By David Nagel
It’s hard to imagine a more respected figure in the Pakenham sporting landscape than netballer Kate McCowan – who reached the extraordinary milestone of playing her 400th club game for the Lions against Berwick on Saturday.
The Lions’ 2020-21 club captain has been showered with words of congratulations over the last week, not just for her longevity and divine netball skills on the court – but for being a person held in the highest regard off it.
“It makes me really proud to read the sort of stuff I’ve been reading,” said McCowan, now the club’s newest life member.
“I think it’s because I am so proud of this club and what it stands for, so to know that they are as proud of me as I am of the club…that’s pretty special.”
McCowan’s first taste of netball came when a friend at St Patrick’s Primary School in Pakenham asked her to come down and fill in because her team was short of players.
“I remember her first instructions being ‘Here’s the ball, stop them from getting it,” McCowan recalled with a giggle.
Kate’s mum Carmel and dad Malcolm were doctors at the same practice in Pakenham for 25 years. Malcolm played Aussie rules and Carmel was into her tennis, while Kate’s brother Michael was a keen basketballer.
But for Kate, it’s always been about the Pakenham Netball Club and building a strong bond with the people within its four walls. She was first invited to the club by iconic Pakenham figure Jenny Burridge, starting in the under 11s.
It started a long association, briefly interrupted by University studies, that still holds strong today. The Pakenham Netball Club really has helped shape Kate McCowan’s life.
“From the sport side of things netball is such a phenomenal game and I just love it, but there is so much more to being part of a club that is probably more important than what happens on the court,” McCowan said.
“I’ve learnt so much at this club about life in general.
“I’ve made friends that will last a lifetime and learned skills, like being part of a team, being a leader, being resilient when things don’t go your way, and how to enjoy the successes and wins that come along the way.
“I’ve played a little bit at other clubs, but Pakenham just has a different feel to it.
“They really care about who you are as a person, constantly developing your skills and making sure we’re all on the same page with our moral values and making a contribution to the club.
“Someone like Marg (Jones) personally welcomes every player to training and asks them how they are, and someone like Jenny Burridge coached me for years and you can’t help but learn from someone like that.
“That culture has become the norm now and so many people are driving it. It’s all about what the club stands for, our values and how we want the club to operate and look.”
McCowan, a circle defender, reached a high level during her late junior and early senior career, playing State League for the Gippsland Storm and later for the Peninsula Waves, playing division one, just one level below the elite Premier Division.
But her favourite memory, among many success stories to choose from, is the drought-breaking 2004 A Grade netball premiership with Pakenham.
“That’s my favourite memory for sure,” McCowan recalls.
“It was such a close game and some of the players in that team had mothers that were part of the last A Grade premiership that Pakenham had won.
“We broke a long drought and we partied for a week I reckon after that one.”
Kate said her competitive spirit had always been one of her great strengths.
“My coach (Matt Cooke) has given me a licence to scare as many wing attacks and goal attacks as I can,” McCowan says with a laugh.
“I am a very competitive person and even when I’ve been coaching juniors I don’t think you can teach someone to really drive at the ball. I think you’ve either got that in you or you haven’t.”
The Pakenham Team of the Decade member has had her fair share of injuries along the journey with an ankle reconstruction almost 10 years ago the most serious of those.
“The doctor looks at my MRI scans and says ‘Yeah have fun with that when you get older,” Kate says with a laugh, before offering youngsters a word of advice as they begin their netball journey.
“Obviously the fitness and health side of things are important, but if you feel comfortable at a club, and you have a good support network around you, it really can change your life,” she said.
“I was made redundant and didn’t work for a year, and I don’t know how I would have coped if wasn’t for the people around me at the netball club.
“If you feel valued as a player, but more importantly as a person…you’ve found the right club.”
Kate wanted to sign off by saying a special thank you to those who have helped her reach her incredible 400-game milestone.
“Obviously mum and dad are at the top of the tree for taking me everywhere to play netball, and then my current and past teammates who have just been so supportive along the journey,” she said.
“And to everyone at the club, like the committee members, the volunteers, the supporters, and the sponsors…I really can’t believe they have put up with me for 25 years.”
It might have something to do with respect Kate.
It’s hard to imagine a more respected figure in the Pakenham sporting landscape than netballer Kate McCowan.
