Netball Captains. Schools That Rockrecently kicked off with a new sport series. The captains from our schools’ first netball teams tell us more about their captaincy. Our seventh goal scored in this Netball Captains series is by Taylor Hinds. She is the captain of the 1st netball team atEdgemead High School in Cape Town.
“I started playing netball when I was eight years old and in grade 3. My passion for netball comes from my love for the game and playing with my friends. I enjoy the rush that I get when I am sprinting or when we’re winning. Currently I play C, but I have played every position.
The first time I was appointed captain of a netball team, was when I was 13 years old and in grade 8.
We have three training sessions a week at school. At home I also practice for at least fifteen minutes every other day.
I can’t really remember a specific game that was most stressful for me. In general I think the most stressful games for me is when we play against the really good Northern Suburbs schools, like Brackenfell. My most exciting game was when I was in grade 9, playing against an overseas touring team.
A goal that I would like to accomplish in the short term, is to be accepted at Stellenbosch University for studying medicine.
Should I have to rank my current top five priorities in life, it would be 1. education/school, 2. friends, 3. family, 4. physical activity/ a healthy lifestyle and 5. my future.
Indoor netball
I would like to play netball after school at indoor, like Western Cape Coastal or Western Province for indoor, or I would like to play club netball or varsity netball. I would love to be in the Maties side. My long term goal for netball is to play for Western Province or for South Africa.
I do have other hobbies outside of netball. My other hobbies are martial arts, sewing and I do waxing as a side job.
The strengths I believe I have that make me a good netball player? I do believe that the ability I have to want to improve and learn more to better myself, is a great strength of mine. I like hearing criticism as I can learn to do better based off that. Especially I like helping others to improve so that the whole team can be better.
As captain, I motivate my team by encouraging them to do their best as well as not always being serious about netball and just wanting to win. I like to make people laugh and to have fun while we play.
Caitlin Bell
My role model I look up to is past pupil who was in the first team since she was in grade 10, Caitlin Bell. She is amazing at playing netball, she is passionate and loves helping others improve.
I think the greatest challenge about sport these days is probably all the politics. It’s not actually about the sport or the best players anymore.
I manage my netball responsibilities and other recreational and non-recreational (academic) activities by working hard to manage my time.
What I have learned about teamwork from your past experiences on teams, as well as captain, is that you are only as best as your weakest player. You should try to improve everyone, especially the weakest player, so that the whole team becomes better.
My greatest highlights and achievements in playing netball, is being in the Western Cape Coastal and the Western Province netball team for indoor netball.
For implementing game plans, I usually let the coach take the lead and add on to what the coach says and implement the strategies the coach tells us to do. If I see a teammate struggling with learning a new move or play, I would ask them if they want some help and I would help them practice until they get it right.
Best Advice
The best advice I’ve received from a coach is to not to be the only player, but to be a player in a team. Above all I don’t have to do everything by myself as I have a whole team to help me.
I think my coach and my teammates would describe me as passionate and enthusiastic.
Describing a skilled coach, is a person prepared for practice and knows what she is going to teach/coach us.
I would love to have coffee with Carla Pretorius. She is an amazing South African netball player and she managed to turn her passion into an income.
What excites me most in life is probably good food.
My single greatest highlight in my life is probably being a prefect for Edgemead High School.
Describe myself in one word? Competitive.”
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https://www.edgemeadhigh.org.za/
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