As you get older, naturally your body starts to feel a bit limited, and it gets harder and harder to do some of the activities you used to be able to do like playing sports.
But one Akron mom got up the guts to do exactly that and is inspiring other mom’s along the way.
Whether it's finding activities for the kids, or running a business with her husband, Lauren Regula always seems to have her hands full.
"It was just the normal, what every mom feels, juggling, trying to get you know kids to school…and a lot of trying to figure out how I’m going to do what,” she said.
So when she got the call from an old coach, it sort of came out of left field.
"The call was more inquiry if I would consider returning to the team…everything was crazy, before I got the phone call, so once that phone call came, I had a lot to think about for sure.”
Just about all her life she's played softball, making pitcher of the year in college and playing in two summer Olympics, coming just sigh of the bronze medal in 2008.
"Softball was my life," said Regula. "We lost in the bronze medal game in 2008 and that was extremely heartbreaking since it was right in our grasp, so it wasn’t a fairtale ending, but we had our a year later.”
Shortly after that, she wanted to focus on being a mom, so she hung up her cleats and mitt for good...or so she thought.
Her husband Dave Regula, expressed just how proud of her he was.
“To see her go back to something that was such a big part of her life that she completely shut out…and take that chance, is pretty wild,” he said.
Eight years later, now at 34, she gets to revisit her field the dreams, making the Canadian team just in time for the world championship.
"There was many sleepless nights where a million questions went through my head. The softball field used to be my home and I ran out there and I’m not kidding my legs were numb my stomach was in knots,” she said.
Blogging her experience, she’s received dozens of comments from woman all over, calling her an inspiration for following her dream.
"Me being able to connect with some women who have decided to run marathons or do whatever it is, like unless you try you’ll never find out,” Regula said.
She has been in Vancouver for the past week now, training and practicing with the team for the World Championship that starts tomorrow, Friday July 15 and goes until July 24. Her team is ranked 4th in the world.
