Grace on the Court

by Maddy Proud

  “What a game, girls! That was one of the best we’ve ever played together. I don’t know about you, but this definitely makes me ready and eager to knock the Clovers off their high horse next week! Lions on three … One, two, three, LIONS!”

  The following week of school was filled with excitement and anticipation. The Friday at Five competition announcement was going to be posted on Facebook on Wednesday night and the netball grand final was on Saturday. Grace found it difficult to concentrate in class, as she knew many of her teammates would too, with her mind buzzing with what the next few days would hold. Whether or not they won the Friday at Five competition, the Lions were going to have to put it all behind them to focus on the game on Saturday.

  Sebastian and Grace saw little of each other at school. Between netball training, homework and band practice there wasn’t much time to spend together but Grace was okay with that – she knew she had to focus on school and netball, and didn’t want things to get awkward with Tyler (or between Tyler and Sebastian). The occasional banter via text, and one of his cheeky grins from across the schoolyard was more than enough for now. They hadn’t become ‘Facebook official’ or anything like that and were just going to take things slow. Luckily the teasing and whispers about the two of them had begun to die down, as the focus turned elsewhere. High school could always be counted on to provide new gossip.

  . . . . .

  Mrs Peters had asked the girls to each bring something to training that they felt would help the team get over the line on Saturday. It could be something that would give them luck, something that would motivate the team, or simply something a team member loved.

  At their last training before the grand final, the team sat in a circle in the middle of the court to share their special items. Emily and Sophie had brought photos of their first game of netball and Jordan had brought her first netball uniform. The mementos reminded the team of how far they had all come and emphasised why they had started playing as seven- and eight-year-olds.

  As the creative ones in the team, Nadia wrote an acrostic poem for the word ‘Lions’, while Ashley played her favourite song – ‘Roar’ by Katy Perry – which she thought was fitting for the Lions.

  Mia had brought a Japanese figurine her aunty had given her that supposedly brought good luck and Stella had made a collage out of team photographs, fitting the photos into the letters in ‘Lions’ to make a poster.

  As co-captains, Amber and Grace shared their items last. Amber had brought a photo of the team that had been taken after their last game and spoke about how far they had come as a group. Grace had always loved inspiring words, especially from other sportspeople, so she shared one of Michael Jordan’s most famous quotes: Some people want it to happen, some wish it would happen, others make it happen!

  As they stood up for their training session, Grace could see that the girls had enjoyed learning more about each other and the types of things they considered special. The excercise was just the thing they needed to give them that extra bit of motivation heading into Saturday’s game.

  Mrs Peters made sure the last session would be one to remember. They spent the first half of the night running through set plays and performing some slick drills but finished with a series of fun games to help the girls relax and remember that even in the most important matches, they played netball to have fun.

  The girls left training feeling excited and ready to play on Saturday but conscious, too, that within minutes they would know the results of the Friday at Five competition. They had all agreed to hang around after training so they could see the announcement as a group. Sure enough, right on time, their phones buzzed and up popped the familiar blue banner of a Facebook notification. It was an alert from the Friday at Five Facebook page, notifying their fans that the competition winners had been announced. They huddled in a circle.

  Mia read the first paragraph of the announcement aloud. “We want to thank everyone for entering this competition. We received almost 1000 entries and had a blast watching all your videos. They were incredible. Your creativity amazes us and it seriously took forever to decide on a winner.

  “We’ve put together the top three videos, with the final one being the winner. Thanks again and we hope to see you all in Adelaide! Love Grayson, Elliot, Will, Cooper and Freddy.”

  The girls locked eyes, each too nervous to be the first one to play the video.

  “Okay, on the count of three let’s all press play,” Amber broke the silence. “One, two, three …”

  There was a sigh of relief as they saw within a second that the first video that played wasn’t theirs. It was a cheerleading routine to Friday at Five’s latest song ‘Tonight We Dance’, which, the girls had to admit, it was pretty good.

  Their relief was short lived and their stomachs dropped as the sound of Sebastian’s husky voice filled their ears when the second video began to play. Amber almost threw her phone to the ground in disgust.

  “This is a joke! We should have won!”

  Everyone dropped their heads in disappointment. Grace looked around at her teammates and while she was just as devastated, she knew some calm words were needed to keep the team focused and united for the final.

  “Guys, think about it. Out of everyone who entered in the whole of South Australia, we came second! And they posted it on their Facebook page, which is a pretty big deal.”

  The girls started to lift their heads.

  “You’re right, of course. To finish second really is pretty awesome. Go us!” Stella joined in.

  Amber sighed. “Yeah, okay,” she said. “It’s just frustrating. Why don’t we have a look at what beat us? Let’s get it over with.”

  Everyone laughed and began to watch the final video. They saw a wide view of Rundle Mall, the main shopping strip in Adelaide’s CBD. It continued for a few seconds showing people walking in and out of shops.

  “Booooringgg,” Amber moaned.

  A few seconds later, the opening bars of ‘One More Time’ by Friday at Five blared through the speakers. A group of girls sitting on a bench stood and began to dance to the song, their movements graceful and synchronised. Gradually, other people who had looked as if they were shopping, waiting or talking to others or on their phones began to join in, a few at a time. Soon close to eighty people were performing an extremely well-choreographed dance to the song. It was one of the best things the Lions had ever seen.

  “It’s a flash mob!” Ashley said.

  The girls were in awe, unable to put their phones down.

  “Okay, I’ll admit it, that was pretty damn good,” Amber said, admitting defeat.

  “At least we know we lost to a worthy opponent,” Mia added.

  “I reckon this just gives us extra motivation to win on Saturday,” said Grace.

  “Yeah! Let’s demolish those Clovers,” Emily said, practically screaming.

  Everyone turned and stared at Emily, then started laughing hysterically at the sudden outburst of emotion from the quietest member of the team.

  Well, if we can keep up this energy, thought Grace, the Clovers are going to have their work cut out!

  . . . . .

  Later that night, after Grace had scoffed down her dinner, she was lying in bed watching the latest Riverdale episode on Netflix when her phone buzzed. It had become almost a routine for her and Sebastian to exchange messages before they went to sleep.

  Sebastian: I’ve decided I’m quitting the band after losing this competition

  Grace rolled her eyes and laughed, knowing he didn’t mean it for a second.

  Grace: And I’ll quit netball. We can run away and join the circus.

  Sebastian: That’s the best idea you’ve ever had. I’d be a great acrobat

  Grace: I can juggle

  Sebastian: Is there anything u can’t do?

  Grace: Sing

  Sebstian: Now that I know for a fact. U always sucked at Singstar

  Grace: Maybe I just wanted u to feel better about yourself

>   Sebastian: Yeah, I need all the compliments I can get, I’m really low on confidence.

  Grace: Whatever you say Grayson Cole.

  Sebastian: But seriously, I’m sorry u didn’t win

  Grace: Me too. But without u guys we wouldn’t have even got close

  Sebastian: True, I am a great singer

  Grace: And so low on confidence too.

  Sebastian: Lol. Speaking of confidence, how u feeling about Saturday?

  Grace: I feel so sick I fear I may die

  Sebastian: Never one to over-exaggerate

  Grace: Never

  Sebastian: I’ve seen u play a million times, u will be great

  Grace: I just want to win so bad

  Sebastian: I’ll be cheering

  Grace: U might distract me too much

  Sebastian: U won’t even notice I’m there

  Grace felt the knot in her stomach tighten as she pictured Sebastian standing on the sidelines cheering her on. While she wanted him to come and appreciated his support, his presence at the game would make her feel even more nervous.

  Grace: I’ll probably get a falcon my first pass

  Sebastian: What’s a falcon?

  Grace: A ball to the face

  Sebastian: Ahh yep. Sorry I’m not up with ur sporting lingo

  Grace: You’re going to have to learn

  Sebastian: I’ll study my sports dictionary before I go to sleep

  Grace: It might take u a while. I’ll let u get to it

  Sebastian: Already on page 10. Goodnight x

  Grace: Night x

  Grace smiled to herself and put her phone down on her bedside table. She couldn’t believe how much things had changed between them in such a short amount of time. But for once she wasn’t scared or worried about it, she was happy with how things were and she couldn’t wait to see where it would go.

  Grace barely slept on Friday night, after eating a monstrous amount of spaghetti bolognese to carb-load for the grand final. She had visualised the game so many times in her head that no matter how much she tried to distract herself with other activities, she couldn’t stop thinking about it. Sebastian had provided a brief distraction when he messaged her to wish her good luck for the game. They messaged back and forth about netball, football and music until Grace finally found herself becoming tired. Sebastian had again promised to be at the game, which she appreciated but knew would only add to her nerves on the day.

  She was so envious of Mia, who would have been sitting at home painting her nails or reading a magazine, not thinking about the game at all, yet would still come out firing and play as well as she always did. Grace knew Stella was a little more like her and would be busy analysing her opposition.

  Grace’s phone buzzed. It was as if Stella’s ears were burning and she knew Grace was thinking about her.

  GROUP TEXT MESSAGE

  Stella: U will never guess wot just happened!

  Mia: Grayson Cole just appeared on ur doorstep and told u he loved u?

  Stella: I wish …

  Grace: What happened??

  Stella: My parents just took me to Fasta Pasta for dinner

  Grace: WHAT? They never go out for dinner

  Stella: That’s not even the best part!

  Mia: They let u get garlic bread too?

  Stella: LOL they did actually. But they also told me they are PROUD of me for my English assignment and that they now realise how much netball means 2 me!! They even said sorry for giving me an ultimatum.

  Mia: R u sure they were ur real parents and not some clones or something?

  Grace: OMG this is amazing

  Stella: My mum even wants 2 come 2 the game tomorrow!!!

  Grace nearly dropped her phone, shocked by Stella’s parents’ change of heart. She couldn’t be happier for her friend and just hoped this added an extra bit of motivation for the game tomorrow.

  Grace: BEST NEWS EVER! We will pick u up

  Mia: This is actually awesome Stell

  Stella: Now we HAVE to win! See u in the morning xxx

  Mia: Can’t wait xx

  Grace: Sweet dreams xx

  Grace sent her last message with a huge grin on her face, wanting it to be the morning already so she could play. She couldn’t sit still as she watched the footy with her family, which didn’t go unnoticed.

  “Stop fidgeting Gracie and just sit still!” Her mother yelled, clearly annoyed by Grace’s constant movement. “I know you’re nervous and excited about tomorrow but you can’t overthink it. You play your best netball when you just go out there and do your thing,” she softened. “If you play the game too many times in your head you’ll be so exhausted mentally that you will actually feel tired tomorrow, even if your body is rested. You know sport is as much mental as it is physical, so will you please sit still and watch the footy with us before you go to bed?”

  Grace knew her mother was talking from experience and knew she was right. She sat with her family watching television, all the while knowing that if anyone had asked her what the score was, she would have absolutely no idea.

  . . . . .

  Grace woke on Saturday morning with butterflies in her stomach and she could barely keep her breakfast down.

  The school championship finals were played at the courts in the middle of the city, ensuring no team would have a home-court advantage. Grace and her mother left home early, picking up Stella and her mother on the way. Angus, Tyler and Grace’s father were coming later so they could sleep in and avoid Grace’s pre-game jitters. Stella’s mother hadn’t been to one game all season and Grace could see that Stella was thrilled her parents were finally accepting their daughter’s love for the game.

  As they drove towards the courts, Grace and Stella sang along to the Friday at Five album. Their mothers didn’t protest; it helped the girls relax and made them smile for a few minutes – and stopped them from talking about netball for a while.

  As the girls stepped from the Parkers’ mini-van they were greeted by the chilly morning air of winter. Wrapping her arms around her body to try to keep warm, Grace took a deep breath and let the moment sink in. This is it, the day you’ve been waiting for all year, she thought. She recalled the tryouts earlier in the year and how nervous she had been. It seemed like only yesterday she was anxiously reading the sports noticeboard, scanning the team lists for her name. So much had happened in the last few months: trying to help Angus and then Amber, making the Friday at Five video and finding out the results, and of course the whole Sebastian saga – all the while trying to stop her teammates from killing each other.

  Stella interrupted Grace’s trip down memory lane by throwing a ball at her. She only just had time to react and catch it before it smacked her straight in the face. She laughed to herself remembering her conversation with Sebastian about getting a falcon.

  “Stop thinking and shoot some goals with me,” Stella demanded. “My fingers are going to freeze if I don’t do anything!”

  Grace knew that Stella wanted to keep moving to avoid her own nerves. Even though she wouldn’t admit it, Stella was certain to be even more nervous than usual today because her mother was finally watching her.

  The two friends continued their pre-game ritual of shooting goals until their teammates began to arrive, most of them earlier than expected, obviously too excited and nervous to sleep in. Even Mia arrived early and grinned as she whispered that Brodie would be there to watch the game. The atmosphere was electric, with everyone chatting and laughing and keeping themselves busy with warm-up drills and shooting games.

  Mrs Peters arrived and signalled for the girls to start the team warm-up, again emphasising the importance of being both physically and mentally prepared. Amber and Grace made their way to the centre of the court for the coin toss, their eyes widening at the glares coming from Clarkson’s players, who had apparently been told to try to intimidate their opponents before the game even started. The Clarkson’s captain tossed the coin and Amber and Grace simultaneously cal
led tails. The Lions’ motto of ‘tails never fails’ proved right again and they chose to take the first centre pass rather than select their shooting end for the first quarter.

  Grace and Amber trotted back to their team for the rest of their warm-up. After the Lions finished warming up and had a quick drink, Mrs Peters gathered them together to say her final piece.

  “All right, girls, this is it! There’s not much I can say except go out there and give it everything you’ve got.”

  Grace linked arms with Amber and Jordan next to her, and the others followed suit, their coach nodded in appreciation.

  “We’ve trained so hard all year and deserve to be here,” she continued. “The next sixty minutes aren’t going to be easy. It’s going to be a game where the team that can show the most mental strength in the crucial moments is going to be the team that gets over the line.”

  “I believe in each and every one of you, but that won’t be enough if you don’t believe in yourselves and each other. So I want you to go around now and look one another in the eye. Think about everything you have been through this season and all of your hard work, and put your trust in one another. A lot of people want to play in grand finals but not many can say they actually have, so don’t take a single moment for granted.”

  Mrs Peters paused and then smiled at her team. “Go out there and leave everything you have on the court,” she said. “Play for each other and most of all, enjoy it.”

  The players looked around at one another, thinking back to the first training they had together and how much they had grown as a team on and off the court. The blood rushed through Grace’s veins and she could feel the adrenaline kicking in. The umpire blew her whistle, signalling for the players to make their way to their positions. Glancing at Amber, Grace placed her hand in the middle of the huddle and everyone followed.