Peninsula Softball Club is proud to have five Peninsula players representing the Club on the U12 Manly-Warringah Softball Association Representative Team for 2020.
These include, from left to right, Maddie Gorman, Mia Cassar, Brooklyn Poole, and Kellie Cohen (Manager). Also heading to the State Championship on Nov. 7 and 8th is Gai Cohen, as the official Team Scorer.
The girls were selected for the team after a rigorous trial process in August, and are probably the only team who have not been too badly affected by Covid restrictions – though they have not had as much tournament time leading up to State as they might have liked.
Maddie currently plays for Peninsula in the Division 2 Diamond Doves, while Mia (or Mimi) and Brooklyn play for the Division 3 Blue Jays. Maddie loves to play 3rd base and shortstop, Brooklyn pitches and plays 1st base, and Mia catches. They each have already played softball for some 4 or 5 years, and all have had Representative and Development Team experience, with both Mia and Brooklyn playing on the 2019 U10 Representative Team that won the State Championship.
The girls are all softball mad. Maddie says she loves softball because it is so much fun, and she loves the way the game works and how there is always more than one way of doing things. Brooklyn says she also loves the game and the friends she has met, and is already enjoying getting new opportunities this year to learn to coach her sister’s teeball team, and to umpire. Mia adds that the thing she loves most about softball is getting to shout and be loud with Brooklyn!
They have all enjoyed being part of the Rep Team too. Maddie says she loves it because she gets lots of opportunities to get better at softball, and she gets to make new friends from other clubs. Mia also enjoys meeting new friends, and also doing more fitness drills at training. Brooklyn thinks that playing Rep pushes her to do better, and it’s just much more fun because you get to play more softball.
The girls are excited about heading to State in only a few days time now, and while a bit nervous, they are all determined to do their best to help the team. When asked what they thought their biggest strength was that they were bringing to the team, Maddie said: “I am pretty determined and keep working at something until I get it right.” Mia has also been working hard and wants to bring her best catching skills to State. Finally, Brooklyn added that she is dedicated to working hard to improve her skills as a pitcher, and will do her best to be a good team-mate!
The Peninsula contingent join eleven other girls from the other four Clubs in the Manly-Warringah U12 Rep Team. They are coached by Alli Edggton, Jenn Trim, Jess Rooke, and Hannah Barlow.
Their manager is also very excited about the upcoming tournament. Kellie Cohen is a long-time Peninsula player, coach, and manager and is particularly proud of the girls given that she has probably coached all of them at some point - and played a big role in their development as softball players.
In addition to managing the U12 MWSA Representative team, Kellie also manages the U10s, and the U14 Rep Teams! But if this wasn’t enough, Kellie also currently coaches and manages the A Res Peninsula Club team, Tewhanau, and coaches the Div 1 team, the Raiders.
Kellie believes that being a part of any sporting team will teach kids important life lessons. She loves watching this happen with the girls she coaches and manages in softball. She particularly loves watching the girls grow into stronger more confident players – and people!
Finally, also heading to the State Championships is long-time Peninsula player, manager and coach, Gai Cohen (Kellie’s mum!), who is the official scorer for the team.
The Peninsula contingent will join their MWSA teammates at the State Championships at the Surveyors Creek Softball Complex in Penrith. You can follow all the action at: https://nsw.softball.org.au/results/ or on the Softball NSW Facebook page.
Many congratulations to Mia, Brooklyn, and Maddie for making the Rep Team, and good luck to the MWSA U12 Representative Team on Nov. 7 and 8th – we’ll all be cheering for you!
Comments