Caption: Georgia Walter, Darcy Simson, Leitisha Miller, Justine Ramsell and Makaila Bald gearing up for their games in Perth. Photo: Amy Walter.
Esperance’s No Limits Netball side secured a second-place finish at the Fuel to Go Championships in Perth after their standout performance during their scheduled fixtures.
It was a milestone achievement for the team and for coach Amy Walter who has spent years developing the program locally for people with physical and intellectual disabilities.
“I knew the players I was taking were quite strong,” she said.
“But we ended up getting in the grand final which was pretty cool and a little bit overwhelming for me to be honest.
“The team we were playing were very advanced but it was just a great experience.
“They got to play inside where the fever [West Coast team] train and it was really fun – they loved it.”
Ms Walter is a seasoned netball player herself and said she was inspired to create a No Limits netball program in Esperance after her daughter finished high school.
“Our daughter, Georgia, went to boarding school when she was 15 and she’s got an intellectual disability, and she got exposed to No Limits in Perth,” she said.
“She met her people and my husband and I also met our people just by talking to parents about our kids and where we can go for support because we came from Esperance and we really didn’t have much guidance.
“We definitely wanted to keep Georgia involved in No Limits netball and we thought we would start one up when she came home after graduating.”
She started the team through Realise Ability before taking it to the Netball Association and said although it was slow to get off the ground, it had started to gain more traction in the last two years.
They now have seven to ten consistent players, five of which travelled to Perth for the competition.
“To be able to take our own players and compete was really exciting,” she said.
“I’d been talking to coaches about starting a program in Esperance and getting a lot of support through coaches and other associations to do it.
“It was really nice for them to see that we had finally got a team together.”
It is Ms Walter’s first coaching gig and she said over the years she had watched her players grow in their sporting ability and social skills.
“The girl that won the team MVP for the whole tournament couldn’t catch a ball when she first started playing and she’s now a centre court player and running everywhere, it’s brilliant,” she said.
“I just like how No Limits brought everyone together.
“One of the hardest things [for them] is socialising so when they’re playing they’re all talking and having fun so it’s just beautiful to watch.”
No Limits netball is a mixed program for people over 12 but Ms Walter said they were trying to start a team for younger players too.
She said she was also interested in developing a basketball program in the future.
