A team of junior softballers from South Australia’s Far North have won a state carnival, despite never competing together, with fundraising now underway to get the local school a new sporting pitch.
Key points:
- A team of junior softballers from the APY Lands blitzed the field at the recent SA championships
- Despite never having competed before, the team went through the nine-game tournament undefeated
- The local school principal is hoping the success can help its bid to secure a turf-playing field
Earlier this month, the group of Year 5 and 6 junior softballers from across the remote Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) Lands travelled down to Adelaide to compete in South Australia’s schools carnival.
Despite never having competed together before, they blitzed the division three field, going through the three-day, nine-match tournament undefeated.
“The whole community here was so excited following each game,” Ernabella Anangu School principal Peter Kenny told ABC Radio Adelaide’s Stacey Lee and Nikolai Beilharz.
“Our coach Nicole Chataway brought these 10 girls and one boy together from across an area the size of South Korea, and got them together to train once on the Sunday before they started playing.”
Mr Kenny said there was nothing soft about softball in the APY Lands, with no greenery to practice on.
“It was a bit of a fairytale story, it was a little bit like Cool Runnings,” Mr Kenny said.
“When they play softball they do it on a patch of dirt — we call it a softball ‘diamond’ but basically it’s just dirt full of rocks and prickles.”
Adding to the sense of satisfaction is the fact that the side is a truly representative one, combining players from Amata, Pipalyatjara, Mimili, Fregon and Ernabella.
“For a bunch of 10-and-11-year-old kids just to go on a bus for 16 hours is not the easiest thing, but they did such a great job and they were just so excited to have the opportunity,” Ms Chataway said.
“It was just a great week and the girls and one of the boys who came up — they couldn’t believe it themselves.
“Things like this are what create choice and voice for our kids to be able to choose what they want to do in their futures.”
Ms Chataway said the school was now looking to expand its extracurricular options for students.
“As you can imagine, there’s not a whole lot for kids to do out here,” she said.
“They can’t go to dance classes, or all of those kinds of things that maybe kids in the city get to do and maybe take for granted a little bit.”
Mr Kenny said the school was now looking to secure something else that city students might take for granted: grass.
A GoFundMe campaign has been created to raise funds for a turf playing field.
But while the school is setting its sights on the longer term, it’s also continuing to bask in the glory secured by its young champions.
“We have a special assembly today to honour them and congratulate them,” Mr Kenny said.
“[It] really is an amazing achievement.”
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