LAURINBURG — When Scotland High School junior Macie Gibson started playing softball in grade school she dreamed of one day representing the United States at the Olympic Games.
She is now one step closer to the goal, after she was invited to play in an international tournament in Sydney, Australia this summer. The tournament counts as a qualifying event for the USA women’s junior national team — the team for high school and college students that is a stepping stone to tryout for the women’s USA softball team.
The only thing Macie and her family have to do now is raise the money for the trip. The Gibson family will hold a fundraiser on Friday, Feb. 3 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Masonic Lodge, 445 Atkinson Street, in Laurinburg. There will also be T-shirts for sale that Macie designed on sale for $20 along with $1 raffle tickets for a handmade patchwork quilt that Macie’s mother Kameron put together.
“It’s a collard sandwich plate and chicken and pastry bowl sale and they are $5 for either a plate or bowl,” said Kameron. “We already had one plate sale, which was a huge success, so we’re having another one.”
Depending on how the plate sale goes this Friday, the Gibson’s are considering having one more fundraiser before they make the trip to Sydney, Australia in June. The family is also in talks with Scotland County Parks and Recreation to see if Macie could hold a softball camp fundraiser.
“I’m thinking about doing a softball camp for little kids, like on a Saturday,” she said.
The tournament, the Blacktown softball series, will feature teams from several different countries and will be held June 11 through June 23. The team is going to be a mixture of 12 high school and college softball players from the United States, according to Macie.
The Lady Scots outfielder along with her parents will be in Australia for two weeks for the tournament and sight seeing, as part of the experience.
“I’m just nervous about flying, I’ve never flown before,” said Macie. “It’s a 21-hour flight, so I’m a little nervous. When we get there we’ll tour around Sydney, then practice and play in the tournament.”
Despite the stress of putting together a fundraiser and making the 21-hour flight across the globe, Macie’s parents are happy to support her as she chases her dream of being an Olympian.
“This is her dream,” said Kameron. “Her dream is to play in the Olympics and to be eligible for the Olympics you have to play on a USA team.”
Macie is considering trying out for the 2020 USA softball team, but the Lenoir-Rhyne University commit says it might be later depending on school.
Amber Hatten can be reached at 910-506-3170.