the Royals.) ;)