Ballito’s big catch for softball

When Bronwyn Leeming went to softball trials by accident 14 years ago, she had no idea that this would be the sport she would dedicate her life to.

“I went for athletics trials at school, but it was cancelled, so a friend of mine suggested softball trials instead. I had no idea what softball was, but I gave it a go and fell in love,” said Bronwyn, who is the Trinityhouse Palm Lakes sports co-ordinator and one of SA’s leading ladies on the field.

“It is a strange sport – to start with the ball is not soft at all and you wear your mit on your left hand, which does not make sense – at first. It is also probably the sport with the most rules in the world and they change often to make things more complicated!”

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Once you get past all of these odd bits, Bronwyn said you are bound to get addicted to the sport precisely because it is so different.

“Softball is such a dynamic game. It is not just a case of hit the ball with the bat and run. It is like an onion – there are many layers to it.”

She said the particular team element in the game is what she has valued the most.

“Once you get on the field with your team, make that phenomenal play and they get behind you – that makes it for me,” said the 31-year-old keen sportswoman who also played provincial hockey, water polo, netball and took part in athletics and swimming.

While she always knew her career would be in sport and completed a degree in sports management, followed by sport science and a postgraduate certificate in education, she did not think softball would follow her throughout her life.

“I never thought I would still play softball after school. Then I played at varsity and later became the KZN softball coach and made all star coaching.”

Despite her personal successes on the field, she decided to rather focus her passion on growing the sport and youngsters with potential instead of herself.

“If you had asked me where I wanted to go with softball five years ago, I would have said the Olympics. Today however, I would rather put the time and energy into growing kids who can go further. I have had my time, now I want to give back.”

She has already built up quite a following for the sport on the Dolphin Coast and had one of her proudest moments recently when one of her star girls, Marina Viljoen made the KZN U15B team and was the first Trinityhouse pupil to get KZN colours for softball.

“Words cannot describe how proud I am of Marina! These moments are what it is all about for me.”

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