Amy Moore: GB softball player says Olympics 'a special dream after shooting'

For Amy Moore, a survivor of the 2017 Las Vegas shooting, the process of trying to qualify the Olympics is a "special dream".

In fact, the 28 year-old catcher for Great Britain's softball team, is just grateful to be playing at all.

In October 2017, 58 people were killed and more than 500 injured in a mass shooting at an open-air country music concert in Vegas.

Moore, who lives in Los Angeles, and team-mate Alicja Wolny were present that night.

"I am thankful for every single day; I shouldn't even be here," Moore told BBC Sport.

"Going through such a traumatic experience will give you perspective on life, and the little things I love to do."

Moore had gone to the event with a group of friends when a gunman opened fire from the nearby Mandalay Bay Hotel.

The incident has been described as the deadliest mass shooting committed by an individual in American history.

"That was the fastest I've ever run in my entire life because it was a life-or-death situation," said Moore.

"The things we saw along the way was really hard.

"For someone to be shot five feet in front of me - and not me - I know I was meant to stay on this earth and share my story and be super thankful for all my opportunities."

She has since packed as much as she can into life.

As well as having a full-time job in business, Moore works part-time as a ball girl for the LA Dodgers baseball team, as well as finding time to coach softball to schoolkids.

Moore (red protective vest) is confident her team can qualify for the Olympics

Qualification for Tokyo 2020

Moore is the longest-serving member of the Great Britain softball squad who, this summer, will try to qualify for next year's Tokyo Olympics.

Asked if the team can qualify, she replies: "Hell, yeah! This is the best team we've ever had."

Starting on Sunday, 30 June, the team will be competing in the European Championship in the Czech Republic.

A top-six finish will send them to the Europe/Africa Olympic Qualifier tournament from 23 July. Only one team from that will be among the six countries at Tokyo 2020.

GB Softball women are ranked fourth in Europe. This year they receive £62,500 from UK Sport's Aspiration Funding towards qualifying for Tokyo 2020.

But the players still pay their own way to and from competitions, some have second jobs or have to take leave to play games, and some have had to move far from home - all in order to pursue their dream.

The odds, it appears, may be stacked against them.

But balance sheet numbers and ranking positions have not dimmed the excitement and confidence around their Olympic bid.

And they do have talent capable of troubling any team.

In Georgina Corrick, GB have one of the top 25 US college softball players of 2019. And, in Nerissa Myers, the team has statistically the second-best batter in the world.

"Have you ever had Oreos and dipped them in milk and eaten them?" Myers says when asked about her feeling of possibly getting to the Olympics.

"It's phenomenal. That's what the feeling is like.

"When there's something you dream about as a little kid and now it's so close you can almost touch it - for me it's best feeling in the world."

Moore also has a feeling it could be their time.

"I have these weird feelings I get," she says. "I'm just confident that every single person on the field can get the job done.

"We have the raw ability and the talent and the coaching and the funding.

"Everything has lined up this year and we will get to the Olympics."