An event as big as the Santiago 2023 Pan American and Parapan American Games becomes a huge opportunity and showcase for sports that normally are not so popular or widely known by the people.
Such is the case of Softball. This activity has several similarities with baseball, although it is played in a smaller pitch, it has some specific rules, among other details that mark the difference between one sport and the other.
Softball came back to the Olympic program in Tokyo 202 and spectators will be able to enjoy it at the Games in our country between Monday, October 30th and Saturday, November 4th at the Parque Bicentenario de Cerrillos, location where a new pitch is under construction.
Carolina Jara (33), born in Concepción, is the captain of the Softball Chilean National Team, and one of the most experienced players in the team, since she has been practicing this discipline for almost eight years. The athlete had a conversation with us and shared some details about the history of the national team, their preparation towards Santiago 2023 and the great challenges that new sports face in our country.
HOW DID YOU FIND OUT ABOUT SOFTBALL, CONSIDERING IT IS NOT SO POPULAR IN CHILE?
During the 80s and the 90s there was a university league in Concepción, where a few players started playing softball in Universidad de Concepción and in Universidad del Biobío. These people got together a few years ago and started looking for new players to train. Since they were already a bit older, they wanted to prepare new players. Among the new ones, there was one football teammate of mine, and she showed me softball and I loved it, although I didn’t understand much of it. This motivated me to investigate and learn more, but there were strong limitations in Concepción, therefore I made the decision to come to Santiago.
HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN PLAYING THE SPORT?
I started about seven or eight years ago, although I have always been an athlete, before this I played volleyball. As with all disciplines, during the pandemic all training stopped and in 2021 we started over. In 2015 I was already in the National Team, but due to some trips I had to make, one to the United States, I was selected once more for the National Team just a year and a half ago.
DO YOU BELONG TO ANY TEAMS CURRENTLY? ARE THERE PROFESSIONAL LEAGUES IN CHILE?
I do belong to a team, but with the pandemic, and the process towards Santiago 2023, we have focused on training with the National Team. Due to the construction of the new diamond, the possibility of organizing a national league has been limited.
Carolina Jara next to the Softball Chilean National Team. (Picture from: FECHIBEIS).
BUILDING A SPORT FROM SCRATCH
By being one of the most experienced players in the country, Carolina has seen the growth the discipline has had in Chile year after year. At a National Team level, only recently, in 2021, there was a possibility to gather a National Team to compete abroad, and their first competition was the Basque International Cup, held in Spain.
This important milestone was strengthened by the fact that the national players got a triumph by defeating Ukraine in the finals by a score of 5 to 1. Previously, to reach the final match, Chile beat France by 9 to 7, and also lost a match against the Basque country’s team by a score of 1 to 7.
HOW MANY WOMEN ARE PART OF TEAM CHILE?
We are approximately 20, spread out in several parts of the country and abroad. Here in Santiago we are 10 players, from Chile or from Venezuela with their nationalization process undergoing. Three to five players are from the north of the country, within Antofagasta and Tocopilla. And the other six players, with the possibility of having a few more, play in the United States, and one of them is in Australia. It is a diverse group overall.
HAVE YOU NOTICED A BOOST IN SOFTBALL WITH THE ARRIVAL OF PEOPLE FROM COUNTRIES WHERE THIS SPORT IS POPULAR?
Without a doubt. Here in Chile we had limitations, although we were plenty of women playing softball, it wasn’t such a large number. Immigrants, in this case Venezuelans, have helped us to raise our playing level a lot. Since their arrival, we have had better tournaments, training has improved a lot, we are gaining more knowledge. It has been a great boost and support, no questions asked. As a National Team, we play every weekend against a team of Venezuelan players, several of them were also team players for their country or state, playing at a very high level.
HAS THIS PROCESS OF SOLIDIFYING THE SPORT IN CHILE BEEN THE SAME BETWEEN MEN AND WOMEN?
In general, baseball and softball have evolved greatly with the arrival of immigrants. I haven’t seen a huge difference between men and women since it is an inclusive sport. In the case of women, we have always had a lower visibility, but softball has had an exponential growth that has been similar between men and women. Furthermore, the Federation represents both disciplines, so they are always trying to make things as equal as possible.
Carolina is the captain and one of the most experienced players of the national team. (Picture from: FECHIBEIS).
“THE MOST IMPORTANT THING TODAY IS TO PROMOTE SOFTBALL EVERYWHERE”
The Softball National Team will face in Santiago 2023 their first critical test since their start. Although they have already competed against some teams in Spain, as well as a few friendly matches, it will be the first time they will face world-class teams.
Statistics do not lie: six of the top twenty world ranking teams in the World Softball and Baseball Confederation (WSBC) are in the Pan American region, so the competition being held during October and November will have the highest level.
In that sense, the national captain is confident that Perú (19) and Venezuela (22) may be more direct and accessible rivals in the competition, considering that the Chilean team is placed in number 59 of the world ranking.
VISUALIZING WHAT SANTIAGO 2023 WILL BE, I THINK THAT THE EXPECTATIONS ARE MORE OR LESS LIMITED BY BEING ONE OF THE FIRST COMPETITIONS OF THIS LEVEL THAT YOU WILL FACE…
That is correct. By being spread out throughout the globe, it is quite hard to build a team. Just last year we had the chance, for the first time, to gather a team and travel to Spain and play. There, we gathered the ones from Chile, the ones from the United States and the ones from the Regions in Chile. We went there to compete, we faced the Ukranian team, a regional Spanish team, and the French team, and we won the tournament. It was a milestone for us, which also opened doors at the National Sports Institute (IND in Spanish) and in the Sports Ministry. Not a single one of us is a professional, we cannot dedicate our lives to this, we have to work in other jobs, but we hope the end goal is achieved in some years.
AND KNOWING THE COUNTRIES THAT WILL PARTICIPATE, WHICH ARE THE TOP TEAMS AND WHICH ONES ARE DIRECT RIVALS?
All teams participating are of a high level. The United States is always challenging the first place with Japan; they went to Tokyo 2020, and lost against Japan. Almost all teams that went to the Olympic Games will come to Santiago 2023: Mexico, Canada, and the United States are within the top 6 teams of the world ranking. And the other teams, which also have a high level, are within the top 25. They are Venezuela and Perú which are the ones we think we might go toe to toe.
WHAT IS NEXT FOR THE TEAM ON THE ROAD TO SANTIAGO 2023?
We have been constantly participating in training camps. In June we will have a country training camp in Santiago, where the players from the northern regions will also participate. On the other hand, in July we will travel to Barcelona, since it is also the date for the Softball World Cup. Furthermore, in August we will have a training camp in Miami, where all the players will gather, including the ones in the United States, to face college and high school teams, which also have a high playing level. Our main goal is to undergo a trial by fire, to reach October everyday with full training and concentration until the Games.
WHAT WOULD BE A MILESTONE OR MARK FOR SOFTBALL PARTICIPATING IN SANTIAGO 2023?
Without a doubt the visibility. I think the most important thing is that the sport reaches children and teenagers, so they can see it as a sporting alternative. Although people tend to cheer for more popular sports such as football, I must say that softball is very inclusive, and if the people understand it, they will notice that it is an extremely entertaining sport. I hope it can be played in schools. The most important thing is to promote it everywhere.
COMMUNICATIONS SANTIAGO 2023
Mail: comunicaciones@
Instagram: @
Instagram Mascot: @fiusantiago2023
Twitter: @santiago2023
Facebook: /Santiago2023oficial
Youtube: @Santiago2023oficial
TikTok: @Santiago2023oficial
Flickr: @Santiago2023
