Words by Sharlene Versfeld
Meet Danielle Van Onselen – 18 year old hockey player and deputy head girl at Grantleigh College.
The energetic right link has achieved colours in soccer and academic, honours in hockey, Captain for the school girl’s cricket team and an award for Super Sports star of the year (2015). She plays provincial hockey and also enjoys soccer.
Danielle started playing hockey in grade 1 at Heuwelland Primary School and has always been inspired by her coach at the moment Mr B, who always tells her not to get her head in the game, but to just play.
The sports star has also got her academics balanced out with her favourite subject being Geography and having dreams of studying LLD Law next year at the Potchefstroom University.
Danielle enjoys a good movie on a Sunday, with good food if she is not playing league hockey.
“The absolute adrenalin rush, the chase and the competitiveness, this is where you can forget about all your responsibilities for the time you are on the field and just be your best”, says Danielle.
She is inspired by her family, with her younger sister being a hockey and cricket player, her mom having played netball in the past and her dad Quintin played rugby for KZN defence u21 and played Zululand Rhino rugby for 8 years.
Danielle is excited and anxious at the same time as the Northern Coastal KZN Regional of the SPAR KZN School Girls’ Hockey Challenge will take place at Grantleigh College on Saturday on May 28.
The young hockey player lives by these words, “To God be the glory”.