Chapter 2 - growth spurt and power surge

Shortly after their unsuccessful regional tournament run Carly and her teammates took a much needed break to enjoy the last two weeks of summer. Carly's parents also thought that a break from private pitching lessons and fall travel ball was in order as well.No sense in burning her out after all.Evenings at the Hansen house were great family times with John going to the Weight Room and Carly and Jenny cooking a fabulous meal for them to enjoy when he he returned.
This turned out to be the year when "Little Carly" finally began to show the height from her parents.She shot up in height 5 inches by the time spring travel ball started in March.At 5'6" and a slender 120 lbs she was a force to be reckoned with on the field.She started hitting for power with many more extra base hits.Her speed increased with her longer strides carrying her to many triples and occasionally even an in-the -park home run on the larger fields against an unaware opponent.Her velocity on the mound increased by 10 mph too! This change necessitated starting pitching lessons again .Instead of nibbling at the corners and using change-ups and guile .Carly was now a power pitcher whose riseball simply overwhelmed her opponents.
As spring turned to summer Carly ended the season in August standing 5'7" and a still slender 120 lbs of lean softball machine.The results of taking a break in the fall had been so enjoyable the previous year that the little family decided that would be the way to go each and every year.So in spite of the aggressive recruiting efforts of the Volleyball,Cross-Country and Field Hockey coaches-It was once again-family time for the Hansens.
When September rolled around John had a surprise for Carly."Now that you are 14 I have purchased a membership for you at the gym .Would you like to go with me and do some weight training?" Of course the answer was Yes! Carly adored her Dad and looked forward to spending time with him. She also liked the idea of getting stronger and perhaps finally"Going Yard" a few times when high school ball started in the spring.And so it was that Carly Hansen started a pattern of serious strength training every fall and winter.She followed John's lead which meant a five minute leisurely walk on the treadmill as a warm-up.No cardio machine marathons for the Hansens! We're here to move some iron around.
While the weight lifters were doing their thing-Jenny was home preparing the types of meals that both she herself and Big John enjoyed.He called it American Food.Salad was a rare sighting at the dinner table.It was Meatloaf.Mac and Cheese.Mashed Potatoes and Gravy.Steak.Dinnertime was special as they caught up on the day and lustily enjoyed the fabulous food.Around the second month of weight training there was also a change brewing for Carly.When she was tiny she enjoyed her food-but she didn't have much of an appetite.But now after her rigorous workouts with Dad she was ready to feed her muscles.She was Hungry!And with food this good she was eating close to the amount of her large parents by winter. Her Grandmother was particularly pleased to see her formerly tiny waif of a Granddaughter eating heartily at Thanksgiving and again at Christmas.
On March 1st 2010 the softball coach looked over his new recruits and smiled at the sight of his new Freshman Phenom-Carly Hansen. 5'8" tall and a solid muscular weight of 135 lbs.Carly made the Varsity that year and starred at Shortstop. She pitched a few relief games and was occasionally "loaned" to the JV to keep her pitching skills intact for next year.There was a Star Senior pitcher ahead of her who was fabulous.Kathy Short had pitched 3 No-Hitters and would add two more that year for the school record.Kathy was a heavy set girl of 190 lbs at 5'6" and always got a pinch runner unless she hit the ball over the fence.Carly thought to herself "I won't need the courtesy pinch runner .They will leave me on base with my speed." Kathy was a sweet girl who really took Carly under her wing on the varsity. Kathy told her "I was slim like you freshman year and played second base.But my love of cupcakes has caught up to me-I don't mind a bit either.I can just concentrate on my pitching and driving in runs now!" Carly tried to picture Kathy as slim but it was hard to imagine this plump and out of shape girl ever being a fast runner.Kathy told her also"You're going to be a terrific pitcher Carly.I hope you break my no-hitter record too.If it has to be broken I want it to be by a friend of mine."
In the next chapter Carly Hansen continues to "grow" in the game of softball.