yesterday was the finals of the nationals. we played against TK for 3rd 4th placing. it was a tough fight. very tough. we were down by about 6goals in 2nd quart n drew in 3rd quart. n we dropped n lost in the last by 5goals.
y? u ask me. honestly. it's one of those games ware the teams both fought so very hard. but someone has to lose the game. if it's possible tat e game can end in a draw, tat'll be great. but it's not possible.
of coz my gals very so sad. but u know wat...they have grown up so much. not the past year... jus this season.
when they lost evergreen in the zonal finals, they were devestasted. a drop from champion last year. they took it really so hard like it was the end of the world.
but the reaction yesterday was different. it was from a more mature team. yes, they were sad. but it was jus for e moment. they got past it fast. of coz there were exceptions, 2 or 3 of them took abit longer to get over it. but that's normal. the rest of them actually left the court with smiles on their faces....no they were not crazy...they jus enjoyed the game like i told them to!!
wat's the point of pickin up netball, training for a competition, sacrificing other stuff, going all out to play a game....jus all for a sake of a position n a medal colour?!! wat bout the other impt tings in life? like enjoyment n having fun n loing wat u do?
dun get me wrong...i'm not sayin tis jus becoz we lost the game..i've always told them tis..gettin a gold medal while playing so aggressively n rough n sometimes badly n maybe to the point of tears...n gettin a bronze but knowing that it was one of the best games of ur life n tat it was so damn fun..OF COZ it would be better if we've won the game. but we've already lost it so y linger in tat sad moment? losing the game in terms of score doesnt make them any more of a bad player than TK players. the score is jus numbers. the medal is jus a metal piece tat looks good n feels good. then game tat they played yesterday was so good. shots accurate, defence tight, passes good. TK also played well. it jus so happened tat we lost. like i said, someone has to lose.
BUT I KNOW N WE KNOW TAT OLN PLAYERS ARE GOOD!!
yesterday's game doesn't determine how they're do in life s a player. losing it doesnt mean they'll not go far..already few of them r scouted for RGS n CEDAR. my sharmaine wana go SOTA but i'm sure she'll join a club n go far. how can she not? she's one of the best GD around?! have u seen her jump?
have u seen how trisha has improved thruout the past 2 yrs? i've never thought she'll be a main 7 player. she was so wild n uncontrollable. everythin she threw went out of court. but yesterday, she threw a perfect pass in to richelle when nobody expected it. she was at the center of the court n midfielders n their defenders were runnin bout in front of her but she jus lop in a super strong pass in to richelle who's standin rite under the pole. n it was a goal!! trisha also has perfected her timing for interceptions. n combined wit her jump. she's jus a defender wit potentaial waitin for her next coach to tap into..
n my dear co-captain shiying, aka bunny. how she has grown. she has the good buillt of a defender. not lanky like my other players. but strong n firm wit a presence on court. she covers her shooter perfectly n her timing to intercept a lop is wonderful. usually she's shorter than her GS but dun underestimate her. she can intercept a lop from richelle who's half a head taller than her. n she's quick wit her interception of fast passes n rebounds from taller shooters also.
n my little miss perfectionist co-captain shirlene, her ability to read the game gives her the right to be the team's centre. she performs so well under pressure. in fact it seems like she only performs well under pressure. her passes durin games r always so much better than training passes. i love her lops in to richelle. only she is able to throw the perfect lops.
jiloti, my GA. so versatile. she was WA last year. n she played so well s WA. she was the connectin link for the midfield n shooters. tis year she has perfected her shots. she has stopped her back kick tat she had when she 1st started shootin 3yrs ago. now she can shoot far n near without kickin. she may b always foolin around off court. but when she gets on court, it's all focus in her. her on n off court persona is the total opposite. she's the life of the party off court. but the only smile u'll get from her on court is when she puts in a goal. her seriousness n total concentration on court is somethin to be so proud. come to tink sbout it, i dun really have to coach her much when she's playin. she's a confident player n totally capable.
richelle, richelle. always lookin so serious. sometimes scary wit her perpetual frown. tall n dark wit a serious air about her. tallest GS around. when she blocks for her lop, no defender can intercept it from her. til many teams has to block her from the back in hope of preventin her to block for a lop. but tat doesn't stop her. she still jumps for a high pass or goes for a straight pass. not many tall GS is tat versatile n fast. n her shots r somethin to be in awe of. far, near, all goes in. tis gal can still grow n when she gets more in tune wit her body, nothin can stop her. already, she has been scouted by many schools.
louise. wat can i say. it has been abit of a waste. due to her injuries n some other issues, she has not been performin to the best of her abilities. jus last year, so many people has commented to me bout her. her speed n agility was so amazing. she was the perfect WA. wit her on court, the attack was so smooth. seldom, balls will even go down the court when it was the other team's throw in. b4 it can even reach centre third, u'll c louise gettin it away from them, passin it back to our shooters n a goal is scored. all jus in 5secs. but the louise tis year is different. yesterday's game was the only game tis yr ware i saw abit of the old fire coming back. the fire tat the whole team was countin on b4.
punitha, the new gal. amazing shooter. shots accurate. initially her shots dun go in when she played her 1st few games. couldn't shoot under pressure. after all the presure training, she managed to overcome her fear n her shots started going in. i hope she continue to play in sec school. she has all the makings of a great GA. she's fast n agile n shoots well. she jus started late wit this team tat's all.
isabel. she was my main choice for WA tis year. but jus the last game, she injured her arm when she fell. quite a bad fall. isabel's a thinker. smart player. uses her brain when she moves. no wonder she was also a main player for floorball. all sports appreciate a smart player. hope her arm gets better. if not, i gota bring her to the sports doc.
quiet cheryl. quick n strong. when she wants too. gota build up her confidence. she has the moves n build of a dancer due to her ballet training. strong legs n jumps. come on cheryl! u're s good s the rest. dun look down on yourself. i don't!
gwyneth. tall n firm. once she gets hold of her mind muscle control, she'll be great. she has the build n height of a netballer. she'll blossom only at a later stage once she understands her body.
i'm so proud of this team. i've seen them grown since they were pri3. from a stage ware they started learing basic passes n steppin to a stage ware they r in top 4 nationals n scouted by top schools in singapore.
n the best part is, i've seem them grow into fightin machines. many a times, i've seen them fight their way up from a losing position to win. both in game n spirit.
they're e 1st team tat i have tat do not require me to coach them during e game. they can play a whole game on their own n succeed. all i do is jus watch from the sideline n enjoy their game.
they love the game n love the play. every game to them is fun n an enjoyment. tat's most important to me s a coach. i strive to coach gals to grow up n love the game. to enjoy wat they're doing n grow into mature players. emotionally. scores count but enjoyment is more important. makin good frens n learning to win n lose at the same time. to enjoy wins. n learn from defeats n make it count in the future.
all tat i strive for, i c in this team. it is my pleasure n honour to be called coach by them.
thank you oln seniors.
ex juniors, stronger seniors.
and more..
and more..
hmmm...wat's karen tinking?.....hmm...maybe i'll have kfc for lunch later...
