Helen Townsend (born 16 August 1969 [1]) is a New Zealand secondary school teacher and Olympic softball player from Christchurch.
Townsend was born in Christchurch and started playing softball from age 14. [2] She represented New Zealand in softball in the New Zealand Under 19 team in her final year at Burnside High School, which she attended from 1983 to 1987. [3] For ten years from 1990 she played in the Senior Women's team, and represented New Zealand at the senior world championships in 1994 and 1998. [2] The team missed out on qualifying for the 1996 Olympics, but made it to the 2000 Olympics at Sydney, where it came fifth. [2] She played in Italy for a year and then in Canada for a year, [3] and retired from playing softball after the 2000 Olympics. [2]
Townsend graduated from the University of Otago with a Bachelor in Physical Education, and after playing softball in Canada was appointed as a full-time physical education teacher at her old school, Burnside High. [3] After the Olympics, she was a video analyst for the New Zealand men's national softball team [2] and while in that role, the men defended their world championship title. [4] [5] She remained video analyst for the men's team until 2009, when she was inducted into the Softball New Zealand Hall of Fame, along with three others. [6] [7]
Helen Townsend (born 16 August 1969 [1]) is a New Zealand secondary school teacher and Olympic softball player from Christchurch.
Townsend was born in Christchurch and started playing softball from age 14. [2] She represented New Zealand in softball in the New Zealand Under 19 team in her final year at Burnside High School, which she attended from 1983 to 1987. [3] For ten years from 1990 she played in the Senior Women's team, and represented New Zealand at the senior world championships in 1994 and 1998. [2] The team missed out on qualifying for the 1996 Olympics, but made it to the 2000 Olympics at Sydney, where it came fifth. [2] She played in Italy for a year and then in Canada for a year, [3] and retired from playing softball after the 2000 Olympics. [2]
Townsend graduated from the University of Otago with a Bachelor in Physical Education, and after playing softball in Canada was appointed as a full-time physical education teacher at her old school, Burnside High. [3] After the Olympics, she was a video analyst for the New Zealand men's national softball team [2] and while in that role, the men defended their world championship title. [4] [5] She remained video analyst for the men's team until 2009, when she was inducted into the Softball New Zealand Hall of Fame, along with three others. [6] [7]