For Valencia High alumna Amy Moore, walking away from the Women’s Softball European Championship without a medal would’ve meant the end of her softball career.
Fortunately, Moore, 26, and the Great Britain National Team captured bronze last month.
“It was a do or die,” she said. “If we don’t place, we don’t go to worlds next year. If we don’t go to worlds, we don’t have a chance at the Olympics.
“It would have had to be some European qualifier in two years. And two years is a lot of time from now to then, that’s a lot of time. Things come up, things happen.”
With the bronze medal, Great Britain qualifies for the World Baseball Softball Confederation Women’s Softball World Championship next year in Japan. If the team does well enough there, they have a shot at going to the 2020 Olympics, also in Japan.
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In the European Championship, Moore had a .444 batting average (third best on the team) and had six RBIs and five runs scored. She also hit three doubles and two triples.
“It was probably one of the top moments of my softball career,” Moore said of winning the bronze medal game, a 4-1 victory over the Czech Republic.
It was her sixth year playing internationally, an experience afforded her because of her father’s Great Britain citizenship that was passed down.
“It’s been the best experience and a humbling experience as well,” said Moore, who played softball for University of the Pacific after Valencia. “When you’re able to continue playing softball after college, that’s really big for a woman.”
Moore also coaches for the So Cal Choppers 14U team, which has provided her with plenty of motivation to win in the form of her players.
“All my kids, they were contacting me when I was over there, they were watching my games, and when I came back, they yelled, ‘We missed you, we’re proud of you,’ and it’s really nice,” she said.
Her involvement with the Choppers has also given her a few valuable training partners.
“We’ll work out in the cage, my son, Dean, too … he worked out with her,” said Gary Fausett, who also coaches with So Cal Choppers and is a former coach of Moore. “We all help her all we can. She’s tense, man. She wants to get it done.”
