Tom Choy

Vancouver, British Columbia

CHESKA ALTOMONTE, the Blu Girls(the Philippine National Women’s Softball Team) ace Catcher  has to catch the softball well for the team to clinch a win.  She is one of the vital parts of the game of softball for clinching Ws.

“ Softball is a game of failure—you may get more outs than hits in a game,” explains Cheska. That explains why the hitting average is in a lot of cases is  below .5  There are very few top softball players with a batting average of above .5

Cheska is a mixture of Asian (Filipino and Chinese) and European (Italian). Her legal name is Francesca Altomonte.

A team may win by minimizing errors and score a few points and still win. The American troops brought softball as a game in the Philippines. It used to be called “indoor baseball,” according to the Amateur Softball Association of the Philippines(ASAPHIL).  The Philippines pioneered softball in Asia, sending two female teams in the Far Eastern  Games in Shanghai, China to demonstrate the game. Now China and Japan softball teams are powerhouses.

Today, the Philippines is trying to land an Olympic spot. They have to go over several difficult hurdles to reach their Olympic destination. 

Cheska knows the road to Tokyo is long and challenging. But it can be done. “ It’s going to be a long road to the Olympics but we are currently  on the right path,” declares Cheska. Cheska beleives in her team, “I have complete faith in my team.” She attributes her success as a catcher and hitter to coaches Randy Dizer and Ana Santiago. These two guys have completely molded her to become a winner in softball. Plus of course, hard work. 

The Lluillers of Cebu  support the Blu Girls in their quest for medals and glory. The Blu Girls, currently 17th in  world ranking have beaten teams in the Top 10 in world standings. Expect the Philippine ranking to immensely improve in the near future.

The top athletes in the world start young. Michael Jordan, Lebron James, Derek Jeter, and Ila Borders(idol of Cheska) started when they were young. Cheska started playing softball/baseball since she was 10. Not only can Cheska catch the ball. She can also hit hard, strong and hit homeruns and score. Cheska’s softball future looks bright.