Super Netball Reserves Finals: Queensland Firebirds’ emerging shooter Elsa Sif Sandholt reflects on unique netball journey

From the dark and freezing winters of her hometown in the northern hemisphere, Elsa Sif Sandholt’s family made the move to Queensland starting a remarkable sporting journey from gymnastics to netball.

Iceland is not a common breeding ground for elite netballers.

But Queensland Firebirds training partner Elsa Sif Sandholt is working on changing that.

The emerging 192cm goal shooter hails from Reykjavik in Iceland where she lived until the age of three before her family moved to Australia.

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From the dark and freezing winters of her hometown in the northern hemisphere, the family set up base in the Aussie sun the Gold Coast where Sandholt started a sporting journey that would take her from national rhythmic gymnastic champion to one of the country’s rising young goaling stars.

Sandholt still has plenty of family ties to the Nordic country and she returns to visit as often as she can in the netball off-season, which is usually in the Icelandic winter.

Queensland Firebirds training partner Elsa Sif Sandholt in action for the Firebirds Futures in the Super Netball Reserves. Picture: Simon Leonard

“My whole (extended) family lives over there. We moved to Australia when I was three with my parents and my siblings. A bit of a fresh start, a bit different,” Sandholt said.

“We try to go over every year or so and see my grandparents, all my cousins, uncles and aunts, everybody.

“I absolutely love going back there and it does have a special place in my heart and I do miss them dearly. Definitely trying to go back there at the end of this year as well.

“I have not experienced an Icelandic summer since I was probably seven years old, so I would love to one day go back during summer, but it is during the netball season, so it doesn’t always marry up.

“But I love going back during winter as well and having a white Christmas.”

Sandholt speaks Icelandic, which has been important for her to preserve so she can remain in contact with her family overseas.

The 21-year-old Queensland Firebirds Futures player, also uses Icelandic words to help focus and motivate herself on court.

Elsa Sif Sandholt as a young child in her hometown of Reykjavik, Iceland, in 2008. Picture: Supplied

“I do have some cue words that are in Icelandic that I do use to remember, like berjast, which means fight,” Sandholt said.

“We have a best version card and it’s a card that you make through the Aussie programs that expresses how you show up on game day as your best version.

“When I handed my card over to Kiri Wills, our (Firebirds) head coach, she was looking at this word and she was like, ‘Elsa, I don’t know if I’m going crazy but this isn’t in English’. I was like, ‘I’m sorry, it’s definitely Icelandic’.”

Queensland Firebirds’ head coach Kiri Wills needed some help with translation. Picture: Mark Brake/Getty Images

Sandholt didn’t take up netball until the age of 14 after spending 10 years as a rhythmic gymnast before injury forced a change of direction.

“When I moved over to Australia, my grandma was really into gymnastics so my parents put me into rhythmic gymnastics over here with my cousin,” Sandholt said.

“So I did 10 years of rhythmic gymnastics, I was in high performance for maybe six years and I went to nationals twice and won a national championship.

“Then unfortunately my time in the sport just had to be up, I had to find a new way because of some injury, so I found netball and I am very thankful I found netball.

“It was just general wear and tear that you get in gymnastics, but I was a bit too tall I think, so my body couldn’t really cope with everything for too long.

“But I am very thankful for my time in gymnastics. As a taller athlete, it has definitely given me many positives that I can take into netball.”

Sandholt didn’t take up netball until the age of 14, now she is a training partner at the Firebirds. Picture: Richard Walker

It didn’t take long for Sandholt’s netball career to take off.

She has been a part of national programs since under-17s when she was playing as a goal keeper before the coaches decided she would be a better fit as a goal shooter.

Sandholt was the second-highest goal scorer behind Thunderbird Lucy Austin at the end of the regular season in the Super Netball Reserves this year.

She will again feature for the Queensland Firebirds Futures in this weekend’s Super Netball Reserves finals in Melbourne.

Sandholt said her gymnastics background had proved advantageous in the goal circle.

Sandholt in action for the Firebirds Futures in the Super Netball Reserves. Picture: Nalani Makunde

“One of my coaches when I first came in said I had more of a dynamic strength that was really helpful as a shooter, especially with someone my height,” she said.

“I think a lot of shooters coming up through the pathway can be quite rigid and stiff because you are taught from a young age to stay in the circle and hold.

“I had that advantage that I was not told that as a kid, I was told you need to move more, you have got to catch up with the little girls, so definitely using that movement and that dynamic strength on the netball court.”

Sandholt, who names Gretel Bueta as her netball idol, has her sights on a Super Netball contract as she continues to develop her game.

“A Super Netball contract is definitely a big goal of mine,” she said.

“I’m still chipping away at that as a training partner this season and really looking to take on a bigger role, but definitely over the next few years looking for that Super Netball contract or an 11th player contract, it would be a dream come true I think.”

Originally published as Super Netball Reserves Finals: Queensland Firebirds’ emerging shooter Elsa Sif Sandholt reflects on unique netball journey