Introduction

Sport is my passion! Ever since I was tiny, I have been running around with a ball, bat, racquet or club in my hand and I wouldn’t have it any other way! Growing up with two younger brothers, and having a massive competitive nature, it was only natural that we used to play every sport under the sun in the back yard, that was conveniently shaped like a cricket pitch, but that also had a basketball ring, netball ring, a trampoline, homemade football posts and a long brick wall for rebounds. I think back to some of the games we invented and wonder how our parents didn’t go crazy!

 PE days in primary school were my favourite, and I loved the swimming, athletics and cross country carnivals. When it came time to choose a sport, I decided on netball, which was interesting, because I didn’t know much about the sport. Having come from a family where my mum’s family played hockey and my dad’s family played AFL, they were shocked but very excited for me and supportive. Looking back now, watching kids in year 2 play netball can be extremely painful, so I am lucky that they were there for me. I played netball for 13 years, having competed for clubs, schools and representative teams.

 During high school, I competed for the school in every sport they offered, you name it, chances are I played it. PE and its electives were my favourite classes, and I always took as many as I could. I loved that competition and I certainly loved that I could match it with the boys, eventually taking out the PE faculty awards in my senior years. I always have and will love netball, but when I finished year 12 I felt as though I needed a change. And along came AFL. I copped a lot for playing a ‘boys sport’, but I knew it was something I had to explore, and the physical nature was something that netball could not offer me. Both of my brothers had taken up AFL by this stage, so I also found them to be extremely helpful resources for my new sport.  Taking up footy was easily the best decision I have ever made, I love the contact nature of it, I have made some incredible friends that I will keep forever, and most importantly, I am so happy and passionate, and proud to tell people that I play football. It is such a demanding sport but that is the greatest thing, because it pushes me to become the absolute best athlete and sportsperson that I can be. Having just finished my 3^rd season in 2012, I had an outstanding year, finally getting the chance to represent my state and playing some club football that I am so proud of and have watched grow since my first game. I cannot wait for the 2013 season to get up and running, I have pushed myself so hard in the preseason, and need to keep playing quality football, with a number of opportunities to play for the ACT again if I can play well.

Aside from this, I find myself helping coach the youth girls AFL team, which I am so enthusiastic about, I cannot wait to see what I can give to them and what they can teach me! Learning wise, I am very passionate about females in sport and the role they play. No longer is it acceptable for society to pigeonhole males as athletes and females as administrators/managers, etc. Females are just as important on and off the sporting fields as males, and I would love to work on raising the profiles and portrayals of women in sport and forcing that culture shift that is long overdue! I have focused a large amount of my assessments and research on this topic, including a research project in Canada and the United States midway through 2012 on portrayal of female athletes in the print media, and it is something that I would love to continue developing as I continue through Uni and into the workforce.

The main thing I would love to share with everyone that I come across in the sports field is that sport has so much to offer each and every person, and that you should grab every opportunity given to you with both hands. Sport can lead us to incredible things if we just believe in it but most importantly, ourselves.