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Tadious Manyepo-Sports Reporter
GOAL-SHOOTER Tafadzwa Matura has played netball all her life.
She is also a soldier and knows the importance of song.
These two things – netball and song – keep her going.
“That’s my life and I can’t imagine a life without these two things,” she exclaims.
Matura, who can also play Wing-Attack, is the central figure in keeping the national netball team – the Gems – motivated while in camp. The Gems are preparing for the SPAR Diamond Challenge Cup to be staged in Pretoria, South Africa, from November 22-26. They will be leaving the country next week for a tournament which will help them polish up their act ahead of the Netball World Cup to be held in Cape Town, South, Africa next year.
A Zimbabwe-owned UK-based consultancy, Ree Sports, is bankrolling the girls’ trip to South Africa and catering for each and every expense during the meet.
But the team is not always executing netball drills while in camp.
They need to relax their minds as well and raise their spirits after working hard in the courts. Besides her own responsibilities as the most senior player in the camp, Matura has also taken it upon herself to ensure everyone is in the right state of mind.
On top of Matura’s songs, some of them she sampled to The Herald news crew, the Gems also partake in different fun games and stories.
“As we are in camp, we also know that our minds should be relaxed since we are not with our families. So we make sure we are singing to raise our own spirits especially when we are not playing the game.
“We also play different sorts of mind-settling games which are not necessarily netball-related. We play such games as draught, playing cards and sometimes, even basketball,” said Matura.
“No one wants to lose these games. Everyone wants to win and the games especially basketball will be very competitive; we can even be angry at each other for failing to do well if a certain team loses. Those who would have lost will even go to bed angry for no one wants defeat, “unotorara nebhutsu”.
“I am mostly inspired by singing. I get my motivation from this and I am happy it’s helping a lot of us here in camp. Singing actually helps in getting into good form for it soothes the mind.
“If I see one team member looking a bit down, I take it upon myself to try and motivate them by singing for them and I am glad it’s working.”
These games and the songs, according to Ursula Ndlovu, another veteran in the team, help to retain unity in the group which also translates into good co-ordination and communication in the court.
“The oneness which everyone is showing is out of this world. We wish to see this spirit in us for years and years.
“With this spirit, I tell you we can conquer the world. I am happy the young girls who are just joining us have the vibe already and that is exactly what we expect, that’s why we also try to play some fun games to accommodate all of them,” said Ndlovu.
“We always make it a point, we crack some jokes around to relax the minds and at the same time remind each other of the task at hand. We are going to meet some of the best teams in the world at this Diamond Challenge Cup and we need to be prepared to suffer so that we win”.
For coach Ropafadzo Mutsauki, the songs and fun games are what the doctor ordered.
“That’s the hallmark of a good group which is united in struggle. I am very happy to see these girls playing different games which help them relax after some taxing drills in the courts,” he said.
“It is something we always want to see in this field. I am very happy to see them doing all those sort of things. You look at them while playing for example basketball. It helps them gather aggression, it helps them improve their ball handling techniques, it helps them improve tactics and the like while they will be doing it out of fun.
“This is a special group that I am taking to South Africa and I hope we will do very well in these games.”
Ree Sports director, Godfrey Mugadza-Kanengoni, whose consultancy is funding the trip to South Africa, said he wishes to see the girls having fun often.
“Sport is competition and it is also recreational. I am very happy to see the girls involving themselves in funny undertakings while in camp for a serious tournament,” said Mugadza-Kanengoni.
“As Ree Sports, we are proud to be associated with these girls and our partnership goes beyond just the Diamond Challenge Cup. We will be officially launching our consultancy in Zimbabwe after the Diamond Challenge Cup and we will announce the way forward pertaining netball in Zimbabwe.”
Online Reporter