Santiago Canyon- Manoa Weijgertse
4-time European Champion (2008, 2011, 2012, 2016, Dutch national team). State Championship (2016, Santiago Canyon College).
Name: Manoa Weijgertse, international student from the Netherlands
Sport: Softball
Achievements: 4-time European Champion (2008, 2011, 2012, 2016, Dutch national team). State Championship (2016, Santiago Canyon College). Most promising youth player (Dutch softball federation, 2016)
Who got you into softball and when did you start playing?
I started playing softball when I was 5 years old at a local club team back in The Netherlands. I got into the sport because both my brother and sister were playing it and I basically grew up watching them play.
If you weren't playing softball, what other sport would you want to play at the college level?
If I didn't play softball I would want to play either soccer or basketball at the college level
What makes Coach Lisa Camarco the type of coach you love to play for?
She is an amazing person and coach on and off the field. She is an extremely hard working person and an inspiration to all of her players. It's easy for a coach to help you become a better ball player but Coach Camarco has made me a better person on and off the field. What I love about playing for her is that there is a mutual respect between coach and players and most importantly we have so much fun playing for her. Coach Camarco makes you feel like you matter and she believed in me as a player and gave me so much confidence.
What are you majoring in and what's you favorite class?
I am majoring in psychology but my favorite classes are history and astronomy.
Walk us through your pre-game warm up
I make sure to get to school early so I can get treatment and get my wrists taped. I walk up to the field early, because I don't like to be in a hurry before a game. I get my hair braided and my eyeblack done. We start hitting as a team and I'm usually the last one to hit. We will jog and stretch, play catch and do our pre game on the field. I don't really have a routine that I really have to go through on gamedays.
What are the first 3 songs on your pre-game playlist?
The music that I listen to changes a lot but my top 3 right now would be:
Champion - Chipmunk ft Chris Brown
Party - Chris Brown
Caroline - Anime
What do you enjoy doing on your day off?
I like to sleep in a little bit and have a big breakfast and make some time to talk to my family back home since we have a 9 hour time difference. I like to just hang out with friends and have an easy day since the rest of the week is pretty busy.
Who on the team are you closest with?
I'm closest with Alyssa Sojka and Emili Olague
What is your leadership style?
I want to lead by example. In every aspect of the game. Whether this means making sure I always get on as a leadoff hitter or sharing my experience and knowledge of the game. I want to be the type of leader who makes things 'easier' for the team and someone they can go to for advice. As a returning sophomore I should carry the team.
Once you're done at Santiago Canyon College, what do you want to be remembered as?
I want to be remembered as someone who was able to make a difference on the team. As someone who had a lot of passion for the game and a hard worker.
What is the plan once you graduate?
Once I graduate from SCC I hope to stay in Southern California and move on to a 4-year school somewhere around here. Eventually I want to move out here for good and maybe coach for a few years while figuring out what I want to do next.
What do you want to say to the fans who have watched you play during your time at Santiago Canyon College?
I want to thank everyone who came out the games to cheer for the team and thank the people who have supported me while being here. I am used to having my parents at all of my games and not having them there gets hard sometimes but still hearing people cheer for me or coming out to the games meant a lot.
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