Winning can become addictive that is why the Tuks netball players are back in training only two days after having helped the Jaguars to win the Brutal Fruit Series.
The next challenge is to win the USSA Tournament (1-7 July in Bloemfontein). Jenny van Dyk (Tuks head coach) admits that her team is in for a tough challenge, but she would have it no other way.
But to be a successful coach does take its toll. After coaching the Jaguars to winning a second consecutive Brutal Fruit title, Van Dyk picked up a slight case of the flu. However, she is never going to allow a few bugs to stop her because if there is one word she truly hates it is second. Van Dyk makes it clear that she coaches teams to win not to be runners-up.
With such an attitude it is no surprise that Van Dyk is currently the most successful netball coach when it comes to winning local tournaments. Apart from her success with the Jaguars, she was also instrumental last year in helping Gauteng to win the National Championship and Tuks to win Varsity Netball Tournament.
Van Dyk credits her success to the infrastructure that has been created over the last five years at Tuks.
“We got a competitive environment at Tuks. There is never such a thing as an easy session because of the high intensity at which the players train. We got some of the best players pushing each other constantly. I think that is the reason why we had 26 players competing in the Brutal Fruit Series."
The Tuks head coach can’t help but be proud of the fact that the Jaguars managed to remain unbeaten in the Brutal Fruit Series.
“It has been a goal of mine ever since I started coaching to get a team to remain unbeaten throughout a competition. We have come close to doing so a couple of times, but in the Brutal Fruit Series, we became unstuck in the final. Many said it was impossible to remain unbeaten. A team is supposed to have a bad game in the build-up to the final. It serves as a reality check. But I am a coach who wants to win all the time.”
Van Dyk predicts that the Free State Crinums who finished fourth in the Brutal Fruit Series could be the team to beat during the USSA Tournament.
“The whole Crinum team is going to play for the Kovsies. Pukke is also going to be a formidable team as apart from the goal shooter and goal attack it will be the Flames.
“Unfortunately Erin Burger, Izette Griesel, Shadine van der Merwe, Chanté Louw, Jeante Strydom who all played for the Jaguars are not available to play for Tuks for various reasons. Iné-Mari Venter our goal shooter will also not be available for all the games. Venetia Grobler who was the Baobabs goal shooter will get to play for Tuks.”
Van Dyk and the Tuks players are in for a hectic time. Apart from the USSA Tournament most of the players will be part of the Jaguars team that will compete in the Super Club Tournament in August in New Zealand. The day after the tournament ends the Varsity Tournament starts.
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