A-level results day brought more than just grades for two best friends from Coleg y Cymoedd’s Netball Academy. It marked the culmination of a two-year journey that began on the netball court and is now launching them into exciting new adventures.
Ruby Shorney, 18, from Caerphilly, and Tia Higgins, 19, from Treorchy, met as strangers when they joined the college’s netball squad. Their shared love for the sport quickly grew into a deep friendship that supported them through academics and on-court competition.
Ruby, a talented player who has represented Wales, balanced her rigorous training schedule with her A-levels, achieving three As in PE, Psychology, and Criminology. She credits the sport with teaching her valuable skills. “Being part of the Netball Academy has given me so many opportunities… It’s taught me how to push myself academically while still doing what I love,” she said.
Now that she’s finished her studies, Ruby is trading her netball trainers for a backpack. She’s setting off on a year-long adventure across Southeast Asia. “I’m hoping that travelling will give me a clearer idea of a career I’d like to pursue,” Ruby explained. “I’ve never gone anywhere on my own so it’s a massive step, but one I think being at college has really helped to prepare me for.”
A Commitment to the Court and Classroom
For Tia, the path forward is through further education. After a two-hour daily commute to college, she achieved three Distinction grades in her BTEC Sport Level 3 qualification and has secured a place to study Sport and Exercise Science at the prestigious University of Exeter, with the goal of becoming a PE teacher.
Tia also represented the Academy’s premier side in international matches, including games against elite teams from South Africa. Like Ruby, she has a desire to explore the world and hopes to study abroad in Australia or New Zealand. “I’d love to open myself up to new experiences somewhere else in the world,” she said.
The two friends are united in their belief that their time at Coleg y Cymoedd was instrumental in preparing them for what’s next. “We’d have never met if we both hadn’t decided to take a chance on coming to college,” Ruby confirmed. “We’re definitely friends for life and… our experiences here have shaped us as people.”
As they prepare to embark on their separate journeys, they hold onto the hope that their paths may cross again someday on the other side of the world.
Cardiff’s independent pub, North Star is set to close this New Year’s Eve
Cardiff’s first romance bookshop Love Stories opens in Castle Arcade
