By Andrew Coakley

FN Sports Editor

Friendships are defined by tests and trials.

They say if you really want to know just how much of a friend someone is to you, watch their reaction when you go through a rough time.

If such is the case, then Patrice Brathwaite can be sure that she has a group of friends in the Rockers Softball Club.

It's definite that all of the years Patrice has spent playing with the team and hanging out at the softball park, has not been in vain.

A few months ago, Patrice got some news that would transform her life forever.

She was dignosed with an illness which mandates her getting dialysis a few times a week. The diagnosis would forever change her.

This was Patrice's test of her friendship with the ladies of the Rockers team, and many passed with flying colours.

"They would call to find out how I was doing, and then they would show up at my house just to make sure that I was doing okay," said Patrice.

But the Rockers Club has taken their friendship with Patrice a step further.

Knowing that the sickness had taken a toll on Patrice's finances, the Club has organized a fund-raising event that will hopefully go a long way in assisting one of their own.

The event is scheduled to take place on the weekend of September 15-17 at the St. Paul's Playing Field.

The event will not only help to raise funds for Patrice's medical expenses, but it will be a way of showing her just how much she has meant to the club over the years.

It will also act as a reunion for members of the softball club, which retired a few years ago.

"Everyone knows the Rockers from the domination we had in the sport of softball over many years," said Kay Smith, one of the former managers and player of the team.

"Since the team retired a few years ago, a reunion has been long in the making.

"But we're more excited about this time because it will allow us to pay tribute to one of our own who has given so much to the team over the years.

"She's been an important part of the ladies' Rockers softball team and so this was something we wanted to do for Patrice."

Patrice has been a big part of the Rockers' softball club and was like the driving force for the team in terms of motivation.

Not only has she been a big part of the Rockers club, but she has had a positive effect on the sport nationally, offering herself as a National coach in the past.

"The good thing about the Rockers is that we did not just consider ourselves a team, but more of a club, and that means we stick together," added Smith.

"So, it's only fitting that we support someone who has been a big part of us.

"We want to encourage her to get better and to let her know that we're there for her."

Asked how she felt about the organizing of the event to pay tribute to her, Patrice could not hold back the tears. She calls the players of the Rockers her sisters, whom she has known for the past 20 years that she's been in Grand Bahama.

"I want to say to them that I appreciate what they're doing for me and I appreciate the times that they've always been there for me," said Patrice.

"The days that I had that were bad days they would always call to make sure that I was okay. They've stuck by me and I would really like to tell them 'thank you'."

The Reunion and Tribute is not just one day.

The event starts on September 15, with a reunion party at Candy Drop Restaurant on East Sunrise Highway; a dinner banquet at Christ the King Hall, where tribute will be paid to Patrice and then on Sunday, September 17, the entire team will worship with Patrice at the Church of the Ascension.

Since the dissolution of the Rockers team, many of the players who wanted to continue playing the game they love, went to play with other teams.

But come September 15, the entire team of the Rockers will all be together as one since they retired as a team.

But the legacy of the Rockers extends beyond just Grand Bahama.

They are well-known in Nassau and within the Family Islands, where they've played on numerous occasions.

As a result, the Reunion weekend is expected to attract players and fans from out of Nassau and the Family Islands.

"Patrice is very excited about it, because when we called her and told her about it, she was very happy to know that we were doing something like this," said Ollie Tynes, one of the organisers of the event.

"Throughout the planning, she was trying to find out what we was going to do, but we tried to keep as much of that information as possible from her.

"But this is something that we really want to do for Patrice."

Yvonne Lockhart, a veteran softball player and coach considers Patrice one of the cornerstones of the Rockers' softball club.

She said that once she heard about the event, she thought it was only fitting to support someone like Patrice.

EMOTIONAL – Patrice Brathwaite (right) becomes emotional while answering a question at a press conference announcing the weekend organised by the Rockers Softball Club to assist with her medical expenses. Patrice says members of the club have been great friends to her for the past 20 years she's been in Grand Bahama. At left is Key Smith, organiser of the event.

(Sports photo by Andrew Coakley)