From struggles with motivation and teamwork to victorious battles against tough competitors, the Port Alfred High School (PAHS) netball first team has had an absolutely outstanding season this year, with only a single loss to their name.
As the matric preliminary examinations approach, the netball season draws to an end, but it will be a while before the team forgets this triumphant season.
The first team netball coach, Michelle Smit, said coaching the team was a very daunting challenge since it was her first year being with the team. However, as they practiced and prepared for the netball season, the team and their coach got to know each other better, and Smit’s nervousness around this matter settled.
During their first match of the year, against Westering high school, the first team coach noticed the shortcomings of the team members and made sure to work on them during practice.
Smit said the girls were easily discouraged once they started losing, and she began to work with them on that. Eventually, the team’s attitudes changed. They became more encouraged and motivated to perform better as a team and as individuals in matches.
“The girls really blossomed after that,” Smit noted. More and more preparation was done for upcoming matches, and during the Westering festival, the girls won all their matches. One of the highlights of the season was beating the DF Malherbe Hoerskool first team, a pleasantly unexpected outcome for Smit and her team.
Elaborating on the victories of the PAHS team, Snit said: “The biggest victory for me was to see how the girls had changed, especially in their improvement of skill, attitude towards the game, and working together as a team.”
She believed that the main reason for their victorious season was the focus on encouragement. Some of the biggest competitors that the team faced throughout the season were Victoria Girls High School, PJ Olivier Hoerskool, and DF Malherbe.
The new PAHS first team is said to be just as good – during a festival at Lilyfontein, the team won all five matches with four new team members.
Smit believes that there will be a lot of pressure on them to do just as well. “It will definitely be a challenge to perform the same,” the coach remarked.
Despite the nervousness and pressure, both the coach and the new team are confident and excited about the new season. The PAHS netball first team had not experienced so many victories in a while, and supporters hope the streak continues with the new team.
by JACQUELINE HOLLOWAY
