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Netball Alberta
Box 270, 7620 Elbow Drive SW, Calgary, Alberta T2V 1K2
Phone: (403) 238-8041
E-mail: contact@netballalberta.com
www.netballalberta.com
Alberta U/18’s head to Ontario to complete hat trick…
The Alberta U/18 netball team heads to Toronto on the May long weekend to defend their Canadian title for the third year in a row. This year the U/18’s face a tough challenge as they have lost key players in the defense end, Amber and Senna, to age restrictions. Both have moved into the U/23 division. But Alberta remains positive that they can retain the title with the addition of strong players moving up from the younger division.
This is Nicolle’s first year on the provincial team and she is looking forward to the challenge, “having travelled to England for the second year in February and putting in a strong performance at the BC games last month I feel confident I can step on to the team and make a difference.” Nicolle is a promising mid-courter that has played on the U/18 development squad for the past few years.
Veteran of the team, Lindsay, is back again to go for her third championship after recovering from knee surgery in the off season. Having Lindsay back in the lineup is a welcome addition to the attack end. Leanne and Lindsay have worked together in the past few years and provide a formidable goal shooting combo. Kim and Emily in the mid-court provides a steady presence down the court in both attack and defense.
The loss of Amber and Senna in the defense end has been mitigated by the addition of Cygnet Andrea, veterans Sharlee and Rachel, and newcomer Carmen.
Assistant Coach Sian is positive about the changes and is confident the team has really come together as they push for their third gold.
The U/23’s go for the upset of the competition as they try to beat reining champions, B.C. Ann, is in her last year of eligibility and is confident this group has what it takes to win. “We are a team, more than any team I have been on. And a team is what you need to win. We have been together as a group now for a long time and we want this more than anything. Aleasha and I are shooting well together and we want to continue our form into next weekend.”
The majority of the U/23 team was trialing for the U/21 Canadian team that was heading to the World Championships in the Cook Islands this year. They were extremely disappointed at the announcement by Netball Canada to withdraw the team and are using this platform to shine. Amy, Alberta’s mid-court dynamo commented, “We trained for over four years to have that opportunity and now it is gone. This is our time to show everyone the standard of netball that we play.”
Senna and Amber add depth to the defense end having lost Pam and Lindsay this year. Sarah is back for her third year and as always provides strong defense. With Rachel and Andrea in the centre court Alberta can make a really strong push for gold.
Netball Alberta president, Paula Macwilliam is confident this will be another successful tour for Netball Alberta and they can come home with two gold’s.
