Netball holds three-day high-performance training

By HUXLEY LOVAI
Netball PNG held a three-day high-performance training camp for elite players at the Rita Flynn Netball courts last week to prepare the playing group for their upcoming international fixtures.
This was done in conjunction with a facilitator from Brisbane —  Christina Carswell.
Carswell, who is an industrial chemist, was engaged by Netball PNG to assess and advise on further developments and the performance of the national team.
She also brings with her a wealth of experience in the fields of umpiring, coaching and administration.
Casrwell held the position of president of the Metropolitan Districts Netball Association in Brisbane for six years. It is the second largest netball association in Queensland.
Arriving in the country last Wednesday, Carswell was able to observe the Port Moresby Netball Association premier grade matches and to see the country’s elite competition and players for the first time.
Carswell was born in PNG to an Australian father and a mother hailing from Kamali village in Rigo,  Central.
She spent her early childhood in Port Moresby with her older brother before relocating to Queensland when she was eight years old.
“I applied for one of the positions on the coaching staff for Netball PNG so I sent in my CV,” she said.
“Netball PNG contacted me and asked if I could be involved in my capacity across all three levels, coaching, umpiring and administration. We started by having a training camp for the top national players.”
Carswell praised the commitment of the players involved in the training camp, who demonstrated their passion for the game and willingness to improve and better themselves as netballers.
“I was able to view the tier one and two games and that was good because I was able to observe them playing as well as the umpiring, just to see how everything was conducted,” she said..
“Then I’ve been able to speak to the ladies on what I saw and on how things could possibly be improved, trying to find out what are the barriers.”