FEATURE: NEVER GIVE UP – NO EXCUSES

NEVER GIVE UP;

BY CONNIE WARDMAN

While the admonition to never give up and to ditch excuses sounds like it could come from any true ASANA competitor, these are the words Nikol Piñon-Salvador, a 42-year-old resident of the Bay Area, lives by on a daily basis. She plays for the Switch Hitters of the Alameda Women’s Softball League. Oh, and by the way, she’s an amputee who plays softball with just one arm.

At age 18 Nikol was in a head-on collision and the seatbelt severed her left arm at the shoulder; it also took the lives of her cousin and a friend as well as the driver of the other car. She says her recovery wasn’t an easy process but blessed with a “strong rooted family of faith,” she quickly learned to adjust by trying and never giving up.

When asked about what would clearly be considered a deficit by most players, Nikol quickly responds that “the only deficit I feel I have is my mental game.” Talking about her team, she says that “they’re so supportive; we have fun, we stay competitive and we vibe well.” Sports are an outlet for her from the hustle and bustle of work and home life and she loves the team camaraderie.

Involved in sports from a young age in swimming, she’s also run track and played basketball. Nikol admits that at one point in her life she was overly competitive and very aggressive – not much of a team player. But in her early twenties she was playing football with the guys and one of them asked her to play softball. True to form, she accepted the challenge and not long after, league became once a week to five times a week to tourna-

ments. It didn’t take her long, she says, to realize what she had been missing out on not playing team sports.

Happily married to her wife, Arielle who also plays on the Switch Hitters team, Nikol shares that in the Bay Area at least, the LGBTQ+ community and softball have gone hand-in-hand

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“You only live once; don’t waste it wondering about what could’ve been; just get out there and do it. Be the best version of yourself.”

so her experiences as a lesbian player have always been great. She then adds that sports and sexual orientation is something she’s never focused on, saying, “we’re all athletes and that’s the only label on our backs when we’re playing. I wished everybody saw it that way.”

Nikol’s not shy about her injury; she wears tank tops and despite stares and whispers, she includes herself in all activities. In addition to softball, she likes cooking, working out, anything outdoors and anything dogs! “You only live once; don’t waste it wondering about what could’ve been; just get out there and do it. Be the best version of yourself.” Her philosophy is to always try something once, even if you’re not

good at it, saying that the experience is a blessing in and of itself.

In her own words, here is how Nikol lives her life every day.

NEVER GIVE UP. NO EXCUSES. It’s better to be one of a kind than like all the rest. SHINE. Keep your family close, always say thank you, hold the door open for everyone and always give your seat up if someone else needs it. Never fear the butterflies because heartbreak can lead to your greatest love story. BE KIND, ALWAYS.

It sounds like great advice!