UCLA's Delaney Spaulding: Growing Up The Youngest In Softball-Crazy Family
UCLA's Delaney Spaulding: Growing Up The Youngest In Softball-Crazy Family
Delaney Spaulding, a shortstop for the UCLA softball team, talks about her family and growing up as the youngest of four sisters.
Delaney Spaulding was out at the ball fields when she was just two weeks old, supporting her older sisters, Danielle and Amber. So it's no surprise that the USA women's softball national team member and UCLA All-American grew up around the sport.
"I feel like I've been around it forever," said Delaney, who is now a senior stud shortstop for the Bruins. "I was in the backyard with my dad with a bat in my hand or a glove when I was 3. I started rec ball when I was 8, and I started travel ball when I was 9 and a half."
The four Spaulding sisters are an athletic bunch who hail from Rancho Cucamonga, California. Amber is 31, Danielle is 28, Ariana is 27, and Delaney is 21. Amber and Danielle both played collegiate softball -- Amber for the Oklahoma Sooners and Danielle for the North Carolina Tar Heels. As the youngest of the bunch, Delaney grew up cheering on her sisters from the stands.
"Oftentimes, my sisters make fun of me, because I was always the loudest one in the stands," Delaney recalls. "I loved it. I practiced with my sisters all the time and looked up to them. I literally couldn't wait to play softball. It was almost a given that I would wind up playing, because it was a part of my life since I was little and I fell in love with it from the first time I picked up a softball."
The Spaulding family is a tight-knit support system. Delaney's parents, Yvonne and Bill, and at least one sister can often be seen at Delaney's games, and the sisters are in a constant group text throughout each day.
"I loved growing up the youngest in a big family," Delaney said. "I was always held as a baby, and I always remember my mom telling me she was worried I would never walk because I didn't start until I was 15 months old and all my sisters walked by 10 months.
"Having sisters that are six to 10 years older than me, I remember things like them moving away for college and not quite understanding why they were leaving home. I was 8 when Amber left and 11 when Danielle left. Going from three sisters at home to one was probably the hardest thing about being the youngest."
The Spaulding sisters live only an hour drive from each other, and, when there's no traffic, it is easy to get together.
"My sisters and I are all alike in that we all enjoy family time together, but at same time we are all very competitive," Delaney said. "We are very shy initially, but once we warm up, come out of our shell, we are pretty fun to be around! Amber and Ariana have more motherly instincts, whereas Danielle and I have a more kid-friendly, go-for-it personality."
Like many who grow up in the travel-ball environment, Spaulding family vacations were often centered around going to places like Disney World after out-of-town tournaments were finished. However, much of the fun was created at the field.
"Growing up, I always remember catching lizards with my sister Ariana while Amber or Danielle had games," Delaney said. "As soon as we got there, we'd go straight out to the fields and be there all day. I don't think many people would see me as someone who would be out there catching lizards and getting dirty, but it's one of my favorite memories I have growing up and we love watching all our home videos with what we 'caught' for the day that my dad captured of us."
Softball has played a huge role in shaping Delaney and her sisters as athletes and as people.
"When I think about softball and what it means to me, I don't think I could express it into words," Delaney said. "Softball has provided me with so many life lessons and amazing opportunities that I know I would not have gotten the opportunity to do if it weren't for this sport."
One of those lessons Delaney was taught at an early age was to develop a thick skin and take criticism in a constructive way.
"I think in any athlete's journey they would have to learn this," she said. "They will deal with people who are judgmental, mean, or maybe even a bully. This was something that I encountered when I was young, and it made me stronger as a person and a ball player once I realized that I should take all of the negativity and make it into a positive and use it as constructive criticism."
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"I feel like I've been around it forever," said Delaney, who is now a senior stud shortstop for the Bruins. "I was in the backyard with my dad with a bat in my hand or a glove when I was 3. I started rec ball when I was 8, and I started travel ball when I was 9 and a half."
The four Spaulding sisters are an athletic bunch who hail from Rancho Cucamonga, California. Amber is 31, Danielle is 28, Ariana is 27, and Delaney is 21. Amber and Danielle both played collegiate softball -- Amber for the Oklahoma Sooners and Danielle for the North Carolina Tar Heels. As the youngest of the bunch, Delaney grew up cheering on her sisters from the stands."Oftentimes, my sisters make fun of me, because I was always the loudest one in the stands," Delaney recalls. "I loved it. I practiced with my sisters all the time and looked up to them. I literally couldn't wait to play softball. It was almost a given that I would wind up playing, because it was a part of my life since I was little and I fell in love with it from the first time I picked up a softball."
The Spaulding family is a tight-knit support system. Delaney's parents, Yvonne and Bill, and at least one sister can often be seen at Delaney's games, and the sisters are in a constant group text throughout each day.
"I loved growing up the youngest in a big family," Delaney said. "I was always held as a baby, and I always remember my mom telling me she was worried I would never walk because I didn't start until I was 15 months old and all my sisters walked by 10 months.
"Having sisters that are six to 10 years older than me, I remember things like them moving away for college and not quite understanding why they were leaving home. I was 8 when Amber left and 11 when Danielle left. Going from three sisters at home to one was probably the hardest thing about being the youngest."
The Spaulding sisters live only an hour drive from each other, and, when there's no traffic, it is easy to get together.
"My sisters and I are all alike in that we all enjoy family time together, but at same time we are all very competitive," Delaney said. "We are very shy initially, but once we warm up, come out of our shell, we are pretty fun to be around! Amber and Ariana have more motherly instincts, whereas Danielle and I have a more kid-friendly, go-for-it personality."
Like many who grow up in the travel-ball environment, Spaulding family vacations were often centered around going to places like Disney World after out-of-town tournaments were finished. However, much of the fun was created at the field.
"Growing up, I always remember catching lizards with my sister Ariana while Amber or Danielle had games," Delaney said. "As soon as we got there, we'd go straight out to the fields and be there all day. I don't think many people would see me as someone who would be out there catching lizards and getting dirty, but it's one of my favorite memories I have growing up and we love watching all our home videos with what we 'caught' for the day that my dad captured of us."
Softball has played a huge role in shaping Delaney and her sisters as athletes and as people.
"When I think about softball and what it means to me, I don't think I could express it into words," Delaney said. "Softball has provided me with so many life lessons and amazing opportunities that I know I would not have gotten the opportunity to do if it weren't for this sport."
One of those lessons Delaney was taught at an early age was to develop a thick skin and take criticism in a constructive way.
"I think in any athlete's journey they would have to learn this," she said. "They will deal with people who are judgmental, mean, or maybe even a bully. This was something that I encountered when I was young, and it made me stronger as a person and a ball player once I realized that I should take all of the negativity and make it into a positive and use it as constructive criticism."
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