Here we go again...

There are 61 days to go until the NSW Swifts kick off our 2012 ANZ Championship campaign... Not that I’m counting!

I had a lovely break(in between the home training sessions). I managed to get back home (to Bega) and enjoy some family time. It was great to have Christmas at the beach surrounded by the entire family- but gee it was exhausting! By the time I caught up with all the family and friends from home and finally got back to Sydney, I think I needed another few days to recover! All my nieces and nephews are so entertaining and fun to play with, but if I only had the energy of a 10 year-old child!! They just go, go, go!! =)

Pre-season is always the toughest time of the year in my opinion. It’s when the hard, long hours are spent in the gym, on the court and running laps around ovals. All during summer, where most people are enjoying drinks with friends and relaxing having BBQs in the sunshine; netballers are sweating up a storm, drinking and eating healthy (trying) and making sure we are physically and mentally prepared for the upcoming  season. 

The NSW Swifts officially started our 2012 campaign in early January. It was great to finally get the team together and start training as one unit (minus one player, Kristy Guthrie who recently got married and was relaxing somewhere on her honeymoon). The training has been tough, but the girls are looking the goods. Everyone is putting in the hard work, and I’m sure they are also, like me, counting down the days until we finally get to slip the red Swifts dress on and play some nettie!

In other netball news, the Susan Pratley Netball Clinics are back for 2012, and we are kicking off our first clinic of the year in Young in February, and then continuing around NSW throughout the year.  Looking forward to getting out to the associations and teaching the young netballers of NSW some new skills, having some fun and  inspiring them to work hard and strive for their goals, and maybe they can teach me some new skills too. The search is on for the future NSW Swifts!

Not much else to report this early in the year, it is all the same thing- long hours and stories of training, training and more training. Hopefully I’ll have some more exciting gossip next month when we hit the court and start playing some pre-season netball matches. Stay tuned!

BYE BYE 2011

Can you believe it? It's mid December- already! As I sit here and think back to all the events of 2011 I have to say I'm looking forward to waving good bye to 2011 and saying a nice big HELLO to a new and exciting 2012.

There have been many ups and many downs in the past year, but when I reflect on the past two months, I have to agree it finished pretty well.

November kicked off with a lovely relaxing holiday to Hawaii! I went with two good friends and my sister and we spent 10 days forgetting the world and relaxing on the beach, shopping and doing the tourist thing. It was a great way to switch the brain off and just enjoy the company of great friends.

I then travelled to England with the Australian FastNet Team where I had the privilege to co-captain what was a fantastic team. We went through the World Netball Series undefeated beating the likes of a very strong New Zealand team and England, who also fielded a strong side. The WNS brought together the top six nations in the world and instead of playing traditional netball, we played a modified game. It wasn’t completely different to a normal game, just a very quick version of it, with plenty of tactics to be implemented- something I love about the game!

I was happy to be out on court again and to be wearing the green and gold was a great feeling. But on top of that, being a leader of the team was something I relished and I was happy with my performance throughout the competition. There’s still plenty for me to work on but after 199 days of no formal netball, I was happy!

Since returning from England, the NSW Swifts have kick started our 2012 campaign with testings and meeting the new Strength and Conditioning coach. Now when I say "meet" I should say that he definitely put us through our paces! I'm sure most girls are still cursing him late at night when our bodies have reached the point of soreness where you cannot roll over in bed!! But as much as it may hurt now, we know that it will all be worth, so thanks Jason!!

I can’t believe we’re closing in on Christmas and the silly season! I'll be heading home to my parents place for Christmas to enjoy Mum’s cooking, relax with Dad out on the fishing boat, doing crazy things with my sister and enjoying some rounds of golf with my brothers. Oh and of course- keeping up the training program Jason has given us over this "silly season".

I hope you all have a very merry Christmas and enjoy the time with loved ones. See you all in 2012!!!

X 

199 days later...

After 6 months of not playing an official game of netball, after 199 days of not playing a single game, I will finally put the Aussie FastNet uniform on and step out and play some netball!

199 days -WOW!

In the 19 years that I have played netball, I don’t think I have actually gone almost 200 days without playing a game. And I most definitely haven’t gone that long without playing since I started playing in the CBT and now the ANZ Championship some 9 years ago.

Yes I have played Netball during this time off, but not an official game.  In the past 199 days, I have had low points and some time to reflect on this game I spend my entire life playing, and to be honest I have missed it.

When I was called into the Australian Team during the last Test Series, I have to admit I was sooo excited. To be able to slip the green and gold dress on was something special, and something I will never take for granted.

Although the break was a forced break, it was a necessary one that allowed me to see the passion I have for the game and the desire I have to continue playing.

So now onto the next adventure-FastNet.

It’s an exciting new concept of the game, and as a shooter lots of fun!! The most exciting part is the shooting outside the circle. Everyone else in the team is pretty shattered the rules haven’t changed to allow every member of the team to be able to shoot outside the circle- so it’s just us shooters that are the lucky ones. To get me ready for this challenge, I have for the past month at our court sessions, been putting in some long shot practice ;-)

The team the Aussies are taking away is a mix of experience and youth. There are the “oldies”, Chatfield, Beveridge and myself who have been around for quite some time, and then there are the new up-and-comers; Amorette Wild, Ashleigh Brazill, Verity Simmons and April Letton.  I think it’s an exciting team to be a part of.

Having spoken to some of the younger ones recently, you can see their excitement about touring as the Australian FastNet Team, and from experience, this excitement spreads through the team and creates a great environment to train and play under.

Although we have taken a younger side to the World Netball Series, I don’t think you should discount the Aussie and these young girls’ enthusiasm and netball skills. It is a quality side, and like all Australian sides, one that demands the best and will deliver their best performances out there on the court. It will be an exciting series, and one I suggest you watch with interest.

So with 199 days without a Netball game, but lots of training between the Ssemi final v Mystics on May 8, to November 25 and our first game v Jamaica, I am just like an excited little kid who wakes up early on a Saturday morning, puts on their netball dress and cannot wait to get out there with my friends and play some nettie!!!

Stay tuned for updates on the World Netball Series!!

Time Off- What's that??

It has been an interesting 2011 season for me. So much so, that I now find myself in an off-season, something I haven’t had since before my AIS years way back in 2003. Since then I have been playing netball almost 12 months of the year, having maybe a couple of weeks off here and there, but still very much in training mode. I must say that it has been strange having no netball commitments and no where I have to be at by a particular time! Crazy!

When the NSW Swifts season came to an end in the semi finals (a little earlier then we all hoped), I focused my attention on training hard for Australian selections. Unfortunately I was not what the selection personnel wanted for the World Championships in Singapore, something that was very hard to take. But now that I’ve had some time to digest it, I’m getting used to the idea of “time off” before I knuckle down and get stuck into pre-season training, because i’m determined to have a great 2012.

I know that I have what it takes to play for Australia. But even I will admit that I wasn’t happy with my second half of the NSW Swifts season; I felt that I wasn’t playing my game and that is something that will always frustrate me.

As an athlete, we are our hardest critic, things sometimes don’t go our way, outside factors play a part and it’s how we react to these things that dictate how we perform. I kick myself everyday for letting things out of my control affect my confidence and ultimately my game in the last couple of matches of the season, but you live and learn. I was very tough on myself but I have now learnt to let it go and refocus on season 2012.

 Although I am not boarding the plane with the Australian Diamonds bound for the World Championships, I wish them all the luck. It’s an exciting, youthful side and I am sure they will do Australia proud in their quest to win back-to-back World Championships.

The Susan Pratley Netball Clinics have been in full swing the past month and in July I will travel thousands of kms to teach our future netballers. This has been so much fun and something I really enjoy doing. It’s great to get out there and see the young kids enjoying their sport and having a go!

Over the past month, I have also been able to work with some other programs. A new one I have just jumped on board with is the UNDERDOGS, an anti-bullying campaign that is trying to create awareness of the bullying problem and bring a stop to it. I encourage you all to check it out and support it. ( http://underdogs.tv/ )

So for now, I am living a somewhat normal life back in Sydney, and although I am having time off away from the netball court to refresh, I assure you I have not stopped training! I am in the gym most days doing weight training, running, riding, boxing and also having some fun trying some different sports.

I’m really looking forward to what lays ahead. My hunger and passion to play for the Diamonds is still strong and I look forward to accepting the challenge that is in front of me and fighting my way back into the team. I love representing my country in the sport I love and I promise to work harder and smarter to make sure I wear the green and gold again!

Half way...

Well it has been a while since I have blogged. Time has just got away from me!! No excuses- I apologize and will be back on track for April, I promise.

So since I last wrote the ANZ Championship has started and it is well and truly on it's way! By this weekend the Swifts have reached the half way mark. Wow!! Hasn't that flown!
Well the beginning on the season wasn't exactly how the Swifts would have liked it to be, with 2 losses from 3 games. The 2011 season has seen us come out of the blocks a little slower then we'd have liked- and definitely not what the coach likes!!
But be rest assured, we are addressing everything within our control and I think we will see a more determined Swifts in the second half of the season.
I guess the one positive way to look at it is- we lost those 2 games at the beginning unlike last year when we bowed out in straight sets in the finals (believe me- I can only just joke about it, it was shattering for a long time after).

We are as I write this on our way home from Perth. Half way through our first of two "super rounds". This super round is a little shorter, 3 games in 7 days (we have 4 games in 11 days next month- with 2 trips to NZ in there!). It is a little different to any previous years or competitions I have been involved with, as we have a BIG focus on recovery. There is not much time for training during this week. We just need to trust we've done the work prior, and get our bodies ready for each match.
After every game the body is always sore, bruises start popping up- so imagine it after 3 games in a week! So that's why recovery is vital in the super rounds. Ice baths, swim sessions, stretching, light runs, and massages are/have been on the agenda.

We have a tough battle this Sunday v Firebirds. The Firebirds sit comfortable on the top of the ladder undefeated. We hope this Sunday we can change that. We will need to be on our best to compete with them as they are playing great Netball as a team.
Expect a great game of Netball in front of a sell out Sydney crowd. I love playing in front of a home crowd- we have amazing support from our fans!

So off the Netball court, but still on it... The Susan Pratley Netball Clinics have been in full swing the past 6 weeks. It has seen me travel around NSW. I have seen hundreds of kids showing off their Netball skills- and wow!! there has been some fantastic skills. The future of Australian Netball is in great hands. Having seen the great skills and number of kids playing and enjoying Netball makes me very proud to represent Australia in this fantastic sport. I also loved that the kids have taught me some new ball skills too- keeping me on my toes!
I think I have recruited some new supporters for the Swifts too! There can never be enough!

Ok, well that's it for me, our plane is about to touch down. Home to a yummy cooked meal, a little play and cuddle with my puppy, and an early night. Followed by a day of recovery tomorrow before our match Sunday- SEE YOU THERE!!