![](\"https:\/\/cdn-images-1.medium.com\/max\/1200\/1*hk89-9jLUOkFPhJj725V5Q.jpeg\")
<\/div>\n<\/div>But there\u2019s a limited number of places\u200a\u2014\u200aonly 7 on a netball team, 14 if there\u2019s a B team. So, sadly there will be a fair number of girls who aren\u2019t chosen this time round. It\u2019s especially hard to take when it\u2019s a sport the girls really enjoy and one they have done well at. Not to mention when some of their friends and peers have been chosen for the team.<\/p>\n
Disappointment happens a lot in sport and life in general, when the outcome of a situation doesn\u2019t turn out the way you were hoping or planning for. It\u2019s hard to handle as an adult and even harder as a child who feels rejected.<\/p>\n
So, here are five tips to help your daughter cope with disappointment and learn to bounce back:<\/p>\n
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- Firstly, listen to her. Let her explain how she feels about not being on the team. Give her the chance to share her disappointment, pain or vent her anger. Be supportive, not critical. Reassure her that you\u2019re happy she did her best. Your words at this vulnerable point are critical in determining whether your daughter just gives up on the sport or is able to learn to handle the situation and look for the chances to try again next time. Reassure her that there will probably be more trials during the year when there will be more opportunities to try out for the teams if she\u2019d still like to.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
2. Don\u2019t be angry or bitter with the PE teacher for not selecting your daughter. Bite your tongue and keep your views to yourself, otherwise there\u2019s a danger your daughter might repeat your opinion to others, which undermines the team and teacher, not to mention causes more problems.<\/p>\n
3. Make an action plan\u200a\u2014\u200adoing something about a tricky situation always helps you feel more positive. If she even registers a tiny bit of interest in making the team later in the year,encourage her to stay positive and try her absolute best when playing netball in her PE lessons, so she stays on the radar of the PE teacher. Suggest finding out about non-team netball at school (if there is a lunchtime\/after school club), so she can keep learning new skills. If there isn\u2019t one, then maybe she could suggest having one? She won\u2019t be the only one in this situation. She might feel like giving up and never playing again for a few days, so don\u2019t force the issue if she doesn\u2019t want to.<\/p>\n
4. Netball can still be fun outside of the school teams! There are many local netball clubs which take girls from year 5 onwards or even younger, like\u00a0SistersnSport\u00a0<\/a>who offer fun, non-competitive skills schools at the weekends. There are also some excellent netball skills drills on the internet your daughter can try out, both on her own or with a small group of friends in the garden or park. (Try the Foundation Skills series on\u00a0Netball Australia<\/a>,\u00a0Crazy Catch<\/a>, Ball work with\u00a0SistersnSport<\/a>, Trish\u2019s Top Tips on\u00a0Welsh Netball<\/a>).<\/p>\n
5. Encourage her to try different sports out too. She may not have found \u201cher sport\u201d yet. It\u2019s great fun for children to experiment with different sports to find one that they really enjoy. If she sticks to just one sport, or worse, gives up on all sport after not making the team, then she\u2019ll never have the chance to find her sports passion.<\/p>\n
Everyone who tries their best to succeed in a sport will face challenges, competition and setbacks at some point. It\u2019s not easy to do, but if you can help your daughters to handle disappointment with grace and dignity from an early age, you are teaching them something even more valuable than how to play netball\u200a\u2014\u200athe life skill of resilience!<\/p>\n
And if they need that extra inspiration, check out\u00a0this inspiring video<\/a>\u00a0of the irrepressible Sharni Layton, captain of the Australian netball team, who \u201csat on the bench for five years and missed out on a lot of teams when she was younger.\u201d Now regarded as one of the best players in the world!<\/p>\n
#ProveThemWrong<\/p>\n
Sarah Bennett\u00a0<\/a>is a Mum of two netball- and sport-loving daughters and a Social Media Marketing Manager for\u00a0Sisters n Sport<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
5 tips to help your […]<\/p>\n