Hitting a high: Clare’s journey to the top
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Claire Warwick is on a path to something extraordinary.
Where to, exactly?
The name of Clare’s blog, Blood, Sweat and Diamonds, Diary of an Australian Softballer, provides the first hint.
Reading through her blog updates, which document her team’s victories and losses, makes it even clearer what the national softball player is all about.
Named vice-captain of the Aussie Spirit in 2016, Clare Warwick is on an upward trajectory. But her career is not without its setbacks, and the meaningful quotes about failure dotted throughout her blog posts would suggest there have been a few. A dogged approach allows Warwick to thrive, though, both on the field – where she’s one of the Spirits’ biggest assets – and off the field, in her work as a school teacher.
We caught up with the superstar to find out more…
What are your main aspirations/goals in your softball career?
Clare: Participating in the 2020 Olympics is my long term goal, I was a reserve for the team that went to Beijing in 2008 which was the last time softball has been an Olympic sport. To do this the team has a difficult challenge in first qualifying for the games as the number of participating teams has dropped from eight to six. The big step in doing this is a top two finish at the world championships next year in Japan.
What are the biggest lessons you’ve learnt from playing softball at a professional level?
I have learnt a lot about the sport, about the dynamics of teams and about myself after the playing semi-professionally for BSC Legnano in Italy.
I probably learnt the most about myself as a player, student and person in general after attending college and playing softball at the University of Hawai’i at Manoa from 2005-2009. With 60 games in four months per season, balancing study and being away from home, I learnt a lot about time management, dedication, prioritising, making sacrifices and also about the mental side of the game – 60 games in four months makes you resilient as a person and a player.
What’s your main career highlight in softball?
Getting a bronze medal with our Aussie Spirit softball team in the Yukon, Canada in 2012 after backing up a disappointing sixth place finish two years earlier in 2010.
You’re also a school teacher – how do you balance all of your commitments? How do you fit work in with travelling for softball?
Luckily, the fantastic culture and community at Harrison School are very accommodating of my sporting aspirations and provide me with the support I need to get the time off to compete as well as supporting me in my development as a first year Classroom Teacher.
I learnt a lot about time management while attending University in Hawai’i and have prioritised and sacrificed a lot of time to fit my training hours in around full-time work. This can be, at times, very draining but it is a necessary sacrifice I have to make to play softball at this level.
Do you have any pieces of advice for women pursuing a professional career in sport, or any woman’s pursuit in sport whatsoever?
Be confident. Be good at taking feedback. Enjoy and value every opportunity you get to play because the time you have to play is finite.
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There are plenty of big things in store for Clare this year. Softball has recently been re-admitted to the Olympic program, so inclusion in the Tokyo 2020 games is the main goal for Clare and her teammates.
The 2018 ISF World Championship will be Australia’s first opportunity for Olympic qualification, and a series of events this year (including a Grand Prix Series, a Japan Club Tournament, and a National Pro Fastpitch) will help the team prepare for this.
We look forward to witnessing Clare’s journey to Tokyo and beyond!
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