Sport
16 April, 2023
Volleyballer ready for state titles
Caboolture State High School student Cristine Rasmussen (pictured) is gearing up to play in the Sunshine Coast U15 girls representative volleyball team for the second consecutive year.
Cristine will again take part in the Queensland Representative School Sport (QRSS) championships at the Brisbane-based Nissan Arena, with this year’s event running from Wednesday to Saturday.
A year 9 student last year when she first took part in the championships, Cristine played in the position of middle blocker while Sunshine Coast placed third in the state.
“Every year in the volleyball state champs tournament, there are different regions we have to play against for the gold medals and to be picked into the Queensland volleyball team,” she said.
“Some of these teams include Metropolitan North, South, East and West.
“I’d definitely expect to see familiar faces this year, though many may be playing in the opens 16-19 volleyball team.”
With the benefit of last year’s experience behind her, Cristine is keen to make the most of another opportunity to test herself against other high quality players in her chosen sport.
“Making the Sunshine Coast volleyball team was a great experience and taught me a lot in teamwork, skills and communication as a team,” she said.
“It felt like an incredible achievement and perfect opportunity to enhance my skills.”
Before earning her place in the Sunshine Coast team, Cristine had never met nor known any of her teammates as most of them knew each other through attending Caloundra State High School.
Cristine said every player was assigned a main role on the court, and that she preferred playing as a middle blocker due to being very comfortable in front court while her digging wasn’t as strong as other players.
“Coaches usually put you in positions depending on how they see your skills on the court,” she said.
Cristine began playing volleyball about four years ago when she was in year 6, as her older sister also played.
“My sister who is currently 17 years old, started playing volleyball in grade 7 and needed someone to pepper with outside,” Cristine said.
“She taught me basic volleyball skills in the backyard and we practiced together nearly every day.
“When I entered grade 7 I chose to play volleyball as an inter-school sport.”
Cristine went on to play in numerous Cup events hosted by Queensland Volleyball, as well as the Adobo Cup (Filipino Volleyball Tournament), the All Nations Cup (Elites Volleyball), and district volleyball.
Cristine achieved bronze and silver placings in Intermediate Schools Cup, Junior Schools Cup and Beach Volleyball Schools Cup events.
“It was a great experience for me as I got to enjoy my favourite sports with all my friends and stay in cabins with them for each tournament,” she said.
“My favourite volleyball tournament was definitely the Adobo Cup as it connected me with people who come from the same place I was born in, and it was a very entertaining event that I still participate in when it is being hosted.”
Cristine said she enjoyed the teamwork when playing volleyball.
“Without teamwork, there is no fun, points and wins,” she said.
“I love how quick and easy it is to get along with new people when joining new teams and how easygoing it is.”
Cristine said game plans and strategies were really useful on the court, and that these were usually planned in trainings and then put into gameplay.
“Sometimes the strategies won’t always work, so quick thinking is really important to switch things up,” she said.
While Cristine said she would try her best in sport “and I’d love to see myself succeed with a sporting career”, she said school was still very important and a top priority.
