Netball MSSNM: Shooting for gold

By Kyra binti Fadrinuraqmar

KYS students have built a reputation in the field of sports, which include rugby, football, athletics and netball. Despite two years of no training, they have proven that with proper determination and practiced skills, they can become champions and accomplish their goals.

Recently, from the 2nd to the 4th of August 2022, KYS sent 24 students to represent the school in the state-level MSSNM Netball at Kompleks Sukan Krubong. On the first day, the Under 15 team had their breakfast in the dining hall before departing to the venue. When they arrived, it was drizzling. After setting up their tent, they started warming up before their first game at 10.15 a.m. Luckily, the Under 15 team won their first game where they scored 7-0 against SMK Klebang Besar.

The second game of the day started at 1.15 p.m. they took a rest for a short while before starting their warm-up 30 minutes prior to the game. Alhamdulillah, they won 4-0 against SMK Sri Mahkota in their second game.

Moving on to the second day, the Under 18 team arrived at the sports complex around 7.30 a.m. As soon as they set up their tent, they did a quick warm-up. It had been consistently raining for two hours straight before their first game. However, this did not discourage them as they still had high spirits for the day. Fortunately, they scored a 7-4 against SMK Ghafar Baba in the first game. Soon after, they had their lunch and began preparing for their next game, which was against SMK Seri Kota, also known as Malacca Sports School or SSN. Unfortunately, the Under 18 team lost 8-3 against the sports school, nonetheless, they did their best and that was what mattered the most.

On the third day, it was slightly raining upon the arrival of the Under 15 team at the sports complex and the rain finally subsided after a while. The team started to warm up and did their routine before getting ready for the game at 9 a.m. Thankfully, they won against SMK Selandar with a score of 7-4. Afterward, they had a short rest before doing a light warm-up since their game was only around an hour difference. They succeeded in another win against SMK Dol Said with a score of 4-3.

They were left with one more game which will determine whether they may proceed to the semi-finals. They prayed for another win in the next game. As if they had a stroke of luck, they won once again with a score of 6-4 against SMK Dang Anum. The Under 15 team was thrilled and can hardly believe that they passed the semi-quarter rounds and were able to compete in the semi-finals. They were feeling more confident and very determined to be champions for their coaches and the school.

As the semi-final round started around an hour after, they had light snacks before the game started. In the quarter-finals, the Under 15 team had gone against MRSM Terendak and were feeling very determined to pass the round. Once again, they have been blessed and scored a glorious 19-4 against the school. Thanks to our talented shooters, Irsya Sofea and Siti Sara, they were able to score the most goals than ever before. Nevertheless, they kept humble and gave spirit to the MRSM Terendak team by wishing them good luck for their next game. This means finals for the Under 15 team!

The KYS Under 15 team had their lunch, said their prayers, and had a short rest to boost their energy after the spiriting win they had obtained. Now, their only focus was on the finals. They were going up against SSN. The players were nervous as they were about to go up against a sports school. Nevertheless, with the blood, sweat, and tears they had sacrificed along the journey, they were never going to let it go to waste. The players were determined to be champions.

The time they had been waiting for finally came. In the final round, the audience was able to watch the game by the side of the court. It felt especially inferior to the KYS team as most of the people on the court were there to support the sports school. In spite of the lack of support they had on the court, they felt the spirits of their beloved coaches and most importantly from their seniors from the Under 18 team who weren’t able to attend on that day. The Under 15 team was ready to prove everyone wrong and win the competition once and for all.

It was a fierce competition against the sports school as they were just as good as the KYS team. The ball went back and forth from their goal to KYS’ goal as both teams’ goal shooters were filled with anxiety as they tried to shoot the hoop, whether it went outside or was caught by the goalkeeper. It felt even more intense as whenever the sports school got the ball, the audience would cheer loudly while whenever KYS got the ball, only a few groups of people would cheer for them. By the time it was the half-time break, KYS and SMK Seri Kota had scored a tie. The game was so pressured that everyone was catching their breath and was on the verge of a breakdown.

As there were two minutes left of the game, Siti Sara from the KYS Under 15 team scored the final goal, making it 4-3. When the time finally ended, everyone on the KYS Under 15 team jumped and cried in joy and disbelief that they had actually won the tournament against a sports school! They were beyond proud of what they had achieved and were delighted to celebrate the glorious win for their coaches, the Under 18 team, and the school as well. And of course, we can’t forget Nusaibah Amani who won Best Under 15 Player in MSSNM Netball.

What the KYS Netball team would like to prove in this, is that no matter how hard you train and push yourself to be the best, determination and perseverance in a team is always the most important. It is proven, that teamwork makes the dream work. Not to forget, a million thanks to our coaches, Coach Aishah, Coach Anem, and Coach Anoy.

“Netball has been fantastic for life skills: It’s given me confidence – I’m able to work in a team, I’m able to sometimes lead – discipline and the determination to hit goals and targets that we’ve set.” – Sasha Corbin, England & Mavericks