Melanie Roche pitched for Australia for at least 20 years, but has traded in her softball gear for a guitar.

4-TIME OLYMPIC MEDALIST CHANGING CAREERS
2010-07-29

A very commonly used expression is “sports and entertainment,” and the latest example of the two industries intertwining is seen in the release of an EP by four-time Australian Olympic softballer Melanie Roche.

The 39-year old has stepped out of the pitching circle and into the recording studio, leaving behind an international softball career that saw her representing her country as far back as 1987 at the International Softball Federation’s third Jr. Women’s World Championship (19-and-under). Along the way she captured three Olympic bronze medals (1996, 2000, & 2008) and a silver (2004).

Still competing on an international level in the professional softball league in Japan, Roche says that the decision to go professional with her music came from a strong need to give back to the softball community.

“I feel so lucky to be able to get paid for something I love to do,” she said. “I see so many other sporting identities take it for granted and I want to ensure that, through my music, I can give something back to a community that has continued to support and encourage me.”

Her music described as ‘folksy country,’ Roche says that while her new album was born from a desire to express her feelings of the highs and lows of her sporting career, she also wanted to motivate fellow sporting fanatics to follow their ambitions.

“It was devastating when my teammates and I found out that softball had been removed from the next Olympic Games” she recalls. “However, it was also a really important time for me as I realized, despite the disappointment, that I had the strength to continue playing softball at a professional level and this strength largely influenced me to produce (the EP).

“I hope that my music inspires other sporting people to follow their dreams and not to give up when they are confronted with a challenge,” Roche said.

In the meantime, the international softball community will pause to reflect on memories that the Aussie provided on the playing field for years and years in countries around the world.