Tracey’s golden catch

By Andrew Stackpool
Volume 48, No. 11, June 29, 2006

CPL Tracey Mosley will compete in Beijing in the Aussie Spirit softball team.

Photo by AC Aaron Curran.

AIR Force Olympic medallist CPL Tracey Mosley from RAAF Base Amberley is pitching for gold again.

The softball silver medallist in the 2004 Athens Olympic Games has been selected for the Australian “Aussie Spirit” team, which is heading to Beijing, China, for the 2006 International Softball Federation women’s world championship series. The world championships will be held at the Olympic softball complex in Beijing from August 27-September 5.

The catcher/shortstop/first base was a member of the first Australian team to win a silver medal in Olympic softball. The Aussie Spirit had cleaned up before losing 5-1 to the undefeated US team in the final.
“The lead-up for selection [for Beijing] was a few tournaments, including the New Zealand tour,” she said. Mosley was named Most Valuable Player during the New Zealand tour.

The team later attended a training camp in Brisbane in May.

Aussie Spirit will travel to Vancouver, Canada, to defend its title in the Canada Cup series from July 1-9, before heading to Oklahoma City for the US World Cup from July 13-17 against teams from USA, Canada, Japan, Great Britain and Australia, followed by a number of pre-World Series games.

“I think we’ll win the Canada Cup again and come pretty close if not win the US [cup],” she said.

The right-hander is looking forward to the 2008 Olympics and says the team has a lot riding on the world championship series.

“It is also the Olympic qualifier. The top four teams automatically qualify for the 2008 Olympics. This will be extra special as it is the last time softball will feature in the Olympics, voted out earlier this year,” she said.

“It is always an honour to represent Australia. To possibly be part of another Olympics is the motivation, especially when this is the last one for softball.”

CPL Mosley first started playing softball at school.

In 1991 she was selected to play for Australia in the junior World Series in Adelaide. She made her debut in the Australian women’s side at the 1992 Beijing Challenge, but lost her place in the team after the 1994 world championships and spent seven years on the sideline before she was finally selected back into the team in 2002.

She joined Air Force in 1996.

“I cannot thank Air Force enough, especially 382ECSS and ISFLT Amberley for their ongoing fantastic support and understanding,” she said.

“I would not be able to continue and follow my dream of another Olympics without the support they provide.”

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