For a nation that has had nothing to celebrate in recent times, the netball Queens’ – and i’m very reluctant to use this word – success in New Zealand is something worth cheering about. But, as we hail the Queens, led of course by none other than President Mutharika, we must also be careful not to get carried away with excitement.
To begin with, the fact that we finished 5th and not 1st means that we are not the IT in netball. Yes, we’re ranked 1st in Africa but just how much competition do we have on the continent to really make us proud to be the leader of the pack? What we must look at is continuing from where the current crop of players have ‘achieved.’ I shudder to think that celebrated player, Mary Waya still has another Championship in her to go for.
Yet, she best encapsulates the model netball player we need to be encouraging. Waya started playing the game at the tender age of 11. How many 11 year-olds are we encouraging today to play netball? It takes time to mould talent and nurture skill. Our schools also need to promote the sport and encourage young girls to join in.
If we don’t do that i’m sure the next time a Championship occurs, we’ll be saying “Hell with the Queens!”
