An Armadale girl is over the moon after being selected to play at the Under 19s Floorball World Championships.
Jorja Charles will be playing for the Australian team in Uppsala, Sweden at the upcoming competition in May.
The 15-year-old currently plays for the Western Wolves Floorball Team in the women’s division and the Redbacks Senior Floorball Team in mixed division three.
Jorja said she was shocked and overwhelmed when her coach Leith Woods told her she had been chosen to play, announcing the news in front of her and her friends and teammates before starting a local match.
“I hugged Leith and said ‘thank you so much’ then burst into tears of happiness,” she said.
“I could not stop smiling and felt extremely proud.”
Jorja’s mother, Laura Charles, said she and husband John were overwhelmed with pride at their daughter’s achievement.
“To see our child achieve such an honour, playing for her country and seeing her self-confidence grow makes us so happy,” she said.
“Jorja has worked hard at a sport she loves and to see her succeed is just amazing.”
Jorja said she most looked forward to wearing the green and gold and standing for the national anthem.
Though none of her teammates will join her in Sweden, Jorja said there will be some familiar faces on the Australian U19 team.
“There are other girls from WA teams I have played with and against … and girls I met from the eastern states,” she said.
“I am very excited to be meeting up and playing in the same team as them.”
The competition, held on every even year, begins May 6 and runs through to May 10, it will be the first time Sweden has hosted the U19 World Floorball Championships and the first time that China will participate.
