Local player shows flames at the Telkom Netball League

Jamie van Wyk (20), a Northvilla resident, recently took park in the Telkom Netball League and came away with some great achievements.

“I started enjoying netball during physical education class in Grade One. It was so much fun and because it was a team sport, it made me want to continue,” explained van Wyk.

During the Telkom Netball League she won four ‘Twizza Moments’ of the matches she played and also walked away with one award for Man of the match.

“The Telkom Netball League was overall an amazing tournament. All the players and coaches entered into a bio bubble, which is an environment sealed off from the outside world and accessed by a limited number of people only, from October 8,” said van Wyk.

The tournament took place from October 14 to October 27.

“My team won the whole tournament which we are all extremely proud of,” said van Wyk.

“Jaguars was the team I entered with in the Telkom Netball League; however, I played for the u-21 South African team as well. It was the best challenge I could have asked for and I absolutely loved it.

“The tournament was superb. It was so much fun because of my teammates. If we were not in the courts, we were at the pool relaxing or playing games. Everyone had good energy throughout the three weeks which made it a lot easier being away from home for so long.

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“Being an undefeated team was great. We always had good team spirit and always motivated one another.”
Van Wyk attended St Dunstan’s College from Grade One all the way through to matric and really enjoyed her sports from a young age.

“I am a person who loves being active and so I participated in many sports.

“I have always participated in hockey, athletics and netball since I was about seven years old and it was the best part of my day when I went to school.

“My less serious sports were swimming and a bit of tennis but I enjoy all sorts of sport as the dynamic is extremely different; however, netball is the one I enjoy the most,” explained van Wyk.

Van Wyk has many achievements she looks back on very fondly, such as being awarded the best player of the u-19 and u-21 tournaments last year. She felt this was a major honour as it showed her that hard work pays off.

She was also selected for the Baby Proteas team that had the privilege of playing against Lesotho in Cape Town.

“Overall, I think my greatest achievement would be how far I have come as a player from the end of school until now. I have learnt so much and I see the play in a different light. I am so happy and proud of where I am at the moment as a netball player,” said van Wyk.

Not only does van Wyk take part in outdoor netball but she also played indoor netball from the age of 11.

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“I played indoor for a while and it was a lot of fun, but I have played outdoor netball for the past 14 years and still counting. Indoor made me grow so much as a player. I wouldn’t be where I am today if I didn’t partake in indoor. It made me more competitive and figure out what I really wanted to work on as a player,” she explained.

Without her support system, van Wyk doesn’t believe she would have made it this far.

“My support system is my entire family. They are the people that back me through everything. They are there for me when I need someone to talk to or when I am feeling down. I have no idea where I would be mentally if I didn’t have them around,” said van Wyk.

Van Wyk can’t wait for what is to come in the future for her sporting lifestyle and can’t wait to keep going.

“Thank you to all my friends, coaches from school and out of school and family that have believed in me from the very beginning. Words cannot express enough how I appreciate all of you,” she concluded.