Players
Note - The Profiles are Meant to be Like us.......a little bit serious, Mostly a little bit fun!
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Alice Cheersmith
Alice is the most experienced member of the team having competed at the 2014 AOKC as part of the NZ senior team. Alice is also quite the performer. She is known for her unforgettable duets with her sister Stella during breaks at training, mid-training cat-fights with Korf God Rob and the endless renditions of 'Let It Go' which have been witnessed by the team! Stella Cheersmith
As a daughter of Korf God Rob, Stella has been raised with Korfball in her blood. Stella, who is a very talented swimmer (and performer as noted above), is also known for having the most unique and contagious laugh in the team. Stella continues to live up to her family's influential korfball history and is really looking forward to the trip to the Netherlands. Juliet Robertson
Korfball wouldn't be the same with Juliet aka Jet in our ranks. On court she is a dynamo and usually scares more than just the girls when she's in defence. Jet is a lot less innocent than people think but I suppose that's inevitable, considering the korfball community we're surrounded with. Jet makes car pooling to training a hundred times more fun with her fabulous lip synching and air guitar performances! Chelsea Ruiz
Chelsea was part of the Canterbury U16 Korfball team that travelled to Melbourne in 2013 and the 2014 national champion Canterbury Korfball team. Chelsea also competes in basketball, netball, volleyball and dragon boating. She always has a huge smile on court and brings a ton of happiness to the team. Story Dealy Cottrell
Story is one of the many members of the goon squad and is one of the newest members of our Korfball family. Story has mastered the fantastic defensive technique of looking like a spider. She also rides horses occasionally and wins the award for 'Most Likely To Fall Over Nothing' both on and off court. Lara Woolston
Lara is our teams North Island rep, after moving from Rangiora to Wellington in January. She is a bubbly member of the team who is always positive and knows how to make you smile. She is currently in rehearsal to play the character ChaCha in a production of Grease. Kendall Moratti
Kendall is another member of our goon squad. Other than being a sharp-shooter, Kendall aspires to be an inventor with her fantastic idea of a bed that flies. Her talents include being a great checkout chick and cooking a great feed! Kiana Gallon
Kiana is one of the 'Coasters' on our team. Kiana can catch anything thrown at her and is able to hold a pass from an angry demon on steroids. She is an up and coming netball star. After the experience of this trip she will be a korfball star as well. Boris Van Bruchem
Boris is our Dutch connection so he has the edge (and the height!). He has essentially been bred to be a korfballer. Boris is quite the character. He is cash money splash all day every day from down town and tends to break ankles with out trying. Boris can be the strong, silent type but then rips you out when you least expect it. Boris is love, Boris is life. Sam Bennetts
Known as 'Slammin Sam', 'Houdini' and 'Cool Cat'. On court he's a bundle of energy, with tricks to intimidate everyone he's playing against and sometimes even confuse his own teammates! He also holds a great team BBQ at his fancy house. Jared Hardie
As another member of the goon squad, Jared is always super positive and encouraging to the team. His proudest moment is responding to a prank played on him by the korfball girls by getting a disgusting flesh covered dog bone into their room during a tournament in Wellington. Jared insists he plans to stay in Holland instead of coming back to NZ but we think he would miss us too much! James Bolton
James is one more of the Goonies in our team. James is known for his ridiculous vertical jump height and always having the best shoes. James wins the award for 'Most Tanned' member of the team (we are a sarcastic bunch). This trip is also a family experience with his mother Leigh managing the team. Jayden Pearce
As a member of the goon squad, Jayden is also known as JP. He has cool hair but seems to be intent in covering it with the stunning thing that is his Rangiora High School cap. His talents include playing rugby, making curly fries and driving. Jakob Eder
Jakob is the final member of the goon squad and also one of the newer additions to our Korfball family. Jakob is a talented all-round sportsman and plays in the senior A basketball team at Rangiora High School. The qualities he brings to the team are great enthusiasm and cute relatives. Liam Tailby
Liam is the second of the West Coast contingent in our team. Liam somehow finds time between football and white water kayaking to play korfball. He easily owns the most luscious hair of the team which is complimented by his fantastic headband on court! |
Management
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Mark Garrett - Coach
Mark has been head coach of NZ korfball since 2009, taking the reins at AOKC 2010, AOYKC (U23) 2011 and AOKC 2014. Mark is a valued member of the team. His knowledge about the game and tactics have improved our skills markedly. Mark has one massive flaw - he is from Straya! Rob Smith - Assistant Coach
Kiwi Korf God Rob is the whole reason Korfball even exists in New Zealand. Father to team members Alice and Stella, Rob has been using his Korfball experience to run weekly training sessions as Mark is based in Australia. Rob is also famous for his appearances in a number of television shows. Leigh Bolton - Manager
Leigh’s skills as an organiser are a massive asset for our team. Her day job at Rangiora High School means she knows many of the squad members better than some of them might be comfortable with. She makes outstanding chocolate brownies! Her main fault is that she thinks she is going to be the ‘tough guy’ on tour, except we all know that is just an act. Vikki Eder - Assistant Manager
Vikki’s calm and caring yet practical approach provides an ideal balance to ‘bad cop’ Leigh (see above – yeah, right Leigh). Always on hand to support, she quietly works away behind the scenes to keep everything on track. Having never been further from home than Australia, the trip to Europe is a pretty big deal for Vikki: well, just quietly, it’s a pretty big deal for all of us. Bevan Lawson - Physio/Mental Skills
Bevan has been playing korfball since 2006 and has captained the national team since 2010. He spent ten months in the Netherlands playing Korfball at Dutch club DOS '46 from Nijeveen and now the club will host the NZ U19 team during this tour. A physiotherapist by trade, Bevan is also well known around Nijeveen for his dessert making skills and always wearing shorts. Koru, The Korfball Kiwi - Mascot, Wisdom Provider
Koru was gifted to Korfball NZ from our mentors Grahame and Doreen Felton in 2010. Koru represents Grahame and Doreen on our Korfball adventures while reminding us about their teachings and wisdom to ensure balance and a positive mental attitude is always maintained. |