Interview with softball player Mariah Mulcahy
Before I went to Oregon for my Master’s program, a girl named Mariah sent me a message on social media. She saw me in the roster for our cohort at our school’s incoming first year students and noticed that we both played college softball. She asked to be roommates, and I said yes. She flew out to Oklahoma, having never met me before, and rode with me on the road trip to Oregon when I moved there. Ever since then, we have been great friends. She was my roommate in Eugene, Oregon for a year.
Mariah was a D1 pitcher at Idaho State in the Big Sky Conference. She graduated with her Master of Public Administration last year at the same time I graduated with my Master of Nonprofit Management degree. She now works for the Eugene airport as an Environmental Project Manager. In her free time, she loves CrossFit (where she met her boyfriend Rick) and going on adventures in the Pacific Northwest. She has a cat named Asher and 2 dogs named Miles and Koda. Her favorite adventure activities are hiking, going on trips, and being with family.
I wanted to talk to Mariah because she had no breaks between college softball and graduate school. She started her graduate studies in her last semester while playing softball for Idaho State. The very next term, she was at the University of Oregon pursuing her MPA. I admire her work ethic and her drive to succeed. She believes it is so important to not let your sport define you and her thoughts are below.
Q: When did you start playing sports?
A: At around 5 years old I started with T ball and Soccer
Q: When did you start playing competitive?
A: Travel softball at 11 years old.
Q: What sports other than softball did you play competitively?
A: Basketball in 6th grade. It was more local and not as competitive as softball. I played that until 8th grade.
Q: In what ways has playing sports shaped your life today?
A: It instilled a hard work ethic and concept of pushing forward and pursuing passions in me. Playing a sport helps facilitate collaboration and teamwork. There is importance in that. It also helped me with having a leadership role.
Q: How did you decide on your degree of MPA? (Master of Public Administration)
A: I liked the policy aspect. I was initially going to do law school and then I decided the MPA was more the direction that was right for me. I liked how the University of Oregon was hands on with projects and how the program was outlined. I knew I wanted to pursue a career in the public entity so that’s why I chose not to go down the MBA route. I wanted to be able to make a difference with an environmental focus. I felt like the best way to do that is to get to the management level in the public entity so in the city or state level. I’ve always had a passion for the environment and wanted to make the world a greener place. I felt like I could actually make an impact at a local level.
Q: How was the transition directly from college softball to graduate school?
A: It was tough. It was tough to not play. It was tough not to have the structure I had as a college athlete. I came to the realization that I spent so long perfecting the sport of softball and now I have to get a job in something different. It was difficult. It was strange not to be in the rhythm of fall being the time to practice, winter training, and spring season. You get a bit of FOMO and then you have to adjust. It’s hard to find meaning a little bit. If you focus on what your true passion in life is and what you want to do with the time you have, even if it’s just an hour a day, it makes it easier. Find something you’re passionate about. If you go out and try new things and you’re saying to yourself that you still miss the game, then go back to it. Be involved with the game in whatever ways, whether it’s coaching or not, such as mentoring or a beer league. Even if you’re not a college coach, you can still be involved and find ways to contribute and give back. It doesn’t necessarily need to be coaching to do that. Even as a coach, you can make a difference changing peoples lives because the sport is so much more than a sport. However, just because you spent 15-20 years in a particular sport, that doesn’t mean you have to stay in that arena. It’s scary to leave, it’s scary to accept that after you spent all this time perfecting the sport. There is a moment of “okay, now what?” but it gave you the skills to find the ability to know that you can go out and tackle anything you set your mind to.
Q: When I first met you, one of the first things you told me was that you wanted to get really good at CrossFit. How did your athletic background lead to this goal?
A: I’m still not great at it but I think it gives me a good fundamental strength. The ability to stay committed, continue to go to class regularly, even when I don’t really want to. I spend a little bit of extra time at the gym sometimes because that is what my body is used to. I go for an hour a day but that’s not the same as when I was a college athlete with the weights, practice, games, and more. You can still do great things and do what you want. It has a team atmosphere doing group workouts. I do CrossFit competitions and it reminds me of the softball days competing. I think that is why a lot of people do it as a post-college athlete.
Q: We’ve talked a lot about burnout. We both love the game of softball but we’re okay with not picking up a softball again for awhile. Can you explain how you feel about this?
A: You know you’re ready for a break when you’re done. I love the sport because it gave me the skills to be a good person and to know hard work ethic, teamwork, not to give up when things get hard, etc. I spent so much of my life for this specific thing, and I felt like there had to be more to build on than just the sport. I wanted to try something else. I spent so much time in the sport I needed a break.
Q: Did you consider being a coach?
A: I did coach in high school and college summers doing private lessons.
Q: What advice would you give to someone who is recently done playing a sport?
A: Give yourself some time to figure it out. You don’t have to have it figured out right now. Pursue your passions. It’s a really hard transition but it’s important to understand that your life is different now.
Q: What advice would you give to current athletes?
A: Embrace every part of being an athlete. Even the days that you feel like you are over it. I know it sounds cliche but it goes by fast. Enjoy it and work hard. It’s not easy being an athlete, but when it’s all said and done it’s a very rewarding thing. Embracing the moment, working hard, and looking back with no regrets knowing you gave it your all on and off the field.
Q: Do you have anything else to add?
A: You’re not defined by your sport or being an athlete. You can pursue whatever drives you. Enter whatever field you want. Just because you are really good at one thing, that doesn’t mean you have to pursue it if you’re over it. If you need a break, take one. You’re not stuck with what you said you were going to do when you entered college. Things change. You are not defined by that. The lessons you learned as an athlete are transferrable even if it’s a different field. You are so much more than your sport. You have so much to offer the world, and that’s a huge piece of it. You mean a lot to your family and friends.
If you have any more questions for Mariah, please leave comments below or contact me. If you or someone you know is struggling, please call the Suicide Hotline. It’s toll free and available 24/7 at 800-273-8255.
Once An Athlete’s mission is to provide resources and support for current and former athletes. Please support our mission by making a donation.
Are you or someone you know currently struggling with what happens in life after sports? Or did you already go through that transition to life after retiring competitive sports and wish you had more resources and support? Have you ever wondered, “what do athletes do after they are done playing sports? What’s next after sports?” Do you feel like you dedicated so much to your sport and you don’t know what to do now that you’re done competing? You’re not alone. Check out the site and join us in the journey. Once an athlete, always an athlete.
More blog posts with softball players: