North Shore goal shoot Ruth Aitken set the tone for fellow shooters with her unwavering dedication of shooting hundreds of goals day-in day-out in working towards perfecting her craft.

A strong performer at provincial level with her accuracy, the hard work paid off when Aitken was selected in the 1979 Silver Ferns team for the Netball World Cup in Trinidad.

Competing for a spot against the rising mercurial shooting duo of Margharet Matenga and Margaret Forsyth counted against Aitken’s aspirations in her brief international career.

Part of the team that shared the world title in 1979 with Trinidad & Tobago and Australia, Aitken’s international career ended after the Silver Ferns tour of England following the Netball World Cup.