Swing, and a miss. Swing, and a miss. Swing, and a miss. “Strike three, you’re out!” yelled the umpire. I was out, again. Softball used to be fun when I was little. I would get a hit every time. But, at fourteen years old, all I did was strike out. I had entered a hitting slump…and this slump was not going to be easy to get out of. But, my coach, Mr. Peters, was not going to stop until I shined.
Mr. Peters walked like Grumpy, one of the seven dwarfs, but he was certainly not grumpy at all. He was genuine, committed, and positive. He wore the same khaki shorts, that went above his knees, to every practice. His voice was knowledgeable, yet tough. His traits are what made him the best coach I have ever had.
At practice, we swung our bats so many times, it felt like our wrists were ready to fall off. Mr. Peters went around to each girl and helped them with their swing. When he got to me, he tweaked a couple things, but he said that my swing was fine.
“Why aren’t I hitting the ball then?” I yelled back at him, half sad, half confused. I thought, I cannot be the worst one on the team, can I?
At the beginning of our next game, Mr. Peters said to me, “Before you step up to the plate, imagine exactly where you want the ball to go and what base you want to get on. Then you will hit the ball.” I did not believe him, but tried it anyway.
When I got up to bat, I imagined the ball would float right over the left fielder's head and that I would get on second base. Here was my moment. My time to shine.
The pitcher swiftly released the ball and I was ready to smack that ball. I swang with all my strength and hit the ball.
It was a high pop-up, but it was going far out. It went right in between left and center field. I quickly dropped the bat and ran. I rounded first, hearing Mr. Peters yell, “Go two, go two!” I slid into second base and was safe.
I finally escaped my hitting slump! Mr. Peters helped me more than I could have ever imagined. He encouraged me to see the potential in myself. He never gave up on me because he knew what I was capable of. 
Without Mr. Peters as my coach, I would have given up on softball after my seventh grade year. I would have never had the opportunity to play for him again, or to save my high school softball game by hitting a walk-off double. Who would have thought that picturing what I was going to hit would have been so helpful? Mr. Peters did. Now, I will shine for everyone to see.