After suffering a knee injury that would end most sporting careers, Courtney Tairi has used it as motivation to recreate herself, and this year she will look to be a key factor in a year of rebuilding for the NSW Swifts.
It was 2007 and Tairi, a talented junior netballer, had a bright future ahead of her. She was a week out from the 2007 under-19 nationals and had also been selected to make her Commonwealth Bank Trophy debut, when unexpectedly she ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee. Tairi’s future in netball had suddenly turned upside down.
Reflecting on the situation Tairi said, “The injury really could not have come at a worse time, but I had great support behind me.”
Unsure of what lay ahead, it took a call from former Australian Captain and NSWIS Board Member Liz Ellis to convince Tairi that she could still achieve her dreams.
“Liz called me and said not to let it (the knee reconstruction) hold me back and to really work hard at rehab,” said Tairi.
“She has also had surgery and was able to beat adversity and come back as one of the best players in the game.”
Ellis bounced back from a full knee reconstruction to lead the then Sydney Swifts to an undefeated season in 2006, one of the many reasons why Tairi sees Ellis as her sporting idol.
Tairi started the long road to recovery with the belief she could recover to her previous best and beyond. In 2008 she moved to Canberra as part of the Australian Institute of Sport’s (AIS) scholarship program and was awarded the Nestle/AIS Career Scholarship.
On August 21 2009 came the moment of redemption for Tairi, when the Australian under-21 team beat New Zealand in the final of the IFNA World Youth Netball Championship, to become the world champions.“A year ago I never would have predicted this would happen,” said Tairi talking after the win.
Since moving back Sydney to train, Tairi has been rewarded with an NSWIS scholarship, and has begun working with the Athlete, Career and Education team to develop her life outside sport.
“It was with the NSWIS that I learnt to balance both my education and sporting life. To this day the NSWIS is still supporting me and have contributed to my success on and off the court.”
Late last year she attended NSW Swifts training camps and forced her way into the senior squad for the ANZ Championship, a feat that would have been unthinkable two years earlier.
With the preseason over and the season in full swing, Tairi hopes that her good form continues and she can help the Swifts turn the tables after a disappointing 2009.