Margaret Foster – Mastering the moment

Former Silver Fern, Margaret Foster, has been appointed coach of the Cook Island national netball team. On Saturday 22nd January, Margaret arrived in Rarotonga for a quick three day visit to meet with Cook Island officials, interview the successful applicants for her assistant coaches, and to undergo a netball development programme targeted towards aspiring netballers. When asked how she feels about taking on the Cook Island netball team, Margaret replied that she hopes to do what is both good for her and good for the Cook Islands, and that she plans on “taking the national team to competitions, giving hope and providing young Cook Islanders with opportunities to experience the world”.
Margaret has big plans for raising the national team’s ranking from eleventh in the world, and when asked how she intends to do this, she shared a few of her ideas; getting the right people to work under her, having a clear vision, raising the bar, and utilizing the untapped skills that Cook Island netballers have within them. An important goal for Margaret is to increase the number of local Cook Islanders who will play for the team, as she realizes that the majority of players chosen, live in New Zealand. She hopes to increase numbers to a 70-30% ratio, where 70% of her players are Cook Island residents. Margaret believes that by doing this, she will encourage more Cook Islanders to get behind the sport, and show support for their national team. Margaret states that despite what most people think, this shouldn’t be too difficult, as Cook Islanders already have the essential ingredients needed to become professional netball players; speed, agility and strength.
“They just have to work for it, be committed and determined to be the best they can be. It’s just a matter of awakening the giants within”.
Another key ingredient to a successful team, Margaret states, is future funding. She believes that if the Cook Islands are able to secure this, the national netball team will be well on their way to ranking within the top ten.
“Sport is so important for a country’s economy. It has the potential to raise the economic standing within that country significantly. Not only this, it provides huge opportunities for young athletes today”. Margaret states that the opportunities provided to her as a result of being a professional athlete have been invaluable. Looking at her background, it’s easy to see what she’s talking about – in 2009, she was awarded the Member New Zealand Order of Merit for her contribution to sport, she has recently been contracted to St Lucia in the Caribbean to develop a structure for all netballers, and she has also written a book titled “Silver Linings” published in 2009. These are just a few examples of Margaret’s many accomplishments throughout the course of her career.
To wrap off the interview with Margaret, she offered some inspirational words of advice to aspiring athletes and the general population, that she herself has strived to live by – “Live each day in the moment; there may be no tomorrow”. In other words, she says, “MTM – Master the moment”.

By Piakura Tiraa-Passfield

Herald Issue 463 10 June
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