It’s been four and a half weeks since the Netball SA Academy Challenge kicked off and since then, these talented youngsters have covered 812.7 kilometres.
Just over halfway, they are currently in the seventh leg of their virtual trip from Gawler to Sydney, “travelling” from Griffith to Cootamundra.
The athletes have also successfully budgeted for their accommodation, food, incidentals and tourist attractions that incur a cost.
Netball SA’s Product and Pathways Manager Roz Fraser, who created the concept, said the athletes had risen to the challenge.
“The players have taken on the challenge really well,” Ms Fraser said.
“They have been very creative with their tasks, in particular their ball skill videos.”
For Ms Fraser, the highlight so far has been watching the players form new relationships and thrive amidst the challenges of COVID-19.
“Seeing the players work together with people they have never met has been a really positive outcome,” Ms Fraser said.
“This will pay dividends when they actually do meet at Academy Games later in the year, assuming there are no interruptions to the Games.”
The fitness element of the challenge is essential, but the social element has been paramount in such uncertain times.
“Players at this level usually are playing club and representative netball for their Association and being selected for this program is exciting so to have everything stop at the same time was pretty hard for everyone,” Ms Fraser said.
“I decided that we needed to keep them engaged while obviously abiding to government guidelines so the challenge evolved.
“The idea was to not only keep them fit but also to learn along the way and to form new relationships that they would not have made if we were not isolated. Also, the key was to have fun.”
