Irene van Dyk the biography

Irene van Dyk, Netball Player., - Biography

South African then New Zeland Netball International

Height: 1.90m 6 foot 2
Weight: 185 Pounds

born born June 21, 1972, Johannesburg, South Africa,

Irene van Dyk, is one of the world's best-known netball players.
Born in South Africa, she became the International South African netball team's captain, then in 2000 moved to New Zealand & joined the "Silver Ferns" international team almost immediately (causing some minor controversy, as netball at the time had no specific rules on players moving between nations).
She now lives in Stokes Valley, Wellington, & as well as her international duties she plays for a team (initially the Capital Shakers but recently a team further north) in the domestic netball competition, is a teacher, & has one child.
There is a biography written about her, called Changing Colours. She shoots 300 goals a day just for fun. Her husband Christe van Dyk analyses her play & can tell if the ball would go in or not.
On July 5, 2004 she came on at the start of the 3rd quarter of the third test match in a series against Australia & scored 24/24 to turn the match around. A return 3 match Test Series was played in Australia in November 2004 where the Silver Ferns were defeated 2-1 by a determined Australian team. Features of that series were the apparently poor quality of the umpiring, the loss of Australian Captain & Goal Keeper Liz Ellis from part of the 1st Test & all of the 2nd Test after being injured during a clash with van Dyk, & the noticeable increase of calls going against van Dyk penalising her for stepping & contacting other players.
In the Winter of 2005 a one off Test was played in Sydney where the Silver Ferns would gain revenge over their old rivals from Australia. Irene van Dyk would once again be a dominant factor in the win & would cement her position as the world's greatest goal shooter especially against Australia's own formidable shooting weapon - Cathrine Cox whose own form fell away after being worn down by reportedly ferocious & unsportsmanlike defence particularly from NZ's giant Goal Keeper Vilimaina Davu. Once again the standard of the umpiring was questioned this time mainly by the Australian team & coach. Final score -- 50-43. Both teams then went on to prepare for their next clash scheduled for October in Auckland New Zealand.
In recent years Irene has played national league netball for the Waikato Magic & in 2005 spearheaded them to their first National Bank Cup title. Incidentally their win broke the six year stranglehold the Southern Sting had held over the competition.
As a player Irene van Dyk is renowned for her peerless & consistent shooting volume & accuracy boasting shooting percentages that have rarely been seen in netball before. Her commanding height (said to be 190 cm but suspected to be a few cm taller) combines well with her natural athleticism & strong hands enabling her to dominate her opponents.
Perhaps the most striking weapon in her arsenal is the extremely wide split of her legs on receiving the ball. She uses this in order to manoeuvre herself closer to the goalpost thus increasing her chances of making the shot or rebounding upon a missed shot.
In October of 2005 Irene would once again rise to the occasion & help in presenting Australia with a debilitating loss. In a match notable for the loss of Australian Captain Liz Ellis for three quarters of the match, New Zealand were simply too good for Australia with their speed, ball handling, uncompromising defence & shooting accuracy.
Partnered with impressive Goal Attack - Jodi Te Huna, Irene's composure, class & athleticism came to the fore & Australia appeared to have no response to this & the overall effort of New Zealand which was at once scintillating & merciless. Final score -- 61-36. New Zealand would go on to record an undefeated year for 2005 including a successful end of year tour to the Caribbean where they would trounce Barbados & Jamaica & blood several newer players.
As a result of a terrible knee injury Liz Ellis valuable leadership skills & sublime defensive abilities would be lost to the Australians going into the up & coming Caribbean Series (Australia would win all matches convincingly) & then the Major Tournament of 2006, The Commonwealth Games in Melbourne where Australia would eventually attempt to defend their Title against NZ in the Final.
In that Final Irene would once again perform with skill & determination in what would be an enthralling battle against Australian Goal Keeper & hometown girl Bianca Chatfield who gave a sterling if ultimately unsuccessful performance against the World's most recognisable Netball player. Australia would prove that the 25 goal loss suffered back in October 2005 was merely an aberration as they went on to lose gallantly by just five goals.
So New Zealand would claim a fantastic first Gold Medal thanks to the unmatchable services of a superlative team effort. A team which included such illustrious stars as Vilimaina Davu, Temepara George, Adine Wilson, Belinda Colling (Replaced Jodi Te Huna who had been injured prior to the CWG) & of course the indomitable van Dyk whose 90% plus shooting percentage steered New Zealand home to a famous victory. Final score -- 60-55.
Since moving to NZ Irene's game has grown dramatically with notable improvements in her ball handling/security, movement & space awareness. She is also much stronger physically than she used to be & this has only added to the nightmare image she often presents to opposing players & fans alike.
Irene van Dyk is a Christian & supported the Lifeathon fundraising event for Christian radio network Life FM.
Irene van Dyk's place in history is now firmly etched as a promising netballer who left her country of birth in search of a better life.

This site was written in January 2007

South African Caps: 72

New Zealand Caps: 52 New Zealand Sportswoman of the Year 2003 Fave Food: Pizza, Pasta, Salads, fresh fruit, nuts,

Favourite Place: outdoors,

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