Tuks netball team aim to surprise during the USSA Tournament
Tuks' netball team has lost many of their experienced players and enters the University Sports South Africa (USSA) tournament with a young team without much experience, but with more than enough courage and determination.
Experience wins games, or so it is said, but guts and determination might trump it.
Tuks’ netball team will aim to prove this week when they compete at the USSA Tournament at Camp Discovery outside Pretoria.
Tuks’ head coach, Jenny van Dyk, does not like using the words “rebuilding phase” when talking about the team she coaches. She follows a simple philosophy – you are either good enough or not. If you are not, what will you do to be better?
But she can’t help to admit that the Tuks team that plays Maties and Kovsies on the same day in their first two USSA encounters lacks experience. Only Alice Kennon and Jamie van Wyk played in the Telkom League.
“In comparison, Maties’ players formed the core of the Stings team. The same goes for Kovsies and the Crinums,” Van Dyk explained.
Van Dyk and her team are not fazed about this. Their goal is to make sure they qualify to play in the semifinals. To do so, everyone will have to step up, meaning it is going to be all about guts… never giving up. She believes her players can do this.
Jamie van Wyk is captaining Tuks. Her younger sister, Kylie, is making her USSA debut and she can’t wait to defend Tuks’ honour.
“I have two role models – my sister Jamie and the former Tuks captain Marlize De Bruin. They are phenomenal netball players who work hard. When they take to the court, it is guaranteed that they will give ‘200%’. It is something I am trying to emulate,” said Kylie on the eve of the tournament.
So, what does she enjoy about playing centre?
“Every time I feed the perfect ball into the ideal space for my shooters is special. As is getting crucial intercept. My passion for netball started when I was a young girl. From the start, I loved everything that netball had to offer. The game itself, the thrills of winning, taking any losses as an opportunity to grow, practising and working hard to continuously improve,” the young player remarked.
Playing netball has given her a sense of purpose.
“I am determined to work hard daily, learn more about the game, work hard towards my goals, and gain a strong mindset with resilience,” she concluded.
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