After six years of playing softball with the Campbell River Crushers and the Victoria Devils, Saje Kurpiela has officially signed to continue playing softball at Three River’s College, Missouri, on a full ride scholarship.
With the support of local businesses, Griegg’s Seafood and Cermaq, as well as her parents, Kurpiela travelled to Victoria for weekly practices and to tournaments in B.C., Alberta, Quebec, Las Vegas, California, Colorado and Washington State.
Kurpiela was born with club feet and the doctors told her parents that she would never walk properly. The idea of sports was not an option. After wearing special shoes for 23 hours of the day and then learning to walk with casts on both feet, Kurpiela was unstoppable.
She loved playing sports – soccer, wrestling, volleyball – but after seeing a softball game and watching the pitcher, Kurpiela decided she wanted to be one and taught herself to pitch. She was a natural. Then her Dad became a coach and continued her training, with the help of other pitching coaches along the way.
Kurpiela goes to Timberline Secondary School where she plays volleyball, soccer and participates in track & field.
Watch Kurpiela’s skills video.