KEY POINTS:
While big-city Auckland schools splash money around to get top coaches, Paeroa College in the Hauraki District can boast of having the brightest netball brain in the country ... and it doesn't cost a cent.
Silver Ferns coach Ruth Aitken takes on the coaching duties of the college's two senior netball teams as part of her "volunteer mum stuff".
Poaching is not a problem in Paeroa. The town has one high school with a roll of about 300 students. Aitken, a former teacher at Paeroa College, admits she got talked into the job by husband Grant, the principal.
But she is enjoying the challenge of coaching at a more "grassroots" level.
"It's awesome, actually," Aitken said. "The girls are great and they're very good at turning up to training, funnily enough."
One of the biggest adjustments for Aitken has been battling the elements.
With the teams training outdoors and playing on outside courts in their local Wednesday night league, it means Aitken has spent some cold, wet nights standing on the sideline.
"In one of the games the other week it was just pouring down with rain so I was there on the sideline in my big jacket thinking, 'Oh my god'."
One of her young charges, Hayley Patrick, 17, said she had been thrilled to learn Aitken would be her coach.
"I thought it was awesome, I think a lot of people were pretty jealous."
Patrick believes having the Silver Ferns coach on the sideline also provides the "fear factor" for their side.
"A couple of people have said they were quite intimidated when they saw her turn up."
Of course, it can have the reverse effect, whereby the opposition, knowing Aitken is watching, try desperately hard to impress her.
And then there is the pressure of expectation on the Paeroa kids.
"There's a lot of pressure when you go to games and everyone expects you to be really good straight away," Patrick said.
With all her experience, Aitken still cops the odd reprimand on the sideline.
"We actually had an injury stoppage on Friday night so I'm busy talking away to the girls, and the umpire very politely afterwards came and said, 'Ruth, remember you're not actually allowed to coach during the injury breaks any more'."
