Donna Wilkins
Encyclopedia
Donna Wilkins (née Loffhagen) (born 29 April 1978 in Christchurch
Christchurch
Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the country's second-largest urban area after Auckland. It lies one third of the way down the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula which itself, since 2006, lies within the formal limits of...
, New Zealand) is one of New Zealand's leading sportswomen, representing her country in both netball
Netball
Netball is a ball sport played between two teams of seven players. Its development, derived from early versions of basketball, began in England in the 1890s. By 1960 international playing rules had been standardised for the game, and the International Federation of Netball and Women's Basketball ...
and basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
. She became married to Southland farmer Mike Wilkins on 17 March 2007. Donna is returning to the Southern Steel
Southern Steel
The Southern Steel are a New Zealand netball team based in Invercargill that compete in the trans-Tasman ANZ Championship. The franchise was formed as an amalgamation of two teams from the National Bank Cup, the Dunedin-based Otago Rebels and the Invercargill-based Southern Sting...
for the 2012 season, after a short stint with the Canterbury Tactix in 2011.
Netball
Wilkins has represented the New Zealand Silver FernsSilver Ferns
The New Zealand national netball team, commonly known as the Silver Ferns, represent New Zealand in international netball. The team take their nickname from the Silver Tree Fern , which is an iconic emblem for many New Zealand sports teams. The Silver Ferns were formed in 1938 as a representative...
64 times, making her 50th cap against Jamaica at home in Invercargill
Invercargill
Invercargill is the southernmost and westernmost city in New Zealand, and one of the southernmost cities in the world. It is the commercial centre of the Southland region. It lies in the heart of the wide expanse of the Southland Plains on the Oreti or New River some 18 km north of Bluff,...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. The 1.85 cm, Goal Attack and Goal Shoot, started her career for Canterbury in the National Championships in 1994 as a cool sixteen year old. She carried on playing for the province until called into the Silver Ferns
Silver Ferns
The New Zealand national netball team, commonly known as the Silver Ferns, represent New Zealand in international netball. The team take their nickname from the Silver Tree Fern , which is an iconic emblem for many New Zealand sports teams. The Silver Ferns were formed in 1938 as a representative...
in 1996. After four years playing top netball in Canterbury, Donna Wilkins signed with the Southland netball team for the 1997 season along with fellow Silver Ferns captain Bernice Mene
Bernice Mene
Bernice Mene MNZM is a New Zealand netball player.Mene represented New Zealand playing netball for the Silver Ferns for tens year, playing 78 tests. She captained the domestic team the Southern Sting from 1998–2003, with the team winning the National Bank Cup each year she captained except for...
. She shot the southerners into fourth place overall in the championships, a much improved performance of 10th the year before.
After Netball New Zealand announced plans for a new semi-professional franchise competition for 1998 season to replace the old provincial champs, the new Invercargill
Invercargill
Invercargill is the southernmost and westernmost city in New Zealand, and one of the southernmost cities in the world. It is the commercial centre of the Southland region. It lies in the heart of the wide expanse of the Southland Plains on the Oreti or New River some 18 km north of Bluff,...
based franchise the Southern Sting
Southern Sting
The Southern Sting were a netball team based in Invercargill, New Zealand that competed in The National Bank Cup competition, formerly known as the Coca Cola Cup....
retained Wilkins services along with Bernice Mene
Bernice Mene
Bernice Mene MNZM is a New Zealand netball player.Mene represented New Zealand playing netball for the Silver Ferns for tens year, playing 78 tests. She captained the domestic team the Southern Sting from 1998–2003, with the team winning the National Bank Cup each year she captained except for...
for the season. Wilkins continued to play in the South for the Southern Sting
Southern Sting
The Southern Sting were a netball team based in Invercargill, New Zealand that competed in The National Bank Cup competition, formerly known as the Coca Cola Cup....
till 2006, when she was called into the Suns basketball team in the American WNBA basketball competition. She returned for the Stings semi final and final game. She continued playing for the Sting in 2007 when the won the franchise competition National Bank Cup
National Bank Cup
The National Bank Cup was the pre-eminent national netball competition in New Zealand between 1998 and 2007. From 2008, it was replaced by the ANZ Championship.-Format:...
.
The Sting won seven out of the ten National Bank Cup titles, being named as one of the worlds best sporting teams. Other big names to play for the franchise include: Bernice Mene
Bernice Mene
Bernice Mene MNZM is a New Zealand netball player.Mene represented New Zealand playing netball for the Silver Ferns for tens year, playing 78 tests. She captained the domestic team the Southern Sting from 1998–2003, with the team winning the National Bank Cup each year she captained except for...
, Tania Dalton
Tania Dalton
Tania Dalton is a New Zealand former international netball player. She currently works as a netball commentator on SKY Sports for international tests, the ANZ Championship and National Championships, alongside former internationals Anna Stanley, Natalie Avellino, Kathryn Harby-Williams and Bernice...
, Megan Hutton
Megan Hutton
Megan Hutton is a New Zealand retired netball player. Hutton normally plays in the goal keeper position. She also played basketball for Southland....
, Belinda Colling
Belinda Colling
Belinda Louise Colling is a New Zealand international netball and women's basketball representative.-Netball career:...
, Leana de Bruin
Leana de Bruin
Leana de Bruin is a South African and New Zealand international netball player. De Bruin played 34 tests for South Africa before moving to New Zealand in 2000...
, Liana Leota, Adine Wilson
Adine Wilson
Adine Rachel Wilson Harper is a New Zealand international netball representative.-Personal background:...
, Lesley Rumball, Naomi Siddall, Wendy Frew, Erika Burgess
Erika Burgess
Erika Burgess is a New Zealand netball player. Burgess plays for the Southern Steel in the ANZ Championship, having previously played for the Western Flyers and Southern Sting in the National Bank Cup...
, Daneka Wipiiti
Daneka Wipiiti
Daneka Wipiiti is a New Zealand international netball player. She is currently in the New Zealand national netball team, the Silver Ferns, and plays with the Southern Steel in the ANZ Championship....
and Natalie Avellino
Natalie Avellino
Natalie Avellino is a retired Australian netballer, and current co-coach of the Southern Steel netball team in the ANZ Championship...
.
In 2008 a new trans-Tasman semi-professional league was launched, the ANZ Championship
ANZ Championship
The ANZ Championship is the pre-eminent netball league in the world. The competition is held annually between April and July, comprising 69 matches played over 17 weeks. It is contested by ten teams, five from Australia and five from New Zealand...
. Wilkins did not play in the first season due to pregnancy, but continued with the Southern Steel
Southern Steel
The Southern Steel are a New Zealand netball team based in Invercargill that compete in the trans-Tasman ANZ Championship. The franchise was formed as an amalgamation of two teams from the National Bank Cup, the Dunedin-based Otago Rebels and the Invercargill-based Southern Sting...
as an assistant coach. She returned to the playing lineup for the 2009 season, where the Steel improved on their 2008 standing to reach the finals stage; the Steel were eventually defeated by the Adelaide Thunderbirds
Adelaide Thunderbirds
The Adelaide Thunderbirds are an Australian netball team based in Adelaide that currently compete in the trans-Tasman ANZ Championship. The Thunderbirds were formed as one of the foundation teams of the Commonwealth Bank Trophy , previously the premier netball league in Australia, which was...
in the semi-finals. Later that month, Wilkins announced that she would not be returning to the Steel in 2010.
Wilkins turned out for the Canterbury Tactix in 2011, and is set to return back to the Steel for 2012.
As a member of the New Zealand national netball team, Loffhagen won two Commonwealth Games
Commonwealth Games
The Commonwealth Games is an international, multi-sport event involving athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930 and takes place every four years....
silver medals, at Kuala Lumpur in 1998 and Manchester in 2002.
Basketball
Wilkins formerly played for Canterbury in the NZ Women's Basketball League. In Australia, she played two seasons with the Canberra CapitalsCanberra Capitals
The Canberra TransACT Capitals are an Australian Women's Basketball League team based in Canberra, Australia. TransACT Communications is the current naming rights sponsor for the Canberra Capitals...
in the WNBL. In 2006 she signed for the Connecticut Sun
Connecticut Sun
The Connecticut Sun is a professional basketball team based in Uncasville, Connecticut, playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded in Orlando, Florida before the 1999 season began; the team moved to Connecticut before the 2003 season...
s in the US WNBA. She now plays for the Christchurch Sirens in the WNBL.
Who were lated scratched from the league. She currently is making a comeback to the New Zealand Basketball team.
As of 2006, Wilkins had 95 caps for New Zealand national team, including the 2000 Summer Olympics
2000 Summer Olympics
The Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated between 15 September and 1 October 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
in Sydney, the 2004 Summer Olympics
2004 Summer Olympics
The 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13 to August 29, 2004 with the motto Welcome Home. 10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team...
in Athens, and the 2006 Commonwealth Games
2006 Commonwealth Games
The 2006 Commonwealth Games were held in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia between 15 March and 26 March 2006. It was the largest sporting event to be staged in Melbourne, eclipsing the 1956 Summer Olympics in terms of the number of teams competing, athletes competing, and events being held.The site...
in Melbourne (as captain).