b'The Great Eastern Mail AUGUST 12, 2022 23racing & sportPhotoSOFTBALL IS COMING courtesy of Athletics Australia TO BAIRNSDALED O you remember whenstate or national representative there were thrivinglevels.softball competitionsIn many sports, regional in regional communitiesareas will produce incredible Nina hits the heights like Bairnsdale? Thanks tosportspeople, Fee says. VicHealths Future HealthyAnd softball is no different. I initiative, softball is comingthink its because regionally, back! people learn the sport Over the next 12 months,without influence. Meaning, B ACK in the sixties the little childrenMany years later when preparingSoftball Victoria (SV) andthey\'re playing locally using of St Marys had nothing. The schoolstudents for athletics carnivals I\'d getVicHealth will be re-ignitingshoes, pitches and other was so poor that when we were inasked: softball in the East Gippslandequipment and facilities Preps our mums made our own bean bags"Mr Whacker, were you good at athleticsand Goulburn Valley regions,that are perhaps more basic for us to play games with at school. Thewhen you were at school?" with plans to branch out toin quality. Then, when they Italian kids even grew their own beans. ByI\'d suck in the stomach, puff out the chestother areas soon after. get to play on spectacular the time we got to be sportsand reply proudly: The project begins byfields with advanced facilities mad tragics in grade six there"Bairnsdale Primarydelivering Home Run Heroesand equipment, they can was still no equipment. It wasWHACKER Schools Sports, 1964, third inprograms in regional schools.sometimes out-perform playersBYO footy or cricket bat. ONthe pole vault." Home Run Heroes is alignedwho have been learning in that THE WING! For some inane reason"Yeah, right," they\'d saywith the SportAus Playing forenvironment the whole time.though, the school was inand run away laughing. Life Philosophy, where juniorSoftball Victoria Participation possession of a pole vaultThat\'s why whenparticipants are engaged inCoordinator Jo Schutt recently pole. Well sort of; it wasthe Olympics andgame sense activities thatvisited East Gippsland to deliver really a big piece of bamboo,Commonwealth Gamesdevelop a life-long love ofincluding those with specialclinics in primary schools such probably a discarded surfroll around some of us havesport. needs, disabilities or mentalas Metung, Paynesville, Nicholson, fishing rod. And believe it oreyes glued to the telly whenAlarmingly, 48 per cent ofhealth issues are catered for. ItsBruthen and Lakes Entrance. Of not, pole vault was includedthe pole vault comes on. WeAustralian kids aged 5-14 yearsalso a great way for girls to becourse, for softball to launch and on the primary school sportshave been there, soaring tocurrently dont participate ininvolved in team sport. Im reallyremain on offer locally, we will athletics program.dizzy heights; well as far asorganised sport or physicalpassionate about this becauseneed volunteer teams behind the We practised for hours with nothingan old bamboo fishing pole can take you.activity outside of school hours,if we can engage them in sportscenes, who will work with local to land on except the gravel playground.We marvel now at the new fibre glass orso we want to engage these kidsfrom a young age, they can formgovernment and community We took the pole home at weekends andkevlar poles they use, bending almost inand get them off the couch, offlifelong friendships, skills andorganisations, Jo says. This dragged our mattresses out on to the grass.half before the competitors are shanghaiedtheir devices, off the streets, andhabits. Its also one of those sportsincludes coaches, umpires, and We made a couple of uprights with nailsinto orbit. It is a sight to behold. onto the diamond, explains thewhere girls arent required to wearscorers on the diamond, as well as sticking out everywhere and for a crossbarSteve Hooker was our hero, winning goldCoordinator for East Gippslanda skirt, so that can be a plus too! presidents, secretaries, treasurers, we "borrowed" a dowel curtain rod. Theat an Olympics, a World ChampionshipSoftball Association, Fee Blevins,The project will be community- and competition coordinators. We dowel snapped almost every time weand two Commonwealth Games. We havewho has began her softballled, allowing young leaders toare also seeking local businesses landed on it. It had more patch ups than ana new hero now with the brilliant Ninajourney at age four. emerge and take ownership. Thisand community organisations to East Gippsland road. Kennedy defying gravity to collect a bronzeI began playing tee-ball as awill ensure that what is providedsupport this project at any level, It was worth it. Three of us made themedal at the World Aths Championshipsjunior. I used to play with boysis what the community wants. SVfrom sponsoring a team, through team and headed up to the West Bairnsdalein Oregon. Nina, as a red-hot favouritebecause there were no girls teamsand VicHealth will also provideto providing a venue for training Oval for Sports Day. It was our finest hour;took gold at Birmingham, and we were upback in those days. So, I playedeverything required to createand education.we filled the placings. My reward for theburning the midnight oil watching everywith the boys until they all wentsuccessful and sustainable softballThis is a rare opportunity to get hours of dedication, perspiration andjump. An inch under five and a half feetto off to play baseball, and I wasn\'tcommunities in regional Victoria,involved with a history-making mostly desperation was a third-place greenand only 60kgs in weight she is all courage.allowed to play anymore. So,including: project on the ground level, and ribbon and no broken neck. We bathed inThe two USA athletes who beat her inthats when I started my softballTraining and education forI encourage anyone who wants the glory of elite athletic status for twelveOregon are both in their 30s, so at 25 she isjourney. Ive competed at manycoaches, umpires, scorers, andto give something back to the months. relatively a baby in her chosen event. levels, including representativeadministrators. community to get in touch and be The following year we competedGet behind Nina for Paris in 2023 andsoftball in my youth, as an adultEquipment and facilities toinvolved in something special.at the secondary sports in high jump.other future major aths meetings. She isand more recently at Masterscreate sustainable softballFor more information about Our reputation as gun pole vaultersone of our most exciting young athletes. competitions. competitions. Re-igniting Softball in Regional was somewhat deflated when BernieWonder if she has ever had a crack withSoftball is such an inclusiveSupport resources such asVictoria, Jo Schutt can be reached Somerville of St Pats came out and highan old bamboo fishing rod? Probably not;sport; its a real leveller becausemarketing collateral andon 0425 785 161 or jo.schutt@jumped the height we had been poleshe is the bravest of the brave as far aswe can modify the game to ensureexperienced volunteers. softball.org.au, or follow East vaulting.athletes go, but she\'s not crazy! that kids of all abilities and ages,Athlete pathways toGippsland Softball on Facebook. Bairnsdale and Lakes EntrancePrompt & Professional servicing the East Gippsland areaSKIP BIN HIRE tree Services. 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