Growth the goal

Building the profile of softball in Wairarapa schools is a prime objective for Softball New Zealand's regional coaching co-ordinator, former Black Sox Glen Roff.
While delighted with the work being done in "spreading the word" by the Masterton-based Giants club, Roff intends to make a number of visits here to help promote the sport at that level.
And the first of these will be this Friday when he will conduct coaching sessions at Douglas Park School (10.30am-12.30pm) and Masterton Intermediate (1.30pm-2.50pm).
"If we want softball to grow we have to encourage youngsters to play it and that's where the focus is right now," Roff said yesterday. "We are competing for their interest with a lot of other sports and we have to be pro-active in pushing our case."
Roff said the popularity of the intermediate schools competition held by Giants each Friday night at Masterton's South Park during the summer months was a huge plus for the sport here and he suggested the time could be ripe for, say, an under-17 competition to be staged on a regular basis in Wairarapa as well.
"We need to do our best to cover all possible age groups, that's the only way growth will happen," he said.
Roff, whose region takes in Wellington, Hutt Valley, Manawatu and Hawke's Bay as well as Wairarapa, believes too that current moves to make the transition easier to "proper" softball for children who are introduced to the sport through T-Ball, a game where the ball is not moving when struck, will pay dividends.
This is being done through what was labelled modified softball where the ball was lobbed to batters often by parents so they can get used to striking a moving ball and which allowed for the whole team to have a bat before their innings was concluded.
A much different state of affairs than in the "proper" game where three outs ends an innings.
"Participation is the key at a young age, the more kids who get a chance to bat and pitch the more interesting the sport becomes for them," Roff said. "And it also helps them learn the various techniques required before they step up to a higher level.".
Roff represented Canterbury on the provincial softball scene and made the Black Sox before becoming heavily involved in coaching. His work in that sphere includes coaching the champion club side in Italy, being assistant coach of Denmark and head coach of Great Britain. He now combines his work as regional co-ordinator with being batting coach for the Black Sox.