Snedaker Law Sponsors Lake Mary Little League

Snedaker Law Sponsors Lake Mary Little League

September 8, 2019 | by Shannon Snedaker

Take me out to the ball game! Snedaker Law is proud to announce that it will be a yearly sponsor of Lake Mary Little League.

Being a business owner it is sometimes difficult to decide which organizations, events, campaigns, etc. to sponsor. It is impossible to sponsor all local organizations as there are an abundance of charitable organizations that all really make dramatic difference in the community and individual lives. So how do you pick which one to sponsor? The best advice I was given with respect to which organizations to invest in are the ones that you enjoy, believe in, and want to be apart of. Little league is one of those organizations for me. I enjoy it, I believe in it, and I enjoy being apart of its great organization.

Growing up, you could find me most weekends at Eisenhower Park participating in Arcadia’s Little League. From t-ball to baseball to softball, I spent most of my youth participating in little league. It molded me. Some of my greatest memories – good and bad – as a child took place on the field or in the dugout. I remember hitting my first home run and feeling on top of the world. I remember being the only girl on the boy’s baseball team and the challenges that came with being the best player on that all-boy team. I remember having feelings of inadequacy, insecurity, arrogance, confidence, and joy all during the same game. After all, baseball and softball are, in my opinion, 90% mental. I remember the teams, the coaches, and the players who contributed to the person I am today. I never even thought about playing at the collegiate level, and frankly, was probably not good enough to even think about it. But without those highs and lows and experiences that only a team sport can provide, I probably wouldn’t have learned how to deal with the real life lessons that sports teaches you. It teaches you how to deal with conflict, how to work as a team, how to build someone else up when they feel like they aren’t good enough, how to be humble when you are the best player, how to work hard, how to keep fighting even when it feels like you aren’t good enough, how to praise others when they excel, and most importantly, how to believe in yourself.

These life lessons have always stayed with me. However, I probably did not appreciate how much of an impact little league had on molding me until I started watching my children and their peers develop themselves in sports and in little league. As a parent, I have watched from the bleachers – so nervous for my daughter and how she may react if she strikes out. I have cheered them on when they made that first throw from third base to first and got the out. I have watched them stand on the mound and held my breath with each pitch worried that they may break down if they hit another player. I have watched them struggle with their competitiveness. I have seen firsthand the mental challenges they have faced when they feel like they are not good enough. These experiences are shaping them as individuals. They are learning how to deal with conflict, how to work with their teammates, how to build someone else up, how to be humble, how to keep fighting, how to work hard, how to praise others, and most importantly…they are learning how to believe in themselves. These lessons that they are learning, all stem from the experiences they have had and/or are having at little league.

Sponsoring Lake Mary Little League was an easy choice for me. I believe in it, I enjoy it, and I will continue to be apart of it. Opening Day is next Saturday, September 14, 2019. You can find me sitting in the bleachers, playing walk up songs for a bunch of seven-year olds as they take the field together for the first time. I am also proud to see my firm’s banner in the outfield supporting an organization that is shaping Lake Mary’s youth.