Bright future ahead for Sophie Hartnett

Thirteen-year-old Australia Day Young Citizen of the Year Sophie Hartnett has a lot going for her, on and off the court, excelling at both tennis and netball while volunteering to help mentor kids like herself, who are passionate about sport.

The budding sports enthusiast attends St Mary’s College in Gunnedah and already has an impressive resume of achievements to add to her studies, which were described as “an impressive commitment” during her Australia Day award presentation.

“I was very surprised to win the award but very happy,” said Sophie.

“Sometimes country kids miss out on receiving awards, so this was amazing.

“It is still sinking in, but I can’t believe it.”

Among her achievements in netball were being selected for the Narrabri Netball U13 State Age team to compete at the 2023 Hart NSW Junior State Titles in Sydney and receiving the ‘Coaches Award’ for the series.

Her love of being active and playing sports is what drives Sophie’s passion for both netball and tennis, as well as being able to play at what she considers “the great sporting facilities” in Narrabri.

“There are also a lot of great people that play both sports in the shire and seeing it on TV is great motivation for kids, no matter where they come from,” said Sophie.

“There was a lot of travel involved when participating in both sports last year, but I loved representing Narrabri, especially in the city, I learned a lot.”

Delece Hartnett, Sophie’s mum and one of her biggest supporters, was proud of her daughter’s accomplishments and hoped it would inspire more local kids to get out there and give it a go in sport and volunteering.

“Especially for young girls to know that you don’t have to live in the city to achieve at higher levels, you just have to put your mind to it, and invest time into practice, and we are lucky to have these local people and committee volunteers in our shire to help you achieve these results.”

“But she has put a lot of hard work into both sports last year, particularly with tennis over many years now, as well as squeezing in high school too, it’s a lovely recognition,” said Mrs Hartnett.

Because of the dedication that each sport requires, both in competition and travel, Sophie has made the difficult decision to pursue tennis full-time this year, as her foremost passion and favourite sport, though she is proud of all that she’s achieved in netball.

“I would like to thank Narrabri Netball Association for all the opportunities they gave me last year to compete at State Age in Sydney – it was a great (and busy) year,” said Sophie.

Sophie’s noteworthy tennis achievements include being selected for the NSWCC (Combined Catholic College) St Mary’s College for Tennis Championships in Bathurst, passing through regional Diocese selection onto State Trials.

She was also selected for the North West Regional State Team Tennis Trials in Bathurst, competing in the Jan O’Neill Cup.

Sophie finished fourth overall in last year’s Northwest Regional Matchplay Series Tournaments, which included selection for two out of three invitation-only North West Regional training squad events.

She was also selected to compete for State Selection for the 2023 Champion of Champions Regional event for North West and North Eastern NSW (continuing this selection from 2022).

Sophie’s dedication to sports has earned her recognition from North West Tennis, Narrabri, and District Tennis Association, and Narrabri Netball Association, and this dedication also comes through in her volunteering efforts.

“It is important to keep smaller kids interested in sport, so they continue to play, and represent Narrabri, and go even further afield, which is definitely achievable,” said Sophie.

“I learned from volunteers and coaches helping me, and I like showing kids how to play, use the right techniques and shots, and then have a game with them so they can learn and have fun at the same time.”

Looking to her bright future, Sophie would like to become a teacher but in the meantime is determined to keep representing Narrabri and North West Tennis for as long as she can keep up with the training and practice.

She is also passionate about mentoring children in sports and helping them learn and develop both in school and competitively.

“I would still like to be an assistant coach with Shane Murphy at the Narrabri courts as well, who has been my coach since I was five, which is a long time now,” said Sophie.

“He has been a fantastic coach and has taught me so much about tennis, both playing the shots and how to think more strategically – which I am still working on.

“If it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t have made NSW State Trials two years in a row.

“I have a few more goals to meet and will keep working on them with Shane.”