Laura Geitz has had a dream season, winning the ANZ Championship with the Queensland Firebirds, followed by a thrilling one-goal win with the Australian Diamonds over arch-rivals the New Zealand Silver Ferns in the World Championships, and just recently regaining the world number one ranking when the Diamonds won the Constellation Cup.
Yet a down-to-earth Geitz was happy to make some dreams come true for local students at the Southern Downs Deadly Sports Expo in Warwick on Monday.
She mingled with some youngsters who were elated to meet their favourite player and even gave them a chance to hold a replica of the ANZ Championship trophy she won with the Queensland netball side.
The Scots PGC College Year 1 student Georgia Moody said she had posters of Geitz at home and the star shared the same first name as her older sister.
“It’s really exciting (to be able to meet Laura Geitz),” Georgia beamed.
And she was amazed at being able to hold the replica trophy, “It feels like, why am I holding this,” the excited student said.
About 500 pupils from Warwick, Stanthorpe, Allora and Killarney attended the Deadly Sports day, which promoted living a healthy lifestyle while giving an opportunity for students to meet high profile players.
“I have no doubt that there are future Firebirds and Diamonds out here,” Geitz said.
“I think that there’s great talent here,” she said. “I used to play netball for Scots PGC, that’s where it all began.”
Geitz’s advice to aspiring sports stars is to “persist with sports, but your school life and family and friends are also just as important”.
The Deadly Sports program also included other sports such as basketball, badminton, tennis, lawn bowls, volleyball, rugby union, cricket, AFL and rugby league.
Story: Rebecca Brown
