This is the second entry from the “Journey Journal” of Sophia Taliaferro, a high school junior in Virginia who first hit the Triple Crown Sports radar in June 2022 while taking part in multiple pre-event camps before the Colorado 4th of July softball tournament. The idea was sparked to hear straight from a student-athlete’s perspective about not just college recruiting, but how past experiences and current events influence the timeless question – what’s the future going to look like?
 
Falling out of love with your sport is something many athletes face; I’ve been there myself. Here I want to talk about events that led to my decision to quit softball, and how I came back.

At age 10, I decided I wanted to play softball in college. I wrote out my goal on a piece of paper and stuck it on the fridge. I believed softball would be a constant in my life. That year I had to leave the team that helped me discover my passion for the game as my parents and I decided that to pursue my dream, I had to move to a more competitive organization. I was heartbroken about having to leave behind my best friends, but excited to be moving forward to bigger things. 
 
My 11u team was my first experience in having a negative coach. My coach promised that their experience along with the reputation of the organization would guarantee me a career in college softball. I had high expectations for the season, but the quality of coaching simply didn’t hold up. My coach turned out to be extremely degrading and mentally abusive. I have one distinct memory from that season that happened when my new 11u team had been playing the 10u season team I had just left.  
 
I was behind the plate that game – and I had just failed to block a ball from my pitcher and a run scored. My coach called time and marched out of the dugout towards me, already accusing me through body language. I was cussed out in front of all my former teammates and their parents sitting behind the fence. I had been publicly humiliated for a single mistake. Many of my former teammate's parents approached my coach after the game to defend me. My coach apologized to me and my parents, but it never really got better. He only liked me when I was afraid of him, so when I decided not to be afraid anymore there was nothing left.
 
Needless to say, I found myself on another new team the next year. Fast forward to age 14, the travel team I had been on had fallen apart and I was forced to find another new team. A coach that I had known for a while reached out to me and asked me to join their team. The team would play at the highest travel level, and it would be my first year going to the big travel tournaments. The coach won me over by complimenting my skills and selling the team.
 
What I thought would be my forever travel team turned out to be one of the worst experiences of my life. The coach had obvious favorite players that were made blameless in all situations. After losses, we would receive 30-minute lectures where players were called out by name for what they did wrong. The coach would throw the schools we were emailing in our faces and tell us we would never be good enough to play there with our performance. If a team member was struggling, the culture the coach had built ostracized them. If you performed, you were liked. I watched girls who had been confident, passionate players on that team suffer with severe performance anxiety and self-doubt. It was at this point in my life that softball felt more like a task instead of a game. I couldn’t find any adult that I could trust. The next couple of years went on about the same as I slowly shut down. I dreaded practices, and every second I was on a field I wanted to be someplace else. 
 
So, I stopped. I took a three-month break and I wasn’t sure I was ever coming back.  I played field hockey, hung out with friends from school, slept a lot and did homework.  My parents would talk to me once in a while to try and see where I was and understand where I was coming from, but I was too burnt out to even talk about it.  
 
One day my dad told me I needed to try again. Get up, get your bag, let's go practice – so I did.  It made me angry, but at the same time I figured it was time to give it a try. I needed to see if I could find that passion again before I walked away for good. My dad was coaching a rec team of 12u girls and asked me to help run some practices. Working with them reminded me of my early days playing and helped me realize that I missed it.
 
Ultimately, I was able to find a team and a coach who really cares about me as a person and a player. It’s hard to put trust in coaches who screw you over, and it made me lose trust in the game. But my family didn’t give up on me, I didn’t give up for long, and now I’m back to stay.

Name: Taylor Cox
 
Job title: College Coach Coordinator
 
Email: taylor@triplecrownsports.com
 
Hometown: Loveland, CO
 
Family: I was born in Wichita, KS and moved to Colorado when I was 5 years old so I consider Loveland my hometown. After college I moved to Denver for 10 years and recently moved to Greeley in January. I am 31 years old, a Cancer, love softball, the Kansas Jayhawks and enjoy good food and good company! In 2011 I met my fiance, Shawn, and we welcomed our son, Kellen, in November 2015. We got engaged at my 90's themed 30th birthday party last year and will be getting married in July of 2023. I was raised by my mom, Tamara and am the youngest of 3. I have one sister and one brother both older; Ashtin (36) and Chad (33). We are all super close and I consider them all my best friends!  We are all big sports fans and enjoy spending time together watching and playing sports, board games, traveling and more.
 
College attended: Colorado State University Global, graduated 2018.
 
Sports background: I started playing competitive fastpitch at age of 7 for the Loveland Rage and went on to play for 12 years. I ended my fastpitch career playing for Comets-Gold (Sakamoto) before going off to Bradley University where I took on the role of starting shortstop. During my freshman year I broke the walk record and won the team’s offensive MVP. After two years and a few injuries, I decided to end my career and return home. I now play slowpitch softball competitively and get to share the field with my sister.
 
Hobbies: I spend most of my weekends hanging out with my family – I love spending time with my son and playing board games and watching movies together. Otherwise, most of my weekends are consumed with softball. During the offseason I like to be creative, paint, draw, craft, etc. I hope to start traveling and taking my son to the places I loved growing up.
 
Favorite trip: Earlier in 2022 we were able to take our son to Oahu, HI for a family vacation. We went to the Polynesian Cultural Center, North Shore, snorkeling at Hanauma Bay, ate some amazing food and made some amazing memories!
 
How did you become associated with Triple Crown?: I played for the Buckaroos when I was younger, and we used to come to the facility for hitting practice. My sister played for the TC Stars when she was 18 so I would come around for her games and use the facility as well. I also worked some events when I was younger and played some events growing up. I am currently a part of TC Pitchers.
 
What intrigues you the most about Triple Crown?: I love that you get to wake up every day and work in sports. Being a part of something that so many people are passionate about is exciting! From what I know and have learned TC is one big family and I am excited to get to be a part of it!

What follows is the first entry of the “Journey Journal” as written by Sophia Taliaferro, a high school junior in Virginia who first hit the Triple Crown Sports radar in June 2022 while taking part in multiple pre-event camps before the Colorado 4th of July softball tournament. The idea was sparked to hear straight from a student-athlete’s perspective about not just college recruiting, but how past experiences and current events influence the timeless question – what’s the future going to look like?
 
First and foremost, we thank Sophia for her willingness to share her story. It’s our wager that thousands of teenagers are navigating similar waters, just as how innumerable parents can remember their own highs and lows in these important years. We’ll look forward to the updates and relevant pieces of history (all relayed as Sophia sees fit) as clarity begins to shine on the road ahead.

Hi, my name is Sophia Taliaferro. I am a class of 2024 softball player looking to play Division I softball in college and have been given an opportunity to document my experiences as I go through the recruiting process. In all honesty, I was incredibly hesitant about accepting this role for a few reasons. Mainly, I am a very private person and do not enjoy sharing my personal life. However, the purpose I have been called to fulfill as a guide to the young girls who want to pursue a career in college softball won priority over my individual discomforts. I hope that as you follow my story throughout this series, you will come out with a realistic idea of what to expect when competing for a spot in a college program.
 
October marked the second month of my recruiting process. So far, I have been told by my travel ball coach, India Chiles, college coaches like me and want to come to watch me play this fall -- however, I have not had any direct contact. I am sure I can speak for many players when I say that I feel anxious about recruiting. Scrolling through my social media pages, I see so many girls posting about their visits and commitments to play at their dream schools. Post after post, I can’t help but question myself.
 
“What if I never get any offers?
 
“Am I even good enough to play D1?”
 
Thoughts like these are things that circulate in my mind daily. It can be tempting to give into these concerns and believe them. To help keep myself grounded I focus on a couple of things. My coach has repeatedly told me that she isn’t worried about me achieving my goals and that coaches are slower to recruit 2024s this year. Knowing this, I can just relax and trust the process. It also helps me to focus my energy on things that are non-softball related. When too much weight is put on how you perform as a player, it can start to feel like your worth as a person is defined by a statistic. This kind of mindset can end athletic careers and wreck mental health.
 
Right now, I am playing high-school field hockey and taking several AP/honors classes. I love field hockey because it allows me to experience the freedom that comes from playing a sport that I don’t have to be good at. I can have fun doing something I don’t take as seriously. My challenging academic schedule acts as a sort of opposite pressure. I have pressure put on me to be great at softball, and on the other side, I have pressure to achieve good grades. While sometimes it can get overwhelming, for the most part I enjoy putting hard work into something other than softball. Making time for other interests makes sure that softball is a part of me; I am not softball.
 
Though I keep myself distracted with lots of extracurricular activities, the recruiting process is always at the top of my-things-to-worry-about list. I have no idea how things will work out, but I have no choice but to let them unfold at their own pace.

by Kyle Koso

Members of the Yale Softball Academy out of Canada can be excused if they feel as though they double as a track and field squad, given all the hurdles that seem to sprout up.
 
Based outside of Vancouver, BC., Yale’s athletes have to navigate the region’s difficult weather, a relentless fact of life up North that that complicates game schedules, workouts and training in ways unfathomable to most USA-based programs. To jam up the works even more, Canada’s government imposed severe restrictions on gatherings during the height of COVID-19 concerns – like a soupy infield after a storm, it very much muddied the growth arc for players.
 
So if the blue skies and warm temperatures had Yale’s student-athletes in high spirits last weekend at the Triple Crown Las Vegas City of Lights showcase, it likely meant playing with each other meant as much as playing in front of college coaches.   
 
Yale has been coming to Las Vegas for this event for about 10 years, subtracting the COVID snarls of 2020-21. The sense of purpose was obvious for the academy, as about 55 club teams, 250 players and 50 college coaches were on hand at Majestic Park to make connections leading to future spots on college rosters.    
 
“We’ve had a lot of girls come down to this tournament and had scholarships come out of it. Maybe you have girls who find a JUCO, they’ve gone on to play for a D-I or D-II, and it’s always been a pretty successful thing to be at this tournament and give the girls lots of opportunities,” said Jen Schreyer, Yale Softball Academy teacher and coordinator who pitched for Simon Fraser and won an NAIA national title in 2005. “As Canadians, we play a lot less ball because of the weather circumstances. An American might play 300 games between club ball and showcase tournaments, while our season might have girls playing together 60 times.
 
“We’re at a bit of a disadvantage that way, so that’s why we have to train harder, and why a lot of girls look to the opportunity to be part of our program. We work on the skills as much as they can in the offseason. We have snow, lots of rain in the Pacific Northwest. We’re always looking for the billionaire to build us an indoor facility, because the one we have now is crap. It’s on cement, which is never good for the ol’ shin splints.”
 
Yale was founded in 2007; it’s best understood as a regular high school with a sport academy piece to it serving hockey, baseball and softball. On the typical day, students have school for two blocks in the morning, then head for the academy for two afternoon blocks. Softball players train from September to January’s offseason from travel ball, with other training on field when weather allows to go with a mix of tournaments and trips to college showcases.
 
“For the second half of semester, it’s three days of strength and conditioning, speed and agility, general health and PE, nutrition, then getting into the college recruiting process,” Schreyer said. “We help with the steps if they want to play at the next level. We always have to work harder. We have one NCAA team in Canada, and one NAIA team, and one JUCO. Options are limited. There are lot of girls who play, and we have to go south of the border if we want to play at a higher level.”
 
A large portion of the softball roster lives about an hour away from Yale and is up at 5 a.m. to make the trek to school. In a given year, six or seven live away from home on campus for a semester, and the squad recently had a player from New Brunswick (a crisp 54-hour drive) -- she was recruited at Vegas City of Lights and is now playing D-I softball.
 
“Being a part of this every year has really helped make (connections with multiple programs),” Schreyer added. “My job isn’t in the dugout, but to be out and talking to coaches. I quite enjoy it now; when I started I was 23 and terrified, and I still felt like a college player. Making connections with all the coaches … keeping that going the best way possible.”
 
With the Yale staff looking after the big picture, it’s up to the players to stay determined and not be pushed away from their aspirations.
 
“The challenge is, every day is different. We’re always put to the test … fielding, new drills, our mechanics, and we work on communicating a lot,” said middle infielder Navi Schalin, 17, a Vancouver native. “It’s more than two hours every day, outside in the cold, so yeah, it’s really good. I would not be the athlete I am today without going to Yale. The coaches are amazing and so encouraging. They’ll always tell you what you can do better, and they will push you really hard, which has been very beneficial. They are preparing us for college.
 
“It is really challenging showing up at tournaments, everyone has been playing outdoors for so long and we are just coming into it. It’s hard having the shorter season, but that makes us work just that much more to be better. We don’t take anything for granted. We don’t have the facilities, or as many coaches as on the States. When it comes to the team, we work for each other, and it’s a group effort. Our season is so short, we put it first. We only have so much time, so let’s put everything we can into it, have each other’s back no matter what.”
 
“I’ve learned a lot since grade 9. They’ve taught me a lot about pitching, and the infield coaching is very good. Every day is different, there’s a mix of what you need to do each day,” said pitcher/utility player Jenna Johnston, 17, also from Vancouver. “If you mess up, they teach you. You’ll do 500 pushups if you forget gear, so they’re hard on us, but they want to make us the best we can be.
 
“With the weather, it can be hard to find a place to practice. With pitching, I do a lot of long toss in the offseason, and it’s not easy doing that when it’s snowing and minus-2 degrees. Finding a place to do hitting, the facility of my old club team wasn’t heated, so you’d break bats every other week. We’re there for each other. We know what we missed with the COVID years, all pushed back with recruiting. You come down here, it’s a whole different level of ball, the intensity and the pitching, it’s completely different. We all know each other up in Canada, and we know we need to get better.”

Triple Crown Sports continues its persistent hunt for powerful connections in the world of youth fastpitch and is pleased to announce a marketing agreement with Champions Academy in preparation for the Champions Elite Fall Showcase, a 14u through 18u event scheduled for Nov. 4-6, 2022, in the Atlanta suburban settings of Cobb and Cherokee County.
 
Along with tournament play, the weekend includes a Showcase Mini-Camp, slated for 6-9 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 6 at the Twin Creeks Complex in Woodstock. This is limited to 75 entries; athletes will work out in three 1-hour sessions with college coaches on hand to watch the action. The schedule for the Champions Elite Fall Showcase will be limited to 100 teams.
 
Games will be seven innings; the recruiting impact of the weekend includes more than 100 college coaches with a strong presence from the ACC, SEC, Big 12 and Big Ten.
 
Based in Atlanta, Champions Fastpitch Academy was founded in 2000 with a focus on individual pitching lessons. Today, the organization operates in five locations in metro Atlanta and has helps players improve their skill set in all aspects of the game as well as strength and conditioning. 
 
“We are very excited to represent Triple Crown Softball in the Southeast,” said Stacy Tamborra, owner and lead pitching instructor of Champions Fastpitch Academy. “We are accustomed to pioneering in our sport and can’t think of a better way to expand our reach to provide Champions Elite Showcase Tournaments and Camps with the highest level of excellence as we bring the best of each of our strengths together to create something remarkably special. The future is bright.”
 
“Triple Crown Sports has prioritized a presence in greater Atlanta for several years, running championship events including our TC Nationals tournament, one of the most competitive fastpitch settings on the calendar,” said Sean Hardy, chief operating officer for Triple Crown. “We are well aware of the good work and excellent softball that Champions Fastpitch Academy has helped evolve in the region, and we hope this is the start of a useful relationship that helps grow the game.” 
 
Triple Crown Sports has been producing youth, high school and college events for 40 years; anchored by the 1,000-team Colorado 4th of July event, TC fastpitch tournaments draw the nation’s finest club programs, and hundreds of college coaches attend TCS events for recruiting purposes.
 
For more information, click HERE >> CHAMPIONS ELITE FALL SHOWCASE | Champions Fastpitch Academy