American lass makes a hit in two sports

Press, 18 April 1981, Page 20

American lass makes a hit in two sports

By

TIM DUNBAR

An American schoolgirl, Sherri Schoenborn, is having quite a varied existence during her 11 months in New Zealand on a Rotary exchange scholarship.

Over the summer, the 17-year-old from Portland, Oregon, has made her. mark in two sports — softball and athletics — and might soon try another, netball, for the first time.

Just a fortnight ago, the Papanui High School seventh former set a new javelin record in the South Island inter-school sports with a fine throw of 42.52 m.

Back in January, she had represented Canterbury in the New Zealand under-18 girls’ softball championships at Levin and made the shortstop in the Rest team picked at the end of the tournament. And Miss Schoenborn has been brought into the lives of three rather different families — she's stayed with a beekeeper, a draughtsman, and a dairy farmer — over this period. Rotary has already taken her to such places as the Marlborough Sounds and Milford, she's off to the West Coast next week, the North Island over the May holidays and Mount Cook in June before heading back home in July for her senior year at Clackamas High School.

Miss Schoenborn said that playing softball — “I’m glad I took up that instead of track” — and making lots of

friends in the youthful Burnside Red Sox team had really made her year. Her introduction to Christchurch softball before the senior competition started was, however, slightly confusing. “The first game at Hagley Park was so funny. I could’ hardly play. The Maori pitcher either threw it way over our heads or hit us with the ball." She soon had to adjust to a few things, not least a change of position from the outfield to the more specialist spot of short-stop she has come to like.

For an American girl more familiar, with skin diamonds, the surfaces took a .little adjustment. ‘Td never played on grass before. It’s more bumpy in some places.” And the conducting of the first senior round in unfriendly weather also had Miss Schoenborn somewhat nonplussed. "We don't ever play in the rain. Here you play when it's pouring down.”

Miss Schoenborn cited the South Island under-18 tournament at Ashburton contested "with six inches of water on the ground." The weatheij was. conversely, almost*‘‘too hot”, at Levin where Canterbury finished fourth out of 18 teams, losing only one game

in qualifying for the semifinals.

Mr Gavin Britt, who coached virtually the same ' group of girls in both Red Sox and the Canterbury under-18s. said the provincial side earned a great reputation at the tournament. “It became known as the team that kept on smiling and coming back into the game." Once. Canterbury won after being 10. runs down in the fifth innings. His American charge thought Mr Britt a good coach. ‘.‘lf he says something you don’t dare hot do it. At home, the coaches aren't as well experienced and you tend to do what thej’ say onlv if it’s a good idea.” Though the "outsider” in the team, Miss Schoenborn found it. very easy to fit in because of the friendliness of the other girls who had grown up together. There was quite an emotional scene when, on top of her selection for the Rest, the Oregon girl was presented with a Maori headband as Canterbury's "player of the tournament” (selected by the other sides). “I called home and everybody cried."

Coincidentally, another member of the side. Lynda O'Cain (who made the New Zealand under-18 team), will soon head for the United States herself on an Ameri-

can ' Field Service'’scholar. Miss Schoenborn was also rapt when she sent the javtlin those 42-odd metres at Ashburton. ’That’s been mv best throw ever and I didn’t really get much practice a for it. I was surprised.” y Her winning throw wu about 4m further than her first attempt — "and I thought I was lucky to cet that distance.” : One week before picking up the South Island title Miss Schoenborn had also won the senior girls’ javelin in the Cantebury secondary schools’ championships with a throw of 37.62 m.

After the Christchurch win. a picture of a rather-more strapping . girl hurling the javelin appeared in a newspaper with Miss Schoenborn s name in the caption. She cut out the clipping and sent it back home,. without comment, to her parents who might wonder what change New Zealand has wrought in their daughter’s -physique, fi When she returns to Clackamas (an American-Indian name) a further round Of speeches and a busv' summer sporting diet of both softball and "track” await her.

Miss Schoenborn. a pleasant lass with firm ambitions, wants to win a scholarship to college and "write a few books — novels.” Will anv of the”charac.ters be New Zealand softballers? ■