World Youth Cup goal keeps Charlie aiming high for Jets
Single-minded sportswoman chasing grand final glory, spot on national team. Bell shares her ambitions.
Sport
Don't miss out on the headlines from Sport. Followed categories will be added to My News.
WHEN it comes to single-minded focus, skilful shooter Charlie Bell is already setting the highest standards.
But it's not only her determination to help the USQ Ipswich Jets make this year's Sapphire Series grand final that motivates her to be a better netballer.
She has elite level goals.
The Jets goal shooter has just deferred her primary education studies to concentrate solely on chasing her international dream.
"I want to give 100 per cent to my netball and to working,'' Bell said.
"Netball is definitely my priority at the moment.
"My big goal is to make the World Youth Cup squad.''
Aged 19, Bell has been chosen in Australian under-19 and under-17 Aussie teams for the past three years, along with being selected in Netball Queensland elite development sides.
She has trained at the AIS and played against visiting English and New Zealand combinations.
She also spent some time in game play situations with the Queensland Firebirds before the Sapphire Series started.
With the World Youth Cup rescheduled for Fiji late next year, Bell wants to give herself every opportunity to gain selection for a national camp earmarked for December.
Fresh from the Jets second round 56-45 victory over the Wildcats, Bell is using the current Sapphire Series to maintain her shooting form.
She was one of the standouts for the second week in a row after the Jets also beat the Bull Sharks in their first game.
In her second season with the Ipswich club, Bell said being part of a settled squad was helping her team progress since training and getting back on court after the COVID-19 shutdown.
"We've had a different approach to our strength and conditioning and I think it's really done wonders for our groups,'' she said.
"We're super fit, a lot smarter than last year.
"Our big goal is make the grand final.''
The Jets Sapphire and Ruby squads often work together. They clicked quickly into gear once the revised Netball Queensland competitions were finalised.
"We've had a small pre-season than what we are used to,'' Bell said. "But in a way, it was probably good . . . we made it really compact, quick and we super disciplined in all of that.
"I think we all killed it in the pre-season and now the results are showing on the court.''
Around her netball training and playing demands, Bell works doing coaching at her former school St Aidan's.
In Sunday night's match at the Queensland State Netball Centre, the Jets finished strongly to secure an important victory.
"It was awesome win,'' Bell said. "It was much tighter than last week (a 20-point win).
"We started a little bit slow but as we had a really good first quarter, we just kept building on that and that's one of the things that we've been really focusing on this year.
"Being champion minded, building on every quarter and just setting the standards higher.''
CHAMPION MINDSET: Being the best provides extra motivation
TALENT SEARCH: Jets help Ipswich nurture and discover future stars
READY TO GO: Jets netballers enjoy different session to prepare for season return
Bell is eager to work with head coach Tracey Jeanes-Fraser and her teammates to achieve title honours.
"We're just really, really motivated to challenge ourselves,'' she said. "Get to the goal of grand finals.''
Another person Bell admires is Jets captain and ongoing role model Stephanie O'Brien, who coached her in juniors.
O'Brien continues to provide valuable support on and off the court.
"She did a really awesome job at the back end of the game,'' Bell said.
"She made sure we were on our game, super hungry for the ball and we came away with such a good win and I'm so proud of the girls.''
The USQ Jets Rubies also won their second match, beating Wildcats 52-47 on Sunday night.
The third round draw was being finalised.
Sapphire Series Rd 2: Jets def Wildcats 56-45
Ruby South Series Rd 2: Jets def Wildcats 52-47
GPS First XI cricket: BBC’s finest past and present recognised here
GPS First XI cricket: BBC’s finest past and present recognised here, including a mysterious Test omission who stands aloft as the college’s greatest player.
Connell Cup countdown: Souths Logan NRL links only part of the story
Connell Cup rugby league countdown: Souths Logan have the brothers of two series winning State of Origin players, but there is also plenty of other talent set to shine in 2025.