Marian Chester, netball convenor, celebrating masters netball with PSNA Ambias (PNG) and the Maranoa Where’s Wallies (Roma, QLD). Photo: Jeremy O’Connell
Tuesday 8 November 2016
By Pat McLeod
At exactly 5.45pm each day a hush descends on the Southport Carrara netball courts.
The hive of activity that includes more than 1000 Jupiters Pan Pacific Masters Games players and officials comes to an abrupt halt. Then across the venue’s sound system there is an explosion of the Mark Ronson/Bruno Mars hit Uptown Funk.
On Court 6, directly in front of the clubhouse, netballers morph into dancers and for about a minute the court becomes a dancefloor.
“It’s new and something that I am sure will just get bigger and bigger,” explains long-time masters games netball convenor Marian Chester.
“It was an idea from Chris Morris, from the Gold Coast Masters 2 team. We did it for the first time on Monday and four teams and about 20 umpires took part. Our finals are on Friday, so I’m not sure if we will be doing it then, but I am sure by Thursday there will be more than four teams up dancing.”
Marian says the ‘Flashdance’ segment typifies what the masters games is all about.
“If you came here just to win a trophy, you probably wouldn’t come back,” she says. “But we get about 1200 players and officials at every games because of the atmosphere.
“Each day we hand out the ‘Spirit Award’. It is one of the most sought-after at this competition and has nothing to do with results on the court. It is for the team that we believe has displayed the real spirit of the Jupiters Pan Pacific Masters Games.
“For example, on the first day, last Friday, the Red Dirt Warriors, all the way from Karratha in WA, won it for being the first team to crack open a bottle of bubbly – and that was at the managers’ meeting!”
Marian said the masters games was also a chance for busy mums, and dads, to become the focus for a week.
“Usually they are the ones running children to sports games and carnivals and working as volunteers,” she says.
“At these games they are the ones out on the court and in the spotlight. It is also a chance to rekindle friendships. So many people have become friends at these games. We have teams from New Zealand who picked up an Aussie player years ago and they still come together at this event.”
Marian is also president of the Southport Carrara Netball Association, which has been the principal venue for netball since the Jupiters Pan Pacific Masters Games started in 1998.
The 10th biennial Jupiters Pan Pacific Masters Games is being held 5 – 13 November 2016 on the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia.
The event showcases competition in 43 sports and is hosting 13,000 participants from Queensland, interstate and overseas.
