Teams from the five WA universities recently battled it out in the UniSport Western Series Indigenous Games, playing basketball, netball and volleyball to win the state shield.
Kulbardi Aboriginal Centre’s 12 talented players brought home the state shield for the first time in UniSport games history, after winning the volleyball final and only losing the basketball final by a small margin, ultimately taking out first place overall.
Team captains, Priscilla Kennedy and James Eatt said the games were an incredible experience and they’re so proud of their players.
I’m so proud of Murdoch University. My university team really made the day such an enjoyable time. We had so many laughs and smiles throughout the day, which made me so happy to be a part of such a friendly and amazing team."Priscilla Kennedy, Team Captain
"The atmosphere was incredible, and all the teams were very encouraging and sociable. Besides playing some great sports, the event was made even more enjoyable by the connections that were formed between universities,” Mr Eatt said.
Mrs Kennedy said that the games bring together the community and she had the opportunity to find connections between fellow players and meet new family members.
“My two children attended the event with me too and they both had a wonderful time. They both loved it so much that they can't wait to be older and attend university games as well,” she said.
I was able to have some great yarns with people I might have otherwise never crossed paths with, all while being involved in a pretty deadly Kulbardi team."James Eatt, Team Captain
Mrs Kennedy and Mr Eatt said they are looking forward to the next UniSport games as it’s always an enjoyable time and they encourage fellow students to get involved.
“Don’t be scared to get out there, meet new people and try new things. I did and I had such an amazing time and am looking forward to all future university games,” Mrs Kenndey said.
“Give it a go! It isn’t necessarily about being the best athlete in every sport. As a team, we performed so much better once we had developed some great relationships with each other. I’ve made some mates now that I will hopefully remain friends with for a long time to come,” Mr Eatt said.
Mr Eatt said he got involved in UniSport games after learning about it from the staff at Kulbardi who encouraged him to join and build his leadership skills.
Louis Martin, Student Success Advisor at Kulbardi, said that students worked well together on the court.
They played brilliantly and had the best chemistry as a team. It was fantastic to see our students take part.” Louis Martin, Student Success Advisor at Kulbardi
“UniSports is a great way for students play a sport that they like, build friendships and it’s open to all levels of experience. You don’t need to be an athlete to join.”
Jamie Ball, Manager of Murdoch Active, said staff at Murdoch Active help the students to practice for the UniSport games.
We work with sporting clubs and societies to provide students with training and expertise, but it's also about creating a space for them to play a sport they enjoy.” Jamie Ball, Manager of Murdoch Active
“UniSport offers over 30 sports for students to compete in throughout the year so there really is something for everyone. For example, we hosted Fencing and Ultimate Frisbee here at Murdoch as part of UniSports Nationals.”
The Western Series is part of the overall UniSport Nationals and offers the chance to teams who may not make it to the Nationals to still compete for their state title.
UniSport offers an Indigenous state games and Indigenous Nationals, which Mr Martin hopes Kulbardi students will join next year.