Laura Geitz facts for kids
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Geitz in 2016
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Laura Nicole Geitz | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 4 November 1987 Ipswich, Australia |
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| Height | 190 cm (6 ft 3 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | The Scots PGC College | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| University | Queensland University of Technology | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Spouse | Mark Gilbride | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Netball career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Playing position(s): GK, GD | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Club team(s) | Apps | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2008–2018 | Queensland Firebirds | 169 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | National team(s) | Caps | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2008–2018 | Australia | 71 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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| Last updated: 16 April 2018 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Laura Geitz, born on November 4, 1987, is a famous Australian netball player. She used to be the captain of Australia's national netball team, called the Australian Diamonds. Laura joined the national team in 2008.
She won several big awards for Australia. These include a silver medal at the 2010 Commonwealth Games and gold medals at the 2011 Netball World Championships and 2014 Commonwealth Games. She was captain for the 2014 gold medal win. In Australia, she played for the Queensland Firebirds in the ANZ Championship. Before that, she captained the AIS Canberra Darters.
About Laura Geitz's Life
Laura Geitz grew up in a town called Allora, Queensland. This town is in the Darling Downs area of Queensland. In 2017, on February 25, Laura became a mom when she gave birth to her son.
Laura Geitz's Amazing Netball Career
Winning the ANZ Championship in 2011
In 2011, Laura Geitz was a key player for the Queensland Firebirds. Her team had an amazing year. They won the ANZ Championship without losing a single game! This was a huge achievement for the team.
Playing for the Australian Diamonds
Laura was also part of the Australian Diamonds team. They played in the 2011 Netball World Championships in Singapore. In one important game against New Zealand, Laura came in during the second half. Her team was behind by six goals. Laura's strong play helped them catch up. They won the game by just one goal in overtime!
Top Awards and Captaincy
Because of her great performance in 2011, Laura received the Liz Ellis Diamond. This is a very important award in netball. She played 32 international games for Australia.
In 2013, Laura became the captain of the Australian team. She led them to win the 2013 Constellation Cup against New Zealand.
Leading Australia to Commonwealth Games Gold
In 2014, Laura Geitz was chosen to be the captain for the 2014 Commonwealth Games. Under her leadership, the team played against the New Zealand National Netball Team. They won the gold medal game! This was a very special win. It was Australia's first netball gold medal at the Commonwealth Games in 12 years.
More Wins with the Firebirds
In 2015, Laura also captained the Queensland Firebirds. They won the ANZ Championship again that year. They beat the New South Wales Swifts in the final game.
Retirement from Netball
Laura continued to play for the Firebirds in the new Suncorp Super Netball league. In July 2018, she announced she was retiring from playing for Australia. She had played 71 games for her country. Later that year, Laura also retired from playing club netball. She finished her career with 169 club games. She also won the Player of the Year award twice, in 2011 and 2014.
Honours and Recognition
Laura Geitz Statue in Brisbane
In May 2017, a special bronze statue of Laura Geitz was revealed. The Premier of Queensland, Annastacia Palaszczuk, helped unveil it. The statue is located at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre in Boondal. A sculptor named Liam Hardy spent 700 hours creating it. The statue shows Laura on her tiptoes, reaching out to touch a netball.
Statue in Her Hometown
In 2020, it was announced that a smaller, 4-foot tall version of the statue would be placed in her hometown of Allora. This replica was meant for Allora's sports museum. However, before it could be officially shown, the statuette was damaged. The ball that Laura was reaching for in the statue was reportedly taken.
