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| From North American Liberty Belles – Phoenix Cup 2009 – Hong Kong |
Jill Bianco - Chicago Women’s Baseball League / Chicago Gems Women’s Baseball Club
Jill’s Hong Kong Baseball tournament blog site
Jill’s mom’s blog entry - Jill Bianco – A Deaf Gal Who Plays Baseball – deafmomworld.com
Bat: Right
Throw: Right
Type of hitter: Power
Positions in baseball: Everything except Pitcher
Years played in baseball: 2 and still counting
Teams played for in Baseball:
North American Liberty Belles 2009
Chicago Riveters 2007-present
Chicago Gems Fall 2006-present
Great Lake Tides 2008 – Trips to Roy Hobbs: 3 with a team MVP award in 2006. Bronze Medalist in 2007.
Years played in Fast Pitch softball: 14
Positions played in softball: Everywhere, mostly pitcher.
Teams played for in Fast Pitch: Lisle 12U, Lisle 14U, Lisle 16U, Lisle 18U traveling teams, 4 years Varsity at Model Secondary (High School), 4 years at Gallaudet University NCAA Division III
Years played in Slow Pitch: 8 and still counting
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| From North American Liberty Belles – Phoenix Cup 2009 – Hong Kong |
I am from a small town just 30 minutes west of Chicago, Illinois. I am the third generation that is Deaf in the family. I am also the fourth generation that plays ball. I found my passion for baseball/softball at age three. My Deaf grandmother, who also played baseball, gave me a red plastic bat and tossed me a wiffle ball. I swung and hit the ball on my very first attempt. My Deaf father, a hardcore softball player, witnessed my first swing. Both of them looked at each other and immediately knew that they had another generation ball player. From that point on, I cannot live without ball. I always dreamed of playing softball professionally. It does exist now, but I figured I was too late for it, I thought that was the end of my dream. Women’s baseball, Chicago Gems to be exact, found me through Craigs List and recruited me to try out. At first, I thought it was a scam because I never once heard about women playing baseball anywhere. But then I discovered it was for real and I jumped at the opportunity. I immediately fell in love with baseball and have been hooked ever since. My dream of playing professional ball returned and I m tasting it so close this time.
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| From North American Liberty Belles – Phoenix Cup 2009 – Hong Kong |
Being Deaf and playing ball can be tough sometimes. I face many challenges but I haven’t let them get me down, or stop me from playing the sport I truly love. I can do everything other ball players can do, both on the field and off, the only difference is that I do not hear. Baseball doesn’t require a lot of verbal communication on the field. With all the visual signs being used there isn’t much need for verbal communication. This puts every teammate on the same page, with equal access and knowledge of what to do next. I strive to show the world that a Deaf female ball player can be as good as anyone. I’d like to educate people so they understand that Deaf people aren’t what they’re stereotyped as.
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| From North American Liberty Belles – Phoenix Cup 2009 – Hong Kong |
During my time off the field, I study Fashion Design at International Academy of Design Technology and work part time at Banana Republic. I enjoy making people feel better about themselves in fashionwise. I’d love to own my own line of clothes. I strongly believe that each person should have equal access to fashion regarding their body sizes and shapes. That’s one of my goals after I graduate and upon entering the fashion industry.
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| From North American Liberty Belles – Phoenix Cup 2009 – Hong Kong |
