McMANUS Stacey

General
OLYMPIC SACRIFICE
In 2019 she gave up her job with a freight company to pursue her ambition of competing at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo despite it being a financial risk. "The government subsidies aren't enough to warrant me doing this [playing softball] as a full-time job and being able to support myself, however the chance at getting to play highest level in softball has meant that this is something I have had to do. When I was young I was watching softball at Sydney, Athens and then Beijing [Olympic Games], and then they got rid of it in London [when I was part of the Australian team]." (theleader.com.au, 03 Jun 2019; theleader.com.au, 22 Jul 2015)

SOFTBALL SISTERS
Her younger sister Brooke has also played softball at international level but chose to represent New Zealand despite being born in Sydney, NSW, Australia. This was possible because the sisters' father is originally from New Zealand. They were both also eligible to represent the United States of America through their mother. Stacey chose Australia and she and Brooke lined up on opposing teams when Australia played New Zealand at the 2012 Canada Cup in Surrey, BC, Canada. (iheart.com, 03 Feb 2020; stuff.co.nz, 18 Jul 2012; theleader.com.au, 22 Jul 2015)

NPF STINT
She has played in the United States of America in the National Pro Fastpitch league [NPF] with the Chicago Bandits and Aussie Peppers. She says playing in a professional league allowed her to focus on the sport in a way not possible for players in Australian leagues. "Here [in Australia] we have to work to pay for our softball, whereas when we're over there we don't have to worry about all that. We don't have to worry about having a stressful day at work and then having to train three hours at night. And the facilities are great, whether we're playing at a college field or at one of the other pro teams." (softball.org.au, 30 Apr 2018)