Charlotte’s incredible experience at Korfball World Championship
Recently returning from playing in the Korfball World Championships in Taipei, Charlotte Bristow (née Wilson, LHS 2013) scored her second ever goal for Ireland’s Korfball team.
Charlotte said, ‘Playing in Taipei was such an incredible experience. Our first game was against the hosts shortly after the Opening Ceremony so the atmosphere in the hall was electric. Taipei demonstrated a masterclass in shooting against us, with the final score being 38-8. However, all was not lost as Ireland’s results improved as the tournament progressed; we ended the tournament in 17th place out of 24 teams and with four wins, which was no mean feat considering we had never won a World Championship match before this tournament.’
She adds; ‘On a personal level, I was proud to have contributed well defensively to the final few minutes of our knockout games and, of course, to have scored my second ever official international goal in our final game against Thailand. We were very lucky that a few squad member’s parents travelled halfway across the world to support us, but this was not possible for my family. However, they were eagerly watching live-streamed games on IKF’s YouTube channel in the early hours and sending me lots of supportive messages.’
So, what is korfball? Korfball is a Dutch mixed-gender ball sport like basketball and netball. The aim is to score goals by throwing a ball into the 3.5m high Korf. There are eight players, four of each gender, on the court.
Charlotte explains; ‘All players must play both attacking and defending roles which means everyone has to be versatile; sometimes it feels like mind chess, trying to work out what your player is going to do and how to respond to it!’
She adds: ‘Throughout my time at LHS, I somehow managed to balance my studies with my love of music and sport, juggling 11 different extra-curricular activities in the Sixth Form.’
Whilst completing her music degree at the University of Southampton, Charlotte’s housemates convinced her to go to a korfball taster session and she instantly fell in love with the sport. Having played netball for many years at LHS, she was able to use and transfer many of the skills into the sport. She says, ‘In my second year of playing, I trialled for the Ireland squad (being eligible through my Irish grandmother) and made the team. Since then, I have taken part in international tournaments in Hungary, Poland, Czech Republic, and most recently, in the 2023 World Championship in Taipei.’
Outside of her day job as the Year 3 teacher at Amherst, Charlotte is a member of the Nottingham Korfball Club. She trains weekly and plays regular matches in the Midlands Regional League. Her team is currently unbeaten in the league, and they are hoping to maintain this good form for the remaining games.
