For some it is about what they achieve off the sports pitch.
Rex Capil may not be known for his sporting prowess, but his dedication to softball has led to being elected to the board of the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC).
The Southlander was made an executive member of the WBSC at the sixth congress held in Thailand last month.
Capil said he was humbled by the appointment and it was not something he thought he would ever achieve when he took an interest in the sport.
"From humble beginnings of wandering around the Surrey Park diamonds [softball pitch] as a wee 9-year-old to now being on the [international] board — it’s not something that I had envisioned that I would do," he said.
He was made the continental representative for Oceania Softball which cemented his membership status with the board.
The WSBC Oceania Congress elected him as the new president in May.
He attributed the many opportunities he had gained "personally and professionally" in the softball world to the provincial start he had.
An unexpected stint as chairman of the Southland Softball Association 25 years ago paved the way to leadership roles on the national board, Oceania and then on to the world stage.
"If you wanted to talk about pathways, then it’s [been] a pretty good pathway from provincial to national to continental to the world," he said.
Capil believed "being in the right place and the right time" and having an understanding of how politics worked, contributed to the success he had made off the softball pitch.
His appointment to the board made him the first New Zealander to represent both baseball and softball on the global administration stage.
"With the World Baseball Softball Confederation — there’s good people from all over the world that I have been involved with for a long period of time and I’ve just been grateful and thankful that I’ve been able to work alongside them for as long as I have and can continue to do so."
He looked forward to making a major difference in the Pacific softball space as the continental representative for Oceania softball.
