Kym Tollenaere (born Queensland, Australia) is an Australian softball catcher who lives in Queensland, whom she represents in national competitions. She has represented Australia as a member of the

Australia women's national softball team The Australia women's national softball team, also known as the Aussie Spirit,http://www.softball.org.au/national-teams/open-women/ is the national softball team of Australia. It is governed by Softball Australia and takes ...

. She made the training squad but ultimately did not represent Australia at the

2004 Summer Olympics The 2004 Summer Olympics ( el, Θερινοί Ολυμπιακοί Αγώνες 2004, ), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad ( el, Αγώνες της 28ης Ολυμπιάδας, ) and also known as Athens 2004 ( el, Αθήνα 2004), ...

. As a member of the national team, she earned a gold medal at the 2005 Canada Cup, a silver at the 2005 Pacific Rim tournament and a bronze medal at the 2005 World Cup. She is trying to secure a sport on the squad that will compete at the 2012 ISF XIII Women's World Championships. She has played softball professionally in Japan.

Personal

Tollenaere was born on 8 June 1979 in Queensland, and currently resides in Queensland. She was living in

Eight Mile Plains, Queensland Eight Mile Plains is an outer southern suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the , Eight Mile Plains had a population of 15,322 people. Geography Eight Mile Plains is by road south-southeast of the Brisbane GPO. Bulimba Cre ...

in 2004, and living in

Algester, Queensland Algester is a southern suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the , Algester had a population of 8,433 people. Geography Algester is south-west of the central business district. The suburbs of Algester, Calamvale and now ...

in 2009. Her cousin was a striker for the Brisbane Roar.

Softball

Tollenaere is a catcher and third baseman. Her jersey number in club competitions is 40. She has had a softball scholarship from the

Queensland Academy of Sport The Queensland Academy of Sport (QAS) is an elite sports institute set up in 1991 by the Queensland Government to support athletes in the state of Queensland. Its headquarters are currently located at the Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre in ...

. In 2003, she competed in the NSWIS Cup. During the competition, she went eight for twelve in hitting and earned the competition's batting award. In 2008, she competed in the Queensland Open Women's State Championships. She plays for the Waverley Softball Association. Tollenaere represents

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

in national competitions. She was a member of the Queensland team in 2003, 2004, 2005, 2008 and 2009. She became one of the state's top two catchers on the senior side in 2003, where she rotated with

Marissa Carpadios Marissa Carpadios (born 30 December 1977 in Brisbane) is a softball Softball is a game similar to baseball played with a larger ball on a smaller field. Softball is played competitively at club levels, the college level, and the pro ...

. In 2009, she represented Queensland at the national championships being held in New South Wales. She played in the final round. Her performance was important as it impacted on selection to the 2009 Australian Institute of Sport team.

Senior national team

Tollenaere has had the attention of the national team for many years. In 2000, she was not considered by the national team to be one Australia's top ten domestic catchers, but by 2003, she was Australia's number two catcher because other Australian catchers were injured or had retired and she had improved her own game. She was a member of the 2003 team that competed in the Canada Cup, and played in the game against China, where opposition players tried unsuccessfully to intimidate her. She was in a possible for the

team. In January 2004, she was named to the

Australian Institute of Sport The Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) is a high performance sports training institution in Australia. The Institute's headquarters were opened in 1981 and are situated in the northern suburb of Bruce, Canberra. The AIS is a division of the ...

squad and given a scholarship. The team had 25 players and was the one that Olympic selectors would choose from to compete at the Games. In the end, she did not make the 2004 Olympic team. As a member of the 2005 national team, she earned a gold medal at the 2005 Canada Cup, a silver at the Pacific Rim tournament and a bronze medal at the World Cup. She was a member of the national team in 2007 and participated in a six-game test series against China in the Redlands. She is a member of the 2012

and is trying to secure a sport on the squad that will compete at the 2012 ISF XIII Women's World Championships.

Professional softball

Tollenaere has played professional softball. She played for the Sanyo professional club in Japan in 2000 and 2001. During those two years, she practiced four hours a day, seven days a week, put in more effort with training and took off in weight. By them end of her time with the team, she had lost . At the end of 2005, she had signed a contract to play with the Connecticut Breakettes in the US Pro League.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tollenaere, Kym 1979 births Australian softball players Living people Sportswomen from Queensland