Georgia Kiel is off to school.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
It won’t be a normal start to a new school – her parents won’t be there to wave her off, or make her lunch. Well, unless the lunch can survive a trans-pacific flight.
Kiel is heading to Concordia University in Michigan, having landed a softball scholarship at the Ann Arbour school, which is near Detroit.
She leaves our sandy shores next Sunday, and less than a fortnight later will be lining up in Concorida Cardinals gear on first base.
The style is so different to what we do here.
- Georgia Kiel
It will be one of her first competitive games of softball in months, as Kiel has been umpiring and coaching softball in the Central West ahead of playing.
“It’s a bit scary, I know a lot of the girls have been training through summer, going to tournaments and stuff like that, so they’ve been in practice mode but I’m not really,” she said.
“I’ve got two weeks over there before the season starts so I’m going to have to whip my butt into shape.”
She will be the only Australian on the baseball roster, but Kiel does know other Australians in the States who can guide her through the motions of setting up for four years of life.
She will be studying medicine while over there, and while she hasn’t locked in her future trajectory, a job as a paramedic looks appealing.
She’ll obviously still be playing softball while over there, but she’s hoping to get more enjoyment from the game than other high-level sportspeople in the college system, who put massive amounts of emphasis on their performance.
“I’m looking forward to the atmosphere of it, American sports are so crazy compared to ours,” she said.
“It’ll be really good.”
Kiel was drawn to Concordia by softball coach Hailey Cavanagh, who she met in Sydney at a tournament last year.
She turned down offers from other schools in the States, wanting that personal connection with Cavanagh.
She is hoping to play first base, said she has to “stay focused” to adapt to the way the Americans play.
“The style over there is so different to what we do here,” she said.
Friends of hers have been on American tours, and the change Kiel has seen from just a few short weeks in the American system is phenomenal.
“They come back playing amazingly, their mindset is so different,” she said.
“Division three will be like our A-grade – the speed of the pitching, the batting technique, the fielding technique is all completely different to how it is over here.
“I’ve looked up some stuff on YouTube, the coaching techniques are just crazy.”
Cavanagh told the Concordia website she was impressed by Kiel’s “power and grit” when the two met in Sydney.
"Georgia is passionate and hardworking and we are thrilled to see her come to CUAA to continue her academic and athletic career as a Cardinal," she said.
Kiel wanted to thank her parents for their support and encouragement over a decade of softball, and she also extended thanks to the Orange Softball Association and all her former coaches.