�Gazo the-getter�: softball�s standing hero
Koketso Kgoboge | Friday February 5, 2016 12:45
Gazo’s first contact with softball was at the age of 16 at the Baptist Mission where children of White City, Area W, Bluetown and Riverside localities of Francistown, at the time, used to converge for different sporting activities on weekends. He started playing active softball in 1975 at Mater Spei College, where he immediately broke into the schools first team.
‘Gazo the getter’ reminisces about his college softball days.
“I immediately loved the sport, I had a mentor; then an American peace corp Peter Gleedon. He taught us softball in class twice a week. In the same year together with some players in my class we joined the local outfit Dintsu Softball Club with our mentor and we played in the first team. We competed in Gaborone tournaments and at the time there were only four softball teams, Vikings, Bears and Dinare,” he remembers.
In November 1979 Gazo joined Botswana Defence Force and five months down the line alongside others started BDF IX, a team that became a force to reckon with and is still the strongest in the current campaign.
At the time umpires were players, and with the understanding of the game from his lessons at Mater Spei College he represented his team as a player and an umpire. In 1983, Gazo became the deputy chief umpire and a year later became the chief umpire.
In the same year, he received a national call up, for the first batch of Botswana national softball team. The team went on to represent the country at the World Championships in Michigan, USA under Professor Fred Morton, who was the national team coach.
The team competed but being rookies they returned empty handed. Then after, the team competed regularly in the Zone VI competitions when Zimbabwe were the powerhouses. ‘The Getter’ competed as a player and umpire until 1994 when he left playing to focus on umpiring.
From 1997 he coached at ATTS where he was studying auto mechanics for four years. His love for the sport saw him return to the mound in the same year playing for the Eagles until 2000 when the legs could not carry on. He went back to his job at SSKB after completing his studies and in 2004 he retired as a soldier.
He took a three-year break from softball and in 2007 while on retirement in Dukwi, the sport called. “I started officiating at BISA and helping administer softball in the region. At the time I just felt the need to pass my softball knowledge and experiences to the youngsters and I managed to take my region to the BISA finals in 2015.
Back in 2011 I retraced my steps to the softball association to assist as an elder in the sport. In 2015, I was reinstated deputy umpire in chief for the northern zone with five umpires under me,” he said. Gazo said he wants to help the sport grow and called on others with experience to come on board and assist the youth.
“My intention is to see the game grow. There is nothing fulfilling like seeing your products mature into stars. I work with youngsters and I enjoy their growth in the sport. I invite other former players to come assist grow the sport from grassroots. It also keeps me occupied and active. I am available to the sport,” he said.
Gazo was voted overall best player for BDF IX in 1984, Zone VI’s most entertaining player in Zimbabwe and won the national colours presidential award under the leadership of Sir Ketumile Masire.
About his nickname, he had this to say: “I was not just an ordinary outfield player. I had a bag of tricks and when I caught the ball I would do a trick or two and the Americans enjoyed watching me play and they gave me this nick name at the championships in Machigan and because of my tricks I won the most entertaining player in Zone VI.” Now more than two decades later, Gazo remains a softball standing hero, as he braves weather elements to make crucial calls in the middle of the pitch.
Full Name: Kebadumetse ‘Gazo-get-loose-the getter’ Osupile
Date of birth: January 9, 1957
Place of Birth: Francistown
Sport: Softball
Former clubs: Dintsu, Eagles, BDF IX
Position played: Outfielder
Current position: Deputy umpire-in-chief (Northern Zone)
Favourite food: Pap and beef