New Zealand journey back to world dominance starts in St. Catharines
For immediate release
June 13, 2011
When you're number two, you try harder.
For the New Zealand Black Sox, the down-under country's men's national fastpitch softball team that's ranked #2 in the world, the hard work toward regaining their former status as #1 begins next week in St. Catharines.
The Black Sox are kicking off a three-week tour of Ontario and New York with a doubleheader at Lancaster Park against an all-star team from the local Golden Horseshoe Fastball League on Tuesday June 21 at 7 pm and 9 pm. Admission is $5 at the gate for adults. Kids under 16 will get in free. The Black Sox and GHFL players are holding a skills clinic starting at 4:30 pm for boys and girls at Lancaster.
New Zealand will be the host team for the 2013 International Softball Federation World Championship to be held in the Auckland community of North Harbour. The Kiwis will be searching for their fourth title in the past five events. After winning three world titles in a row, the Black Sox were shut out by Australia in the championship game in Saskatoon in 2009.
Black Sox coach Eddie Kohlhase believes this tour will lay the foundations for the assault on the World Championships at Auckland's Rosedale Park in March of 2013.
“This tour provides further opportunity for our NZ players to play the best competition in the world, says Kohlhase. “It also provides our players a testing environment making sure we make every stride to achieve optimum results on the field. The culture in the Black Sox environment has installed the importance of preparation, with players not only consistently performing week in and week out, but improving as they strive to become the best they can be.â€Â
“We are grateful to the softball people of Canada who we respect so much for what they do for our wonderful game. The competition on the diamond is always fierce and the friendships that we have made over many years of competition are lasting.â€Â
This latest tour is part of the immense preparation the Black Sox will undertake to get ready for 2013. While there are some veterans on the team, including captain Rhys Casley and Thomas Makea, there are many up and coming players on the North American trip who are making their national team debut.
Among them is 16-year-old Pita Rona, who expected to be joined by his father Brad, considered by many to be the best all-around player on the planet. However knee surgery is keeping the elder Rona at home. The younger Rona has been a spectator at many Black Sox events over the years but now gets to don the uniform.
“In 2004 [at the world championships in Christchurch, NZ] and 2009 [in Saskatoon, Canada], I was always just by the dugout, pretty much right next to all the boys. In 2009, I thought `I want to be in the dugout with them’ and now I am going to get to. I am just over the moon,â€Â he told New Zealand newspaper Stuff back in April.
Other youngsters include 21-year-old Ben Enoka, who is also a member of the Jarvis Travelers club team and will stay in Canada for the remainder of the summer following the conclusion of the tour as the Travelers look to repeat as world club-team champions in Illinois in August.
“The youth component in our team is vital. We must keep on building this team and ensuring we have the mix between experience and youful enthusiasm just right. That's the secret for any team and we are no different,â€Â said Kohlhase. “It's exciting to have two outstanding schoolboys in the team with Pita and Jerome Raemaki (another 16-year-old phenom). This is a great learning curve for them and one they won't forget.â€Â
For the GHFL all-stars, this is an opportunity to compete against one of the top teams in the world, while showcasing the local stars and providing some exposure the sport.
“There's some great fastball played around the Golden Horseshoe and for us to take the field against an international team the calibre of the Black Sox is a privilege,â€Â says GHFL President Alex Szockyj. The Golden Horseshoe league features four teams in the Niagara region, two in Waterdown and two in Mississauga. Players from all eight league teams will be competing.
For more information, please see
www.ghfl.ca or contact:
or
Blair Setford
416 625 1757 – cell
