Going to the U14 Softball Nationals was a big step up from my local club. We had trained five hours a week for almost half a year. After being selected to join the squad, we had further tryouts to make the final team, which consisted of only 15 players.
We flew out to Canberra as a team and stayed together at a caravan park, where we practiced until the matches began. The first few games were rescheduled due to bad weather, which meant we had more games packed into fewer days. After playing several round-robin matches, we reached the final, where we lost to the home team, ACT. I managed to get a few singles during that game.
After our match, we watched the Grand Final between Western Australia and NSW Navy. Western Australia won 3–1. Following the final, we had a presentation and packed up. The next morning, we woke up at 3 a.m. to catch our flight back to Melbourne.
Overall, it was an amazing experience. Without a doubt, this was one of the best experiences of my life!
Will Lloyd
Year 9 Student
