May 2020

Question:

Nominate your mother for ‘Nokona Mother of the Year’ by telling us why she is the BEST, and how she has impacted your life. Details matter, so share a story.  Improve your entry by including a pic. Of course, the winning mother will win a great prize. We can’t wait to hear about all of the amazing moms out there…Good luck!

Winner

Congratulations to Brenna Busby of Washington, OK, our May Contest Winner!
Brenna plays shortstop for Cameron University in Lawton, Oklahoma.
She has quite the amazing mother, who teaches Brenna and her twin sister (both collegiate softball players!) about hard work and determination, provides endless support, and has not missed one single game – from Little League through college. It is THEIR journey, and Brenna is grateful! ….Way to go, Mom!

” There is no way I would be where I am today without my mom. She is my biggest inspiration, hero, and blessing I could ever have.” 

Winning Answer

Over the years, my mom has had a lot of roles in my life. From coach, best friend, biggest fan, leader, and mom, she is someone I have always admired and strived to be like. I am a senior softball player in college. I have played softball since I was 5 years old, and I have had a lot of people who have impacted me throughout the years. From coaches, teammates, mentors, and family, there has been no one that has had a greater effect on my life and career than my mom.

    I don’t want to sit here and write about all the cliché things that most people would say, because my mom doesn’t fit into the “normal” category. She’s been more than just a fan for me and my twin sister. She’s taught us from a young age how to push ourselves beyond what we ever could have imagined possible. She continually motivates us to strive for goals bigger than we would ever set for ourselves. She constantly sets the example that things aren’t given to you, you have to out work everyone around you and when you think you’ve don’t just that, keep working harder.

    I remember being five years old and her starting my love for the game in our back yard. We would play catch for hours and she would pitch to me as I attempted to hit the ball. It seemed impossible. Seventeen years later, and I still have that same passion for the game now at the collegiate level. As high school ball was coming to an end, I also believed so was my entire softball career, even though I had college offers. I figured senior year were my last games, and I would just go to college as a student after graduation, but my mom saw something in me that I couldn’t see myself. She’s never forced me to do anything that I truly didn’t want to do, and this situation was no different, except she wanted me to fully understand what she saw in me from a very young age. We would have long talks about my future and what it would look like with or without softball. She wanted me to be successful in whatever I chose to do, and she was always there to support me with every decision I made.

    I remember walking into my room every day, being very stressed about what my future was going to hold after graduation, and I started to notice more and more picture frames appearing as the days progressed. I looked closer and started reading every quote in every picture frame around my room. None of them were there to give me an answer but instead, encourage me with whatever decision I made. One specifically stated: “A lot of talent is lost to the world for those who never try.” This really hit home for me. She has always somehow seen so much more for me, faster than I’ve ever been able to see for myself. She always has the right answers or perfect comebacks. I knew the night I read that quote that I had yet to finish OUR journey. The next day, I committed to play college softball with my twin sister. Four years later, and looking back this was the best decision I’ve ever made, and it was all because of her.

    Freshman year of college she looked at me and told me I could accomplish things far greater than I could ever imagine. I remember looking at her and thinking, “Yeah right, this is what all moms say,” but once again she’s not like other moms. After only three games into my senior year I broke my university’s all-time steals record. Eight games later, I went on to also break the school’s all-time home runs record. As I rounded third base, my teammates were surrounding home plate to congratulate me, but the only person I noticed was the woman standing in the bleachers who gave me so much more than I could ever return. A woman I look up to in every way possible, someone who introduced me to the game I fell so in love with, and the woman I call mom. Even though our season was cut short because of COVID-19, thankfully we’ve been granted another year of eligibility in 2020, and I know she will be there for every step of the way.

    From little league, travel ball, school ball and now my time as a college athlete, she has yet to miss a single game. She has traveled thousands of miles over the years being my biggest fan and coach. She’s been there to help and encourage me through every bad game and celebrate every good game. She is the first person to be honest with me when I do something wrong and also the first person to give me a huge hug after every victory and accomplishment. Looking back, there is no way I would be where I am today without my mom. She is my biggest inspiration, hero, and blessing I could ever have. Thank you, mom, for everything you’ve done for us, it doesn’t go unnoticed, I love you!