Winning a national championship for the ACT is the dream of every Canberra kid who plays sports. Earlier this month Belconnen High School Health and PE teacher Jarrod Bradbury lived out this childhood dream, winning the open men’s Fastpitch Softball National Championship in Adelaide in his first year as a vice-captain and assistant coach.
In the grand final game against NSW, Jarrod stepped up to bat for the final time. The ACT 89ers had runners on 1st, 2nd, and 3rd base, and he needed to cement ACT’s lead. On the third pitch, Jarrod smashed the ball for a grand-slam – a homerun with a runner on each base, to take the game home for the ACT in an unbelievable moment which he will remember for the rest of his life.
But it wasn’t always this way for Jarrod. Despite numerous ACT selections and even his recent selection to represent Australia in Samoa for the 2025 Softball World Cup qualifier, Jarrod admits that when he was around the age of the students he teaches now, he was often overlooked for selection.
“It’s easy to throw the towel in early, when you’re not making junior teams, but now as an adult softball has allowed me to travel the world and represent my state and country,” Jarrod said. “I hope the kids can see the reward for hard work and avenues within many sports - not just the ones they see on TV.”
Born and raised in Canberra, Jarrod started playing tee-ball for Macquarie Primary School back in the early 2000’s and never looked back. Jarrod has continued to play softball throughout his life, and now after teaching at Belconnen High School for five years, continues to use softball to inspire and motivate his students.
“It’s been awesome showing the students my games on YouTube and teaching them the game of ball. They think I’m some kind of superstar because I’m on YouTube - so that’s very flattering.”
“I had a moment overseas in Samoa early last year, where I received a photo from my colleague of my year 9/10 class watching my game on YouTube in class.
“This was my first time playing for Australia. It was a super proud and special moment for me, and my students which wouldn’t have been possible without the support of the Directorate and my staff at Belconnen High.”
Staff who get the opportunity to represent the ACT and Australia is an accomplishment that the Education Directorate aims to support, and Jarrod says he has received a lot of it in his time as a teacher.
“I owe a lot to the Directorate. They’ve supported me in order to attend championships and representative honours both nationally and internationally. I’m very grateful for the support teachers get within the ACT.”
Jarrod has his eyes on next year’s National Championship and hopes to continue to be an inspiration and living example to his students of where hard work and perseverance can take you, just as long as you never give up.
