Victoria Point Sharks Softball Club

SHERIDAN Darroch lives, works and plays with cystic fibrosis her constant companion. She's permanently on antibiotics plus a pile of assorted medication.

Energy sapping fatigue is never far away . . . managing her illness is a constant priority.

So Darroch, 21, must have felt satisfied this week when named in the Queensland Heat team for the national softball championships.

It's been quite a journey from her junior days when she overhead parents talking and pointing at the girl "who has multiple sclerosis or something".

"The older I get, the easier it gets," she said. "Playing sport teaches you about life and overcoming setbacks. My involvement with sport since I was about seven has helped keep me out of hospital.

"Now I manage it (cystic fibrosis) myself and only need to see my doctor every two months. But a lot of people find dealing with it quite tough."

Cystic fibrosis is a litany of repeated infections that clog the lungs with thick mucus and frequently cause pneumonia, bronchitis, chronic sinusitis, asthma, weight loss and fatigue.

At the age of 12, Darroch had to choose between netball and softball as her sporting priority after making school rep teams in both.

Not surprisingly, her chronic fibrosis was a factor.

"The running in netball was difficult. Anything related to endurance has always been hard for me . . . .when we do a long run I fall behind everyone else," she said.

"Softball can be intense, but you don't need the same endurance.

"There's days where I feel very tired and lethargic and have to push myself hard to get through."

Darroch's mother Rose, probably her most fervent supporter, said her daughter was handling the illness better than ever.

"When she used to come home from state championships as a junior, she'd be totally wrecked. Now she's a lot better . . . actually looks like a human being next day," joked Rose. Darroch is a catcher and said the opportunity to play and train with experienced topline pitchers Brooke Wilkins and Tanya Harding has accelerated her development behind the plate.

"My club, Panthers, have been great for me and international players like Brooke, Tanya and Kim Cooper have had a big influence," she said.

"And I've always played softball all year round . . . I play with Sharks in the winter competition. I don't think it would be a good idea for me to stop playing after a summer season and then try and start again after a long break. I need the continuity."

Although selected as a catcher, Darroch is also an adept utility capable of playing short-stop or elsewhere in the in-field if required.

"You're always in the game as catcher. You have to be on the ball," she said.

And she will learn plenty from Queensland's assistant coach Joyce Lester, the former outstanding Australian catcher.

"This is a fairly young squad," Darroch said. There's a lot of up-and-coming players."

Queensland will defend the Gilley's Shield, symbol of national supremacy, under debutant state coach Maryanne Walsh.

The championship will be contested over four carnivals . . . in Sydney (November), Melbourne (December), Brisbane (January) and Canberra (February).

"We have a fair bit of travel, I like that," Darroch said.

Juggling her job as a physical education teacher's aide at Ormiston College with the demands of state training and club softball won't faze Darroch. "I work three days a week at Ormiston and it's great fun," she said. "They are very accommodating with my softball commitments."

It's a full-on schedule with the Heat – each week encompassing two gym sessions, two conditioning sessions, two individual workouts, and a team session as well as club training and games.

"I'm committing to every single session. I won't have any excuses. I want to give it 100 per cent," she said.

Darroch is the envy of many of her teammates because of a diet that dictates she is allowed more fat than the norm. "Because my body doesn't easily absorb nutrients or fats, I'm allowed a fair bit of food that is off limits to others," she said. "The girls give me a hard time about that."