Nicole Cusack facts for kids
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | 1966 Sydney |
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| Netball career | |||||||||||||||||||
| Playing position(s): GA,GS | |||||||||||||||||||
| Years | National team(s) | Caps | |||||||||||||||||
| 1989–1998 | Australian Diamonds | 52 | |||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Nicole Cusack (born 1966) is a famous former Australian netball player. She made history as the second Indigenous Australian to play for the Australian Diamonds. This happened in 1989, after Marcia Ella. After she stopped playing, Nicole became a top netball coach.
Contents
About Nicole Cusack
Nicole Cusack was born in 1966. She grew up in the Liverpool area of Sydney, Australia.
Nicole's Sporting Journey
Early Sports Before Netball
Before she became a netball star, Nicole was a talented swimmer. She competed in the Australian Age Group Swimming Championships in 1979 and 1980. She swam in the 100m and 200m backstroke races. Nicole also played basketball for the Bankstown Bruins in Sydney during 1987 and 1988.
Starting Her Netball Career
Nicole began playing netball in the Randwick Netball Association. Her talent was quickly noticed. In 1982, she was chosen for the New South Wales (NSW) Under 17 team. The next year, 1983, she played as a goal attack for the NSW Under 19 team at the Australian Netball Championships.
Nicole also received a special scholarship. She studied netball at the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) in 1984 and 1985. While at the AIS, she was selected for the Australian Under 21 team.
Playing for the Australian Diamonds
Nicole Cusack made her first appearance for the Australian Diamonds on April 26, 1989. This big game was against the Silver Ferns in Auckland, New Zealand.
She was part of the Australian Diamonds team that played at the 1990 Commonwealth Games. Netball was a demonstration sport there. Nicole played 52 games for the Australian Diamonds. She helped her team win gold medals at two major events. These were the 1995 World Netball Championships and the 1998 Commonwealth Games.
Nicole also played for club teams in Australia. She played for Sydney Sandpipers in 1997. Then, in 1998, she played for the Melbourne Kestrels in the Commonwealth Bank Trophy league. She stopped playing netball after the 1998 Commonwealth Games.
Becoming a Netball Coach
After retiring as a player, Nicole Cusack stayed involved in netball. She became a successful coach. She held many important coaching roles:
- Assistant Coach for NSW Swifts (2001)
- Netball Scholarship Coach at the AIS (2008–2009)
- Assistant Coach for the Australian Under 21 World Champion team (2010)
- Specialist Coach for the Australian Diamonds (2008–2012)
- Specialist Coach for the Queensland Firebirds (2010–2014)
- Assistant Coach for the South Africa Proteas (2015–2019)
Awards and Recognition
Nicole Cusack has received several honors for her contributions to netball:
- She is in the New South Wales Hall of Champions.
- She was inducted into the Netball New South Wales Hall of Fame in 2007.
- She is also recognized in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Sports Hall of Fame.
