Too Many Girls Struggle to Take Up Space in Sports
Karlyn Pickens threw the fastest pitch in NCAA softball history — 79.4 miles per hour — and lifted her Tennessee teammates on her back, punching their ticket to the NCAA Women’s College World Series. For context? From a softball mound, that’s the equivalent of facing a 105 MPH fastball in baseball.
@vol_softball She’s really like that 👑 #vols #karlynpickens #ncaasoftball ♬ original sound – Tennessee Softball
But that’s not the part that got me.
What got me was the way she almost didn’t get there.
Not because she wasn’t good enough.
Because she was holding back.
Like so many girls, Karlyn Pickens had to learn how to stop shrinking herself.
Not her talent — her presence.
The celebrating.
The fire.
The fearless, full-out version of herself.
She once said she didn’t always show her emotions after a big moment — because she didn’t want others to feel bad.
She didn’t want to be too much.
To reach the next level, a coach intervened.
She noticed Karlyn was holding back.
She gave her the words, the permission, the push to stop playing small — and start owning what was already inside her.
And from there, everything clicked.
She let go.
She showed up.
She shined.
Oh — and she didn’t do it by playing one sport 12 months a year.
She played basketball. Volleyball. She is the epitome of what it means to be a multi-sport athlete.
Yes, the pitch was 79.4.
But the story?
It’s about how she got out of her own way — and finally let the world see what she was capable of.
And maybe, just maybe, that’s what our girls need most from us:
The reminder that it’s OK to take up space.
To want it.
To go for it.
To let it show.
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