2017 Varsity Netball Player of the Tournament, Khomotso Mamburu, returned to the court this year with a bang. She has been instrumental in her team getting to the semi-finals where the UFS Kovsies will take on Maties on Monday, 1 October at 19h00. With an impressive performance on Monday night against NWU, she was awarded Wimpy Moment Maker of the Match.
Kovsies have definitely done something right this year and Khomotso attributes that to setting small goals and taking things game by game. According to her, they have different goals for each game and winning is a result of setting and achieving small goals within each game. Looking forward to the semi-final coming up, she says that at this point in the tournament teams can’t change too much – all they can do now is polish their game plan and a big part of that is mental fitness and readiness over physical fitness.
When asked about what anchors the team, Khomotso said: “For Kovsies, the anchor has to be God. I mean He is the reason we wake up and pitch up every Monday.”
According to her, the team is very close off-court as well and they all motivate and carry each other which makes being a team so much easier. She feels that at this point they are no longer just a team, but a sisterhood where, as sisters, they are each other’s’ critics and biggest cheerleaders at the same time.
The part of a team often not mentioned is the coaching staff. Khomotso praises the Kovsies coaching staff, explaining that they see themselves as more than just coaches and play a large role in the players’ personal lives off the court as well. It seems that the team is well aware that whenever they need anything, they can always count on their coaches. She feels that they play a large role in her life and in her words, “The level of support they offer me in terms of my studies, netball and personal life, is awesome.” She explained how understanding the coaches are by saying that her coach always says, “It’s not always about netball. There is more to life than just netball.”
In terms of their upcoming semi-final, it seems that the Kovsies team were surprised by who their opponents turned out to be. Khomotso says that the Maties are a great team, she admires their never dying spirit and she feels confident that both teams are ready to face each other in what is sure to be an epic match up.
“I am really looking forward to it and I wish all the team the best of luck as we wrap up the 2018 tournament.”
By Mary Gordon
