Netball travels generations
Kahu still playing in the senior netball competition at 63
Kahu Walker, 63, has played netball since intermediate school and is proud to say that she shares the love of the sport, and the court, with her 16-year-old twin granddaughters Alivia and Aysha Thomson.
“Every year I keep saying I’m going to give up and every year I get asked if I want to play so I go ‘yep’!”
Last Saturday saw Kahu and her Mark Keesom O haupo Sports Red take on the O haupo Sports Hurricanes side in the senior netball semifinal.
Her granddaughters, as well as her grandnieces Georgina Rewha and Nas Morgan, were in the opposing Hurricanes team — a great moment for the club and for Kahu’s family.
The two teams had played each other twice during the season winning one game each.
“My granddaughters were defending against me and they were a bit standoffish because I was their grandmother and they were afraid to hurt me. I told them that could go off the court if they can’t play their game. So they pulled it all out, played properly and I beat them,” she says jokingly.
“I just feel so amazed that I’m able to still play netball at my age against my granddaughters.
“It was awesome — that very seldom happens.”
Kahu’s team progressed to this weekend’s final with a 28-25 victory over the Hurricanes.
“My granddaughters had only just come up to our grade this year and are the youngest in our grade. They did really well to get up there and make it to the semifinals. It was hard because we knew that one of us had to knock the other off,” she says.
“The Hurricanes team coach, my niece Lynda Rangitaawa, and the manager, my son Kage Thomson, did a brilliant job. The team walk on humble and if they lose, they walk off humble. To me, I think that’s awesome.”
The final on Saturday at Te Awamutu Netball Centre will see the Red team play against yet another O haupo side, the Mark Keesom Ohaupo Sports Kowhai.
“Six O haupo teams, junior and senior, made it into the semis and two of the senior teams are playing off each other in the final. I feel quite proud of that.”
Kahu has played for O haupo for five years and has previously played for many clubs including Te Awamutu Sports for 15 years.
“I get called Mama Koo now because I’m playing with the children of the mothers that I started playing with back in 1960 something,” she says.
“I feel quite proud of myself and my granddaughters are so rapt for me to be there to play with them or against them.
“It’s been an awesome journey and to actually be one that can play against my own grandchildren, that’s a legacy for me.”