Moora’s Sarah Johns will be stepping up to the plate in Sydney this month to compete in the 2023 National Softball Championships. The Championships will be Sarah’s second national competition this year, after playing with the WA Flames state team in Adelaide back in January.
Sarah’s representation at a national level is an amazing achievement, especially considering she had taken a 16-year hiatus from the game – and one she only started playing after realising her height was going to limit any further progression in a netball career.
Sarah says, “When I hit mid-high school, I realised I was too short to go any further in netball! I grew up watching my mother play softball in Northam and she pushed me to give it a go. I was living in Perth at the time, and softball was a fast-growing sport.
“My first few seasons were a bit rough, but once I got the hang of the sport and gained confidence, I loved it.”
As any regional player not competing in a mainstream sport knows, the commitment to training at this level is intense. For Sarah, this meant a 300-kilometre round trip from Moora to Mirrabooka, three times a week, for three months.
“In addition to working full time and raising my 14-year-old-son, this made life very difficult,” said Sarah. “However, I was committed to the team and wanted to develop my skills in preparation for nationals.”
Along with her mother, Sarah’s siblings are also involved with the sport. Her brother Matthew represented WA in the under 16’s team and, her sister Paige is a fellow WA Flames team mate. Paige received a scholarship to McCook Community College in Nebraska to play college ball, and has played in many national tournaments.
“Competing at Nationals was so exciting, but also extremely nerve racking — it felt amazing to finally join my siblings at a national level.
Sarah also played in the same team as her mother in the Australian Masters games in 2022. It is a testament to the longevity and inclusivity of the sport that generations of a family can play side-by-side, and that an athlete can step away for more than a decade and still be able to compete in a national title.
“I love that you can take a break and when you return, it’s like you never left,” said Sarah. “Everyone welcomes you or remembers you.
“You don’t need to be tall, or built a certain way…just have skill and passion for the game.”
It is a sport that is culturally diverse too, and Sarah, a Yamitji-Mirriuwung woman, is aware that while on the state and national stage she is a role model for her community.
“Being an Aboriginal person does add a layer of responsibility,” she explains. “I want to be an example that you can achieve anything with hard work and commitment, and show that living in a regional town is not a barrier to representing your state at a national level. I wear my state uniform proudly as a West Australian, and as an Indigenous person.”
Sarah will be representing the Australian Capital Territory when she heads to Sydney for the 2023 National Championships, being held from 5-9 July.
“Unfortunately, WA was not able to put an over 35’s team together,” she explains. “I was lucky enough to be picked up in the player’s draft.
“At 37, I was the only and oldest rookie of the team – proving it is never too late to chase your dreams.”
