The main advice they had for us as young female athletes was to believe in yourself

On Thursday 30 June, some of our Senior A and Senior B netball players were fortunate enough to take part in a “Train with the Tactix” session. We hosted this event on our turf and both Geraldine High School and Waimate High School also attended to take part in this session.

The session involved a lengthened and strong warm up (as it was super chilly!), small micro skills, drills, and finally game play. I really think the strategically placed order - micro skills, drills then game play was super beneficial so at each step we were applying some of the aspects from the previous step, to then impact ourselves as individual players and by the time it got to game play, would be a stronger asset to our surrounding teammates. We learnt plenty of new things that I’m sure we will be excited to take back to our school teams and share so we can develop as a group.

At the end of the session we got the chance to sit and listen to three ladies' pathways, what their past was like, how they are currently and their future plans. All three of their stories had similarities but were so different, and it was great to be able to listen to more than one person. We also had the opportunity to ask any questions that hadn’t already been answered. One of the questions asked was directed at Charlotte and Ellie as they had not signed with the Tactix for the 2023 season. This was a great question and I’m sure there were many of us excited to hear the answer as keen young netballers. Ellie - “I have signed with the Leeds Rhinos in the UK. I have just done this for a bit of a change.” Charlotte - “I have signed with another New Zealand club but it’s yet to be announced so I’m keeping it quiet”. Announced on July 7th, Charlotte has now signed with the Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic, suiting up alongside the great names of Ameliaranne Ekenasio and Claire Kersten. Sad to see them both leave the Tactix but some great opportunities ahead for the pair. To finish the question session they spoke their ‘words of wisdom’ - advice. The main advice they had for us as young female athletes was to believe in yourself.

We thank My Next Move Timaru for organising this workshop and for the free drink bottles. We also thank Charlotte, Kimi and Ellie for taking the time to come down and teach us a few of their tips and tricks and wish them all the best for next year's season, especially for Ellie heading off to the UK!