Cardinal Points

Issue date: 4/20/07 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Andrei Popovici Vlad Amy Woo has had an easy time adjusting to college softball in America.

This woman out of Calgary, Alberta, has been feeling right at home. On the campus of Plattsburgh State and on the softball field is where she really strives.

Amy Woo is an 18-year-old freshman softball player at PSUC. In the first 16 games of her career, she has compiled a .420 batting average that leads the team this season. She leads the Lady Cards in runs scored with 12, doubles with four and is tied for the team lead in RBIs with 10.

When she doesn't have the bat in her hands, she uses her speed to get into scoring position. Woo has five stolen bases this season, which ranks second on the team.

On the defensive side, Woo plays two positions - second and third base. She has recorded 31 putouts on the season while having more than a .900 fielding percentage.

Woo has been able to the make transition from the high school level to the college game and has the stats to back it up.

"It has been an easy transition, I was playing at a high level coming in," Woo said.

Woo attended Queen Elizabeth high school in the city of Calgary. She competed in basketball, volleyball, badminton, cross country and softball. She had no idea that Plattsburgh was where she would have continued her athletic career.

It wasn't until a recruiter told her about PSUC that she started to consider it. "It just worked out that Plattsburgh had a softball team," Woo said.

She said that in the United States, sports are big and the students are more into it on this campus and elsewhere. In Canada, students are more focused on academics.

"I wasn't going to continue my athletic career unless I came to the states," Woo said. "Softball isn't as developed in Canada as it is here."

The Canadian youth leagues are set up much like they are in the United States. They have different age levels that start with tee-ball, then they go up to coach pitching and from there the boys can go play baseball or fast-pitch softball while the girls have an option to play the sports too.

The Canadian school system gave Woo the opportunity to succeed in the classroom that has come with her ability to play softball at PSUC. She is undeclared at this point in her academic career. She is currently working on a minor in Spanish, with a concentration of French and any other languages she can pick up along the way.

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