Western Cape College netball students have returned from the Fowler’s Cup Netball Carnival with a hunger to keep improving. Photo: Supplied.
Camaraderie, passion and a competitive spirit have left young Weipa netball enthusiasts hungry for more after the Fowler’s Cup Netball Carnival in Cairns late last month.
New and experienced players of Western Cape College (WCC) put on their bibs and drew on their skills gained throughout 10 weeks of intense training for the secondary school tournament.
Twenty-seven students across three teams – Thunders (year 7), Lightning (years 8/9) and Strikers (years 10-12) – travelled down for the carnival, led by manager Bianca Lynch and coach Kini Rokosoi.
“Once kids hit grades 9, 10, 11, 12, they’re either into the sport or they’re not, so it was great seeing that bunch of kids who were really passionate and wanting to give it a go,” Ms Lynch said.
“There’s not a lot of kids that commit to training twice a week, so there were some dropouts during the training process.
“For a carnival like this, we don’t always pick the best kids, we pick the kids who really want to have a good go at it, and those kids come back and they want to play netball, because they know they can play.”
Like any other sport in a remote community, Ms Lynch said lack of exposure was one of the main challenges of player growth, so the experience at the Fowler’s Cup lit a fire in the girls.
“Our kids are so sheltered here, in that they only play each other, and they kind of know who’s good and who’s not,” she explained.
“Then they go to Cairns and they are blown away by how many kids can play netball and play it well.
“Those kids get to play club netball on Saturday mornings and they get to do other things, whereas our kids don’t; if the teachers aren’t running these things after school, then you don’t get to do it.”
Ms Lynch said being a mum to two kids passionate about sport was what drove her to chase opportunities for the students.
“That’s a big reason why I volunteer,” she said.
“It’s a massive, massive thing, but as a parent, I just value it so much; it’s hours and hours of work organising an excursion for 27 kids, but it was an unbelievable experience.
“Some of the kids, they started off as beginner netball players and had expected to go and get flogged, but they weren’t and had the best day ever, so they were happy with their results.”
Teammates Emily Watters, Ainslie Agnew and Kayla Barton ready to bring their training to the court. Photo: Supplied.
