Welcome to Caitlin Thwaites
We are pleased to announce the new appointment of Caitlin Thwaites to Head Netball Coach at Ivanhoe Grammar School. Caitlin has had a distinguished career and she brings a wealth of experience, talent and enthusiasm to her role. Caitlin is an Australian netball player and volleyballer. She represented Australia at the 2014 Commonwealth Games and the 2015 Netball World Cup, where she won gold medals, as well as winning a silver medal at the 2018 Commonwealth Games and 2019 Netball World Cup. Caitlin is one of the longest-serving Australian Diamond players and an accomplished athlete. She was selected in the Australian Diamonds squad for the 2018/19 international season and featured in the Diamonds’ 2019 Netball World Cup squad.
“We’re so excited to have someone with such an extensive and distinguished career as Caitlin’s has been, involved in our sports program. Caitlin will, no doubt, continue to build on the incredible achievements that Julie Hibberd has made over the last 10 years and all our students involved in the netball program will benefit greatly from Caitlin’s knowledge and experience. Caitlin’s appointment as Head Netball Coach also coincides nicely with the development of our new indoor sports facility. The new stadium will hopefully be opened by the end of this year and I can see Caitlin doing great things with all our students in the new facility. It’s an exciting time for Sport at Ivanhoe” said Director of Sport Anna Geoghegan.
Caitlin can’t wait to join our school community, we were very lucky to be able to interview her recently when she generously gave some of her time.
What first drew you to netball?
I started playing Netball at age 7 because I got to have fun with my friends, and along the way it ended up teaching me so many life skills but that one fact remained the same the whole way through. I have had so many years of having fun and making amazing friends.
Highlight of your netball career?
Getting to represent Australia at 2 Comm Games (1 Gold in Glasgow, 1 Silver in Gold Coast) and 2 World Championships (1 Gold in Sydney, 1 Silver in Liverpool) have been really big highlights. As well as the 2 winning premierships with the Melbourne Vixens. But a lot of the highlights for me are in the relationships, the growth and the memories I got to make.
What makes a good netball coach and what will you bring to your role at Ivanhoe?
Some of the best coaches I have had have empowered the athletes and created an inclusive environment where everyone feels valued and contributes to the team. An environment and culture like this allows for a safe place to grow and brings out the best in the Team but also the best in the individual as well. This is what I am looking forward to bringing to the Ivanhoe Netball program.
What advice would you give to a student thinking about playing netball for the first time?
Give it a go!! It’s a fun team sport and you will learn so much!
What does the future look like for young netball players looking toward a professional career?
The future is bright, it is so exciting how much the sport has evolved in recent times and there are more opportunities for young girls to make it a career. It takes a lot of hard work and dedication to make it happen, but who knows we could have some future Diamonds come out of Ivanhoe!!
