Pivot and Win

by Lisa Gibbs

He paused and studied her. ‘What have you done?’

  Lily raised her eyebrows. ‘I’d stop now, if I were you, and worry about your tennis shorts. You need them today, don’t you?’

  Steven darted into his room and started scrabbling around, looking for his tennis shorts.

  Lily took the opportunity to pull her slightly stretched netball uniform off the doorframe.

  ‘Where are they, Lil?’

  ‘Well, let’s just say they’re resting in a frozen place.’

  Steven raced to the kitchen to look in the freezer.

  Phoebe, who had been watching the whole thing from the safety of Lily’s doorway, gave Lily a high five. Then the two girls raced to the kitchen.

  Steven pulled his tennis shorts out of the plastic bag and watched, stunned, as they slipped out of his grasp and thudded onto the floor as a solid, frozen block.

  ‘H-h-how …?’ Steven stammered.

  ‘That’s what happens when you freeze wet clothes!’ Lily said.

  ‘But if I wear these I’ll look like an icy pole!’ Steven groaned. ‘I’ll feel like an icy pole!’ But he couldn’t help but laugh.

  Lily and Phoebe laughed with him, as he went off to find another pair of shorts to wear.

  Chapter Nineteen

  ‘Hi Phoebs,’ Lily greeted Phoebe when she arrived at the courts the following week for training.

  ‘What’s up?’ Phoebe asked. Lily’s normally cheery smile was missing.

  ‘My cousin Eliza rang last night. She’s going to come and watch Saturday’s game.’

  ‘But isn’t that a good thing?’ asked Phoebe.

  ‘Well … yes, but I played so badly last week I’m worried she’ll think I’m hopeless.’ Lily grimaced at the thought.

  ‘No way,’ Phoebe reassured her. ‘You’re a good player!’

  ‘Hmmm.’ She thought back to last week’s game. She still cringed at the memory of being taken off court. But this week she had vowed to herself that she would pay extra close attention to her mum’s coaching advice. She smiled a small smile. She also had a secret plan to make certain she would play well on Saturday …

  Lily, Phoebe and her teammates began a warm-up jog around the courts. Lily joined in the conversation with the other girls but kept up the pace and watched Janet keenly for instructions. She was the first to break away and head for the sideline of the court when Janet announced a passing and pivoting drill.

  ‘Line up, girls. Space yourselves along this line here and face into the court.’

  After the girls did as instructed, Janet picked out Isabella, who was standing at one end of the line. Janet brought her ten steps forward into the court and handed her the ball, then turned to Jade who was next in line.

  ‘Jade, I want you to run into the court to take a pass from Isabella and then pivot to pass to Phoebe. When you pivot, I want you to try our super-pivot – one smooth movement instead of lots of little steps. Phoebe, you run into the court to take the pass …’ Janet stopped as she saw the looks of confusion on some of the girls’ faces. She tried explaining another way.

  ‘Each of you runs into the court when it’s your turn for the ball. Then you pivot to throw to the next person, who’s behind you and still in the line. Do you understand?’

  This time the girls nodded and began the drill. The ball moved haltingly down the court, with each player coming out for the pass until the whole line of players had shifted ten paces forward.

  As the ball went up and down the line, Lily concentrated on timing her lead so that she would be ready to catch the ball at the same time the other player was turning to throw it to her. She also concentrated hard on her footwork so that she could do one smooth pivot instead of the little steps in a circle she was used to taking.

  The more I do this, the better I get! she thought. And again her mind turned to her secret plan …

  ‘That’s what I’m looking for! Great pivots!’ said Janet.

  For the next drill, Janet wanted the girls to work on their intercepts.

  ‘If you stretch your arms and fingers out as far as they can go, you’ll be amazed how often you can tap the ball away from the other team.’

  She arranged the girls in a circle on the court. ‘We’re playing piggy in the middle!’

  ‘Yay!’ chorused the girls. Janet didn’t need to explain this game; they played it often at school. They knew that everyone around the circle had to stand in one spot and pass the ball to someone else in the circle, while the person in the middle moved around and tried to touch it. If the person in the middle touched the ball, the person who threw it had to take their turn in the middle.

  Prani danced into the middle of the circle. ‘Let me be piggy!’ She ran around inside the circle, waving her arms and giggling. It looked as if she would never get the ball, until Isabella accidentally dropped it and Prani dived on it in delight.

  Isabella used her defending skills to try to touch the ball. First she stood in the centre of the circle, arms wide, hoping to tip a pass. Then she saw Jade look to Sienna before passing it and, anticipating the throw, leapt in front of Sienna to grab the ball.

  Jade took a different approach. She stormed each player as they received the ball, hoping to scare them into dropping it. Then she towered over them, trying to block the pass. Eventually her approach worked and Phoebe dropped a hard throw from Maddy.

  Phoebe was only in the circle for a few moments. Lily threw a high pass to Sienna and Phoebe plucked it out of the air.

  ‘At least Lily’s not tall,’ said Jade as they started passing the ball around the circle once again.

  Lily’s eyes narrowed when she heard Jade’s comment but she said nothing. She was going to prove she didn’t need to be tall to get the ball.

  A few high passes did go out of Lily’s reach but she didn’t overstretch for them. She was waiting for the right chance. Sure enough, Jade underestimated Lily’s reach and threw a sharp pass across the circle to Prani. Quick as a flash, Lily’s hand shot out and she managed to tap the ball so that it rolled out of the circle.

  Training finished with a short game.

  ‘During this practice game I want you to focus on your super-pivots and stretching your arms out for intercepts.’

  Lily spent some time playing Goal Keeper against Jade as Goal Shooter. She was itching to work with Maddy who was playing Goal Defence to try the chairlift move but she didn’t. Instead, she followed Janet’s instructions and stuck close to Jade. Each time someone tried to pass the ball to the Goal Shooter, Lily stretched her arm forward to tap the ball away. Three times she managed to stop Jade getting the ball. Then, whenever she had the ball in her hands, she concentrated on using a super-pivot to turn and pass.

  I’m getting better at this. Practice does make a difference!

  Chapter Twenty

  ‘I love Fridays!’ declared Lily as she, Prani, Maddy and Sienna headed to the hall with the rest of their class.

  ‘I know. Finishing the week with sports class is the best,’ agreed Sienna.

  They filed into the hall and stood around waiting to see which sport they would be playing but their sports teacher, Mr Wade, wasn’t there. Instead, the drama teacher, Ms Norman, was fiddling with a sound system at the front of the hall.

  ‘Spread out, everyone, please – more than an arm’s length apart. Mr Wade is off sick so our sport today will be free movement to music.’

  Lily heard several kids behind her groan.

  ‘I want you to feel the music and move in response to the beats and the rhythms.’

  She’s got to be kidding!

  ‘Dance, sway or rock.’ Ms Norman was smiling.

  Some of the kids in front of Lily looked pleased but Lily broke out in a sweat. Please don’t make me dance. I can play any sport but I can’t keep to the beat of music and I don’t know any dance moves. I’ll look like an idiot!

  But the music had started. It was slow and lyrical. Lily stood still and bit her lip as everyone started to move around her.<
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  She looked to her friends but they had already begun a slow dance. Maddy and Sienna were holding hands and laughing as they pretended to waltz around the room. Prani had closed her eyes and was swaying as her arms rolled like waves through the air. Some of the boys beside her were doing a modified version of hip hop. Others were doing moves that looked suspiciously like kung-fu.

  Lily stood frozen to the spot. She knew she looked silly standing still in the middle of a sea of movement but she had no idea what to do. The last time she had moved to music it had been … When? At training. Lily heard her mum’s voice in her head. ‘Catch. Spin. Pass.’

  Lily had an idea. Can I get away with practising the pivot instead of dancing? Will Ms Norman realise? I was going to put my secret plan into action after school, but it would be even better if I could start now!

  Nervously, Lily stepped forward and then turned slowly in time to the music. She pushed her hands out in front of her body, as if she were throwing a ball.

  This actually feels good!

  Lily repeated the motion again and again, becoming completely absorbed as she moved in different directions, stepping, catching, spinning, passing. As Ms Norman changed the music to a song with a faster beat, Lily stepped through the pivot faster and faster until it was a constant, fluid movement spinning her around the room. She dodged others in her path, adjusting her steps so she could move within the space around her.

  When the music stopped, Lily finished, breathless, and Prani, Maddy and Sienna all gathered around her.

  ‘Lily, you looked amazing,’ said Maddy. ‘I didn’t realise you were such a good dancer!’

  Lily laughed, her eyes twinkling. ‘I’m not! Didn’t you recognise what I was doing?’

  The three girls shook their heads.

  ‘That was the super-pivot!’

  Later that afternoon, Lily changed out of her school uniform and headed outside, clutching a piece of thick chalk in one hand and a netball in the other. It was time to put her secret plan into action! She had decided that it was time she stopped worrying and started acting. It didn’t matter if she’d grow up to be tall or not. Either way, she’d make sure she was an amazing netballer. And that’s how she had come up with her secret plan: she was going to practise and practise and, just like Julie, aim to get better every day!

  Lily carefully placed the ball a few feet away from her, making sure it wouldn’t roll away. She’d use that later. She studied the bricks on the side of the house, picked a spot and stood with one shoulder to the wall. Holding the chalk, Lily braced herself. She bent her knees and sprung up as high as she could. When she reached the highest point in her jump, she swiped at the wall with the chalk. That way, she could tell how high she jumped.

  Lily tried again and again, bending her knees and swinging her arms to help propel her, swiping the wall with the chalk. Over and over she jumped, trying each time to make a higher mark. She experimented with different ways of getting more height in her jumps and quickly discovered that the more she bent her knees and thrust her arms upward, the higher she could go.

  Lily finally stopped to check her progress. She looked up to where a mass of uneven chalk marks covered the bricks. She was thrilled when she saw that each chalk mark was higher than the last.

  Now for the second part of my plan!

  Lily picked up the netball lying nearby and threw it against the brick wall. The ball bounced back into her hands. She pivoted quickly and threw it at the fence opposite, and caught the rebound once again. It took several tries for Lily to find a rhythm of throw, catch, pivot, throw, catch, pivot, but she kept going, her balance improving each time. Soon it felt smooth, fast and natural.

  When it was too dark to see the ball clearly, Lily abandoned her secret practice. But as she walked back into the house, Lily knew she had done everything she could to improve her jumping and pivoting. Now she was ready for tomorrow’s game!

  Chapter Twenty-one

  ‘She’s here!’ said Lily.

  Eliza walked towards the group of girls clustered around Lily. It was five minutes before the start of the Marrang Gems’ game against Central Park.

  ‘Oh my God,’ said Maddy. ‘I’m so nervous!’

  ‘Me too,’ muttered Lily. Her stomach was clenched in a tight knot. She really wanted to play well. It wasn’t every day a netball talent scout came to watch an under-13s match!

  ‘Hey Lily,’ said Eliza. She hugged her younger cousin. ‘Hi girls. Nice uniforms.’ She smiled at the group.

  Awestruck, they stared back.

  ‘Hi Eliza,’ said Lily.

  ‘H-hi!’ said Jade and Isabella.

  ‘We’re all really nervous,’ said Sienna.

  Hearing Sienna’s comment, Janet walked over to join them. She gave Eliza a hug hello and then turned to speak to the Gems.

  ‘Don’t be nervous. You beat Central Park last time, so there’s no reason why you can’t do it again.’

  Her eyes scanned the group. ‘Remember what we’ve been doing at training. I want you to use the pivot smoothly just like we’ve practised. And don’t forget to stretch those arms out. Central Park throw low and straight. You’ll be able to intercept their passes if you remember to reach out.’

  Janet turned to Eliza. ‘Did you want to add anything?’

  Eliza focused on each girl’s face before she spoke. ‘All of you take a deep breath.’

  Every girl took a huge breath in. They exhaled with a loud sigh.

  ‘Don’t worry about who’s watching you. Just think about what you’re doing. Concentrate on your position and on the ball.’

  At last it was time for the team to go on court for the start of the game. Lily tried to take deep breaths to calm her nerves. She stood in the Wing Defence starting position, next to the Central Park Wing Attack.

  The umpire’s whistle started the game and Lily felt jerky and jittery. She kept looking nervously across at Eliza. It took most of the first quarter for her to settle down. By the second quarter, though, she was getting into the game.

  It was the Central Park centre pass. Lily was standing close to the opposing team’s Wing Attack. When the whistle blew, she was ready. She followed her opponent when she made a lead for the ball. The pass from the Central Park Centre was hard and fast. Lily shot her arm out to stop the ball, but she connected with the Wing Defence’s arm instead.

  Brrrp! went the whistle.

  ‘Contact Wing Defence,’ said the umpire.

  Lily’s shoulders slumped as she moved to stand next to the Wing Attack, who was awarded a free pass. It was a rule that if you made contact with someone from the other team, you had to stand next to them when they threw the ball so that you couldn’t do anything to defend their pass.

  ‘It’s okay, Lily!’ called Janet. ‘Keep reaching!’

  That was the encouragement Lily needed. For the rest of the quarter, she kept stretching her arms out, straining to intercept passes between members of the Central Park team. It worked! She tapped away five balls, and most of those times it was picked up by a Marrang player. The Gems even scored two extra goals because of Lily’s long reach and intercepting skills.

  When she came off court at half-time, Lily smiled happily at Eliza.

  ‘You look like you’re having fun with those long arms of yours,’ teased Eliza.

  ‘I agree,’ said Janet. ‘Lily, I’m going to keep you in Wing Defence for the whole game.’

  Lily was thrilled. She still had time to show Eliza what she could do!

  In the second half, the Marrang Gems held onto a five-goal lead. Prani and Jade were working hard defending the Central Park goalers.

  At one point, Jade as Goal Keeper held the ball, ready to throw it in from the baseline. Lily bounced lightly on her toes, ready to run clear for a pass.

  Just before Jade threw the ball, Janet called from the sideline. ‘Remember our drill. Catch. Pivot. Pass!’

  Lily did remember. She loved that drill and had practised it so much that she felt
it was etched into her brain!

  She ran to the side of the goal circle to take the pass from Jade. In a move that felt as natural as breathing, Lily pivoted smoothly and threw the ball to Sienna. The ball was thrown from one girl to the next until it ended up in the Marrang goal circle, where Maddy pushed the ball up and through the ring for a goal.

  As Lily ran back to the starting position for the next centre pass, something suddenly dawned on her. She had been smoothly pivoting in one move to change direction throughout the whole game! She didn’t have to concentrate on the super-pivot; it came naturally now!

  By the final quarter of the game, Central Park had caught up to Marrang. The scores were level. Sienna held the ball and took a shot at goal. The ball was off target. It bounced off the ring and straight into the hands of the Central Park defender. A fast ball shot down the court. Lily’s opponent raced forward to catch it. Once she had the ball, she turned, looking for a teammate near the goals. Lily hastily checked her distance and held her arms up to defend. She had to try to stop the ball getting into their goal circle!

  This is what you practised. You can do this! Lily told herself.

  She watched her opponent’s eyes as she lifted the ball above her head. In a flash, Lily knew where the ball would go. Just as the ball left her opponent’s hands in a high overhead pass, Lily bent her knees and jumped as high as she could. She stretched her arms in the air … and caught the ball!

  The Central Park players froze in surprise but Lily didn’t waste a second. She shot a bullet pass straight to Sienna who threw a hard, long pass to Jade, who was ready in the goal circle. Jade popped the ball through the ring.

  Brrrp! went the whistle for a goal. Brrrp! it went again, marking the end of the game.

  Lily ran off court, grinning with the rest of the team. They had won – by one goal!

  Eliza stood up and approached Lily. For a split second, Lily felt a bit shy of her cousin. She was happy with how she’d played, but what would Eliza think?