In class we have been focusing on writing with good punctuation and paragraphs. We had to write 3 paragraphs about anything. My paragraphs are on netball.


Personal Goal: Use correct punctuation

Paragraph 1

There are different positions in netball. In netball you can play 6 a-side, 7 a-side and sometimes 5 a-side. The positions for 6 a-side are: two 'A'’s (shooters), two 'D'’s(defenders), and two 'C'’s(centers). The positions for 7 a-side are: 'GS' (goal shoot), 'GA' (goal attack), 'WA' (wing attack), 'C' (center), 'WD' (wing defense), 'GD' (goal defense) and 'GK' (goal keep). In 5 a-side there are: two 'A'’s (attack) two 'D'’s (defense) and one 'C' (center). 


Paragraph 2

The rules in netball are pretty simple, all players play on a netball court which is divided into thirds. In the two end thirds there are semi-circles where the GA and GS may shoot from. Whatever goal your GS and GA are shooting in is called their ‘goal third’. The GS is only allowed to stay in their goal third. The GA on the other hand, can go into their goal third and the center third. In the middle third there is a small circle where the 'C's (centers) start the pass off (the pass off is where the center passes the ball after the whistle has been blown). C’s are allowed in all three thirds, but are not allowed in the semi-circles. The GK are the same as the GS’s they are only allowed in the goal third, but the GK doesn’t play in their goal third, they play in the other team's goal third. The GD defends the GA, so the GD can go into the other team's goal third and the center third. The WA and WD can go into the goal third and center third. The WA can go into their team's goal third but not the other team's goal third. The WD is the opposite to the WA, they can go in the other teams goal third, but not into their teams goal third. The game starts by the C doing the pass off. Players may not walk, step or run with the ball. Once a player has the ball in their hand, they can take 2 steps, but as soon as they take the third step the umpire will blow their whistle and say “stepping” or “footwork”, the ball will then passed to the other team. If a player crosses a line that marks a third, but they aren’t allowed in that third, then the umpire will blow the whistle and say “offside” which then the ball is passed to the other team. Players are only allowed three seconds with the ball, if the ball is not passed after three seconds the umpire will then blow their whistle and call “held”, which then the ball is passed to the other team. If a player from the opposition team pushes, hits, shoves, etc, the umpire will call “contact” and the ball will be passed to the other team, and the player who contacted the other player will have to stand-aside until the pass has been made. If a player puts their hands up or jumps to defend their opponent and are within 1 metre, they will be called up for “obstruction” and will have to stand aside. 


Paragraph 3

The New Zealand national netball team is called ‘Silver Ferns’. The Silver Ferns recently won the 2019 World Cup! They won the finals against Australia by one point, the score was 52-51. The Silver Ferns have won the World Cup five times  in: 1967, 1979, 1987, 2003 and 2019. The Silver Ferns captain is Laura Langman. Their head coach is Noeline Taurua and their assistant coach is Debbie Fuller. The Silver Ferns became a netball team in 1938 to represent New Zealand in the Australia tour.