Sarah Kitcher survived a blizzard to scale Base Camp of Mount Everest, now she wants to climb the ranks of Bond University’s new netball team while also completing a PhD.
The 23-year-old is no stranger to hard work and believes she can accomplish anything after withstanding the toughest of tests at the world’s tallest mountain in March.
“We were in a blizzard for four and a half hours,” Kitcher told the Gold Coast Bulletin.
“It was hard to get to Base Camp. The temperatures reached as low as -25 degrees and the weather was not in our favour but it was more mentally tough than physically though.
“I chose to do it to get out of my comfort zone and push myself to the limit -- to do something extraordinary.
“I love anything that is a challenge.
“(Base Camp) is one of the highest points in the world.
“I think back to those moments and how I was talking myself through the tough times. It was a massive sense of accomplishment.”
Kitcher will start her doctorate in physiotherapy at Bond University in May, while also looking to break into the Bull Sharks netball team in the Sapphire Series set to start in late June.
The goal defender is a former national rowing competitor and is impressed with the Bull Sharks squad who started training together for the first time earlier this year.
“There are a lot of girls in the team that could definitely get to the next level in netball and make the step up to professional,” she said.
“If I get pulled into the team I’ll take it on 100 per cent.
“In 2011 I went to my first rowing nationals and went to three after that and had to decide between nationals rowing and nationals netball because there was a clash.
“I chose netball.”