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Up close and personal with the Silver Ferns
I’ve always found it hard to wake up early on a Sunday morning.
Especially when it has been raining and the All Blacks have lost the rugby to Australia the night before.
But this Sunday morning was different; I was up early and ready to go watch New Zealand’s top netball players in action at the ASB stadium. I got to watch the girls up-close as they competed for a place on the Silver Ferns team to play in the upcoming Fisher and Paykel matches against Jamaica and Australia.
“The players showed their skills and passion as they battled it out for their spot on the court.”
I had a top-notch seat on the media bench, which was just as good as the national selectors, so I had a really good and lively view of the game. The players showed their skills and passion as they battled it out for their spot on the court. The girls were divided into two teams, black and white. It appeared all my favourite players were on the black team, so for most of the game I was cheering them on.
As I was seated only a few metres away from the hoop Maria Tutaia, Irene Van ####, Jodi Te Huna and Paula Griffin showed strong performances as goal shooters (my personal favourite position). Each time a goal was shot the crowd went crazy and cheered the girls on. Leana de Bruin played excellent goal defense and Adine Wilson played strategically as wing attack. During the first half of the game the white team was leading as players such as Sheryl Scanlan showed just how experienced she was at playing defence.
During the second half of the game the black team picked up and put their skills out onto the court and showed what they were made of by eventually winning with a score of 83/73. Overall both teams played with great enthusiasm and effort. They showed the crowd that they could play in a variety of positions and excellent combinations. During the breaks it was obvious to tell that they were a group of talented women who get along with each other on and off the netball court and most importantly motivate each other. 
After the match I had the opportunity to have a chat to Laura Langman, who told me the best thing about being a netball player is the team environment and that she gets to travel a lot. As a teenage girl Laura says she was sporty and gave everything a go. She especially had a passion for the outdoors. At the moment she is involved with an organisation called Sparc which is about encouraging young kids to stay active and play sport as much as they can.
Laura’s message to any young girl aspiring to become a Silver Fern one day is: “The most important thing to remember while playing netball is to enjoy it, learn from your team members, get out there with the right attitude and give it all you got.”
My overall experience at the game has given me proof that inspiring women like the Silver Ferns gives us hope that there is more to New Zealand sport than rugby and women’s sport will one day be given the credit it deserves.
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cool thanks and gooo silver ferns  Posted by tkennard "on" 08/12 "at"12:49 PM |
Best of the rest
