For St Teresa of Lisieux Secondary School, competing at the 2023 Punjas Digicel Secondary Schools Netball Championship is an achievement on its own.
Based in the interiors of Navosa, 32 athletes crossed the Sigatoka Suva and travelled about five hours on road to get to the games. School Principal Penaia Qalituraga said, for his school, it was all about competing.
“We do not have any competition in the area where our school is based. Seeing these students participate here is an achievement for us but if we do win anything it will like a bonus to our side,” the former Marist Brothers High School teacher said.
The school had a total roll of 92 students as more than a third of it are competing at the tournament in three grades.
“We have managed to field a team in the under-15 girls, open boy’s and open girl’s divisions. It is good for these athletes to compete against some of the best in the country at their age-group and who knows, we could find a future Fiji Pearl from our school in the future.”
He added interest would grow in the sport from more netballers at his school and the participation numbers would increase in the years to come.
Competition ends tomorrow at the Vodafone Arena and the National Netball Centre.
