Gaze all fired up as season confirmed
THE stage is set – the WNBL has a full season locked and ready for 2020/21.
Now it is up to Townsville Fire guard Kate Gaze to be prepared for the biggest season of her career.
With the competition to go ahead from November 20, the 30-year-old now has something to work towards off the court.
Training in Melbourne has been difficult at times, as the weather and coronavirus limitations have pitted her “against the elements”.
While Gaze hopes the Victorian league will be able to resume this year and give her a launch pad into the WNBL season, for now it is a matter of experimenting with different ways to improve her abilities.
And with a start date and season structure confirmed, the buzz of excitement has returned as she looks to get back to Townsville.
“It’s more exciting because obviously with how uncertain this time is, it was ‘are we going to have a season, are we not?’ – there was that doubt,” Gaze said.
“It’s exciting plans are in place and there’s something for us to look forward to … it’s such a positive thing, for everyone in all aspects of life there’s so much uncertainty.
“As athletes, for some of us this is our job, and we were looking like it could’ve been taken away from us.
“I’m sure I’m not alone in saying there’s some relief with dates set, and it gives people more of a drive to get there and get some goals achieved before the season starts.”
For Gaze, those goals include reaching new-found fitness heights.
In a disappointing season for the Fire she featured off the bench, following her previous campaign, which was completely wiped out due to an ACL injury.
In the past she would not have “been caught running more than 2km”. But she took on the 100km in May challenge and with that a habit has been instilled.
She is now far fitter in terms of endurance, and that edge could be her ticket into the Fire’s starting side.
“I think it’s awesome to have a base fitness, it’s different to the sprinting and it definitely has helped me as an athlete having that endurance in me,” Gaze said.
“I guess that’s the goal for a lot of players – to build and earn more minutes. That’s what the team needs, they need people who want to drive to be more successful.
“I’m always looking for more minutes and would love to get into the starting side.”