Three-time Olympian Tanya Harding (standing at right) looks on as the clinic in Indonesia progresses.

INTERNATIONAL COACHING COLLEGE HIGHLIGHTS CLINIC ACTIVITY
2005-08-30

The sport of softball continues to grow globally, and, starting tonight, a new resource from the International Softball Federation’s (ISF) development department will see to it that those playing the game can learn how to be competitive at elite levels.

The International Coaching College, taking place at the ISF’s world headquarters facility in Plant City, Florida, comes on the heels of other clinics that have been taking place around the world. Specifically, a pitching course was held recently in Indonesia (see photo above), and another was done in Prague during the European Championships (see photo at bottom). The latter clinic included a total of 34 participants, representing Argentina, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Germany, Israel, Russia, and Slovakia. The course in Indonesia was done by pitcher Tanya Harding, who won two Olympic bronze medals (2000 & 1996) and a silver medal (2004) with Australia.

In the meantime, the ISF headquarters is a busy place today as softball coaches from around the world arrive for an intense, five-day course that starts tomorrow. A welcome reception will be held this evening.

A total of 25 attendees will take the course, representing Argentina, Belize, Botswana, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Mexico, Nicaragua, Puerto Rico, and Venezuela.

They will be led by instructors who are some of the top names in softball, including Linda Wells (coach of the 2004 Greek Olympic softball team), John Tschida (coached the University of St. Thomas to a Division III national title in 2004), and Sharon Drysdale (Director of the National Fastpitch Coaches College, which is put on by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association, who is presenting the International Coaching College along with the ISF).

The International Coaching College, open to national team coaches or elite-level club coaches (per federation approval), will go on the road after this week’s session. ISF member federations in Africa and Europe will have the opportunity to send coaches to it when the same course is put on in the Czech Republic from December 8-12. The next week (December 15-19), coaches from ISF member federations in Asia and Oceania can attend the International Coaching College when it comes to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Instructor Michael Bastian (at far right) helps pitchers go into their wind-up.