At only 16 she was only accustomed to her village boundaries.
So to go beyond that for a majjor sporting event was a major feat.
For this she was a bundle of nerves and excitement.
For Piweni Tavalu, thats the battle she faced as she searched for the courage to face her parents and to ask their permission to participate in the Newcrest National Netball Championship which was held in Goroka last month.
It would be the first time for this Rigo teenager to travel without her parents and on an aircraft for that matter.
You can imagine that exhilarating moment when her parents finally caved in to allow their daughter to travel. Piweni recalls it was not easy building the courage to ask permission and it took her a while, which is not so surprising because her sibling and mom have never been on a plane as well!
Piweni comes from Ginigolo in the Rigo District.
Her maiden plane trip to Goroka became a reality when she earned herself a place in the Under 21 Rigo Netball Team.
The night before the trip Piweni told her parents she had to be at the airport around 6am for check in.
Her family was there by 3am the next morning, three hours ahead of check in, having travelled an hour from their village.
The family may not have even slept a wink.
Team coach Lydia Veali assisted Piweni with the check-in process and later accompanied her back to her teary mother who kissed and hugged her. Piweni was far too excited to realize the extent of her mother’s anxiety.
“When we boarded the aircraft, Piweni sat next to me and I told her not to be afraid.
At take off Piweni took hold of my hands. It was a very new experience for her.
When we touched down at Goroka I asked her if everything was okay and she said she had enjoyed the flight,” Veali said.
Piweni played in the Under 21-A Grade team because she was one of four players who qualified for an Under 17 team which could not muster the numbers to make a full team.
During training, Piweni lacked the confidence to play in the A-grade team but with Lydia’s patience and experience, she was mentally prepared. In her first game Piweni played wing attack and centre positions and with every game, her confidence grew.
Piweni’s story is similar to many other young girls who play netball at the village level.
It also opens up another story of passion, belief and the steel determination of the Rigo Netball Rigo Association who were determined to send their team, Mosin Fresh Powered Rigo Logea to the championships.
Funding was secured because the association believed in the potential of the young players and wanted to give them the opportunity to show case their talent so they too could vye for positions in the national Pepes squad and under 21 representative teams.
The week-long championship ended with the Mosin Fresh Powered Rigo Logea securing the B-grade premiership and runner up in the U21 division.
Both B Grade and under 15 cemented their grand final debut. The Under 21 lost to Abau by 2 points mostly because the talent was young and inexperienced.
President of the Rigo Netball Association and newly elected vice President of the PNG Netball Federation, Iamo Launa said: “Most of the individual awards were given to Rigo under 21 and 15 teams and to the B grade team.
I am so proud.”