FOR a 16 year-old softball star, being confined to a wheelchair is tough going.
In July last year Island Bay resident Zane Siolo was devastated to be struck down in the middle of a fantastic run of representative play.
While playing in Sydney, he ruptured three ligaments in his ankle, and was sidelined for six months.
Zane had to overcome a mental and physical battle to recover, now he’s just been accepted into the Junior Black Socks. They’re lucky he’s made it back.
Zane pitches at a professional speed of 125km/h, while other pitchers his age are around the 100km/h mark.
The quality of his pitching was acknowledged by New Zealand Black Sox coach Eddie Kohlhase, when he picked Zane to train alongside the Black Sox at the 2010 Battery Camp.
“If Zane was a pitcher in the USA playing baseball, he would probably be recognised as a phenomenon,” says proud dad Rob, who often visits Zane at the NZ Institute of Sport, where he studies full-time.
By the age of 14, Zane had represented the New Zealand U17 Fastpitch team, and the Tanifa Samoa Men’s Softball team, where he pitched against the full Japanese men’s team at the Pacific Cup.
His Dad, a Kiwi Samoan, jokes Zane now only has to play for China and the Netherlands – his mother’s heritage – to tick all the representative boxes.
Zane is just relieved to be back on the field.
“My mental side dropped heaps after the injury which was really painful to come back from, because when you pitch you stomp down with your foot at the end,” he says.
Not deterred, Zane will return to the same tournament he injured himself at in Sydney in July this year, with his sights set on the 2012 U19 Junior men’s world championships.
“It’s an awesome feeling to be in the middle of the diamond – its hardest position to play, but most rewarding,” he says.
Zane leaves in July to play a seven test match series against the Australian U19 team.