Sixteen-year-old Mount Isa’s Te Urewera Potini has been selected for the Under 17s Queensland state softball team.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The Under 17s will compete in the national championships which is being held in Adelaide January 5-11, 2019.
Te Urewera goes there on the back of recent success having competed with the Mount Isa Under 17s softball team which came first in the president’s cup held in Mackay September 22-24.
The youngster’s performances in Mackay did not go unnoticed and this is where selectors decided he was state representative material.
Te Urewera has been playing the sport since he was three years old.
He first played peanut league in New Zealand for a club called Takanini in South Auckland and has been passionate about the sport since.
When his family arrived in Mount Isa eight years ago he signed upfor the Rebels Club for 1 year and then he moved onto to play for the Red Devils Club with whom he still plays for.
He plays in a A Res Team and a A Men’s team for the Red Devils. He has represented Mount Isa three times and he made the Queensland U/15’s Development squad two years ago and he competed in a National Championship where they came second overall.
READ ALSO: Softball stars of the future
Te Urewera trained hard prior to the Mackay championship’s joining the F45 gym’s eight week challenge losing 10.3kgs in preparation to become fit and to play the best he possibly could to hopefully get selected for the Queensland squad.
He also came 3rd overall in the challenge and was the youngest member of the challenge signing up when he was 15.
Te Urewera will attend a Queensland camp in Redlands at the end of October to attend a training weekend with his coaches and team mates and will also be returning to F45 Training to help with the preparations for the upcoming Championships.
A few people have helped Te Urewera on his journey here in Mount Isa.
Phil Horne has been his coach for many years, Josh Wagner and Stephen Wagner trained him in preparation for the Queensland Development tournament, his dad Charles Potini did the eight week challenge with him to help his fitness levels, his trainers at F45 supported him through his journey also. Mum Lee Potini said he was very lucky he has a very supportive network here in Mount Isa, all his family members and friends are always behind him.
“He is super excited and feels very priviliged to have been chosen to represent the State of Queensland,” Lee said.
“Every time he takes to the diamond I always say to him ‘play hard and stay humble’ something he does quite well.”
Derek Barry
Editor of the North West Star Mount Isa since January 2016. Prior to that, an editor at several regional southern Queensland newspapers. Passionate about telling local stories. Comes with a strange accent to due an Irish accident of birth.
Editor of the North West Star Mount Isa since January 2016. Prior to that, an editor at several regional southern Queensland newspapers. Passionate about telling local stories. Comes with a strange accent to due an Irish accident of birth.
