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As the day went on, we were all excited however slightly worried about playing against different teams.

Then we played the other teams and won every match. (28-0, 20-7, 23-4) When we won the last match before the finals, we all wanted to know who we were going to have to play. We were all very relieved that we’d made it into the finals, not thinking that it was not going to be as close or as stressful as it actually was as we had beaten the other teams by big margins 

The finals:

As we had already beaten Kingfishers in the rounds, we felt a bit less worried but ... ...

As soon as the umpire whistled to start the match, the other team got a goal straight in, that was when we started to stress and worry about losing. Then as soon as the ball was in the circle for our shooters to have a shot. The crowd had gone silent.

When our shooters scored and it was 1-1 everyone was relieved. Most of the game the ball was going back and forth, going to one team and then someone doing an interception and then it would be the other team. Then it was half time, and the whole team was still pretty worried, especially after having a couple of our team members getting injured or angry.

Then we were back on court a minute later. The ball was going back and forth from both teams. Then suddenly there were 2 minutes left, we were 1 point down, we needed 2 goals to win it. Then we got one goal in making it 9-9 and both teams were fighting hard and weren’t ready to give up yet. It was fighting for victory and for the title of being the best U13 team of 2023. Suddenly our team had the ball and it was flying all the way down the court to our shooters. Then it was in the circle. The crowd had gone silent again. Our victory depended on one more shot…then it went in! We were up by one point with under a minute to go! All we had to do was stop it from getting down to their shooters. By the time the ball landed on their side of the court the bell rang meaning it was the end of the game. We had beat the other team even though it was one of our hardest games we have ever played before in these past few years.

One of the most useful and best tips Pam gave to me was to keep balance and work on it every day. I remember she said to train balance even in your daily routine, for example, when you brush your teeth in the mornings and evenings, stand on one leg and keep your balance until you finish the task.

Another piece of advice she shared with our team was to see people around and understand whether they are ready to take your ball or not. Pay attention to the small details that happen around your team members and with you. Whether they are looking at the ball, whether your opponents are standing around them. How the opponents can prevent you from throwing the ball and how to prevent the opponents from getting the ball. You need to look around and choose the best place and time to throw the ball.

I am very grateful to Sharon and Pam for this very special training session. Sharon, thank you very much for trusting me with such an important thing. Frankly, it was more of a coaching type of session to work on my mindset - to see the field differently, to look behind the moves. Mindset matters, and stay beyond those 90 minutes we spent with Pam.  “Keep your balance!”

Under the guidance of the England coaches, we worked on our techniques, improved our teamwork, and understanding of strategic gameplay at a higher level. Personally, this challenged me to push beyond my limits, thanks to the opportunities i had all along the trip.  However coaching wasn’t the only thing helping us improve, we were very lucky to play against incredible teams such as Manchester Thunder and this was a crucial aspect of our learning. The challenge of facing such experienced, athletic opponents forced us to elevate our game and adapt quickly. I personally learned so many strategies to use as a WD and successfully used them in matches when we came back to Geneva.  It was on the court, where we truly grew as players and as a team. Each match tested our skills, resilience, and teamwork, pushing us to our limits and revealing areas for improvement. As players it helped us adapt, learn and progress together.

Bringing back these learnings to Geneva was great in enhancing our team dynamics and overall gameplay on the court. The techniques we learned in Manchester became part of our training as well as matches and i could see our team playing with much more confidence as we had learned new ways to playing successfully.

Then, we immediately started the warmup, as the anticipation and excitement in the air were almost palpable. The session was divided into offensive and defensive drills, starting from more basic versions and gradually progressing into more intricate exercises, refining our skills. Something which I particularly enjoyed was Anna and Emily’s constant guidance throughout the training, and the constructive personalised feedback they gave to each player. This individualised attention was especially helpful, pushing us to our limits and encouraging us to embrace challenges in order to become better players. As the day progressed, we then moved onto matchplay, incorporating what we had learnt from the drills into our play. During the matches, the coaches gave us constant feedback, emphasising the critical importance of court spacing and effective communication. It was absolutely amazing to see how, in such a short time, we were able to elevate our gameplay, becoming not only better players, but also better teammates. The coaches guided us to seamlessly transition between attack and defence, and constantly read off each other’s moves. The session concluded with an insightful debrief, where we all contributed to say something which we had learnt from the training. Overall, it was honestly such an amazing experience; Anna is an exceptional, charismatic woman, constantly giving us feedback, which was both constructive and humorous, making the session enjoyable and extremely valuable at the same time. A heartfelt thank you to our guest coaches and to the GGNA committee for making this opportunity possible, inspiring us and making us better people both on and off the court. This experience was truly special and I am sure it has left an indelible mark on all of us. I can’t wait to see how we apply these lessons in our upcoming matches!