Watching the Silver Ferns beat the Australian Diamonds in the opening clash of the Constellation Cup is always a great way to kill some time.
Observing the tall, spaghetti-armed Anna Harrison in action at wing defence was just as entertaining. Although I am in no way suggesting I might be in the same league as Harrison and the Silver Ferns, watching her play out of position felt a little like déjà vu for me.
Being vertically challenged myself, when I decided to don the netball bib after years of playing rugby and dabbling in soccer, I received a major reality check when told I no longer suited goal defence or goal keep.
How could that be when I played there in my netball heyday, which was in the fourth form and I was the tallest in the class?
With a bruised ego, off to the midcourt I went, with short legs and torso and the mentality of a front rower waiting to be unleashed.
Initially, I wasn't happy with this positional adjustment because of the assumptions I held about the position. Being put on the wing in netball didn't have the same positive connotations as it did in rugby.
It didn't necessarily mean you were fast or a good finisher, or all eyes would be on you because you scored the winning try. Wing defence, in particular, was the sacrificial position, when your team was one player short.
With this in mind, how did Anna Harrison feel about being shifted from her usual defensive position in-goal to wing defence?
She was quoted as saying it "was different and perhaps a little easier". Is this the equivalent of a sideways shuffle in organisational settings that is meant to convince the employee that it's time to resign or take early retirement?
If that was the intention of Silver Ferns coach Waimarama Taumaunu (and I doubt it was), Harrison definitely didn't act like a player feeling dejected.
In fact, she proved her versatility with her convincing performance in the WD bib. She has proven her willingness to think outside the square (or should we say semi-circle?) with her seamless transition between 'v'ball and 'n'ball, with the Harrison Hoist, and now being known as "Anna the Adaptable".
If any athlete wants to learn about mental toughness, give her a call. Nothing seems to faze her.
With her resiliency, competitive nature and athleticism, no wonder Harrison, at 1.87m tall, upset her opposite, Kimberlee Green.
Once again, I'm not assuming to know exactly how Green feels, but I can empathise with her at a much lower level.
Having recently played wing attack against a "daddy long legs" similar in stature to Harrison (and just as fit), I experienced the bizarre feeling of turning around to see someone's torso in your face, arms reaching around from out of nowhere to intercept the ball, and having to lob the ball up into the clouds to feed the shooters if I wasn't fast enough to get the ball away before their tentacle arms blocked the sun.
It must have been very off-putting for Green, but in typical Australian fashion, they are sure to come back with a strategy to counter this and anything else Taumaunu and her team throw at them in Auckland and Christchurch.
What other tricks does Waimarama have up her sleeve?
Will she play Harrison at centre, or completely throw her in the deep end and unleash her powers in wing attack?
Unlikely, considering that attacking (rather than defending) is one area of Harrison's game she needs to improve on.
So, vertically-challenged players may let out a sigh of relief that Harrison has revealed one chink in her armour.
The netball court is already dominated by the tall and lanky Amazon variety of women. If Harrison successfully and consistently proves tall players are just as good or better than the pocket rockets and nimble-footed hobbits among us, where to next?
Maybe we, the mini kin, can start to challenge the soaring sisters by claiming our right to play (or at least trial) in the shooting circle?
The beauty of team sports like netball, rugby, basketball and soccer is that a diverse range of body shapes can play the sport.
Of course, at the elite level, the range of diversity condenses but there are still the exceptions who break the mould of what should make a great athlete in that position.
What Taumaunu, Harrison and other mould-breakers have taught all of us is that we shouldn't let stereotypes, assumptions and expectations hold us back.
On that note, next year I might just turn up at our social netball trials with some "Harrison 'H' attitude" and put my not-so-long arm up for the goal defence bib.
Observing the tall, spaghetti-armed Anna Harrison in action at wing defence was just as entertaining. Although I am in no way suggesting I might be in the same league as Harrison and the Silver Ferns, watching her play out of position felt a little like déjà vu for me.
Being vertically challenged myself, when I decided to don the netball bib after years of playing rugby and dabbling in soccer, I received a major reality check when told I no longer suited goal defence or goal keep.
How could that be when I played there in my netball heyday, which was in the fourth form and I was the tallest in the class?
With a bruised ego, off to the midcourt I went, with short legs and torso and the mentality of a front rower waiting to be unleashed.
Initially, I wasn't happy with this positional adjustment because of the assumptions I held about the position. Being put on the wing in netball didn't have the same positive connotations as it did in rugby.
It didn't necessarily mean you were fast or a good finisher, or all eyes would be on you because you scored the winning try. Wing defence, in particular, was the sacrificial position, when your team was one player short.
With this in mind, how did Anna Harrison feel about being shifted from her usual defensive position in-goal to wing defence?
She was quoted as saying it "was different and perhaps a little easier". Is this the equivalent of a sideways shuffle in organisational settings that is meant to convince the employee that it's time to resign or take early retirement?
If that was the intention of Silver Ferns coach Waimarama Taumaunu (and I doubt it was), Harrison definitely didn't act like a player feeling dejected.
In fact, she proved her versatility with her convincing performance in the WD bib. She has proven her willingness to think outside the square (or should we say semi-circle?) with her seamless transition between 'v'ball and 'n'ball, with the Harrison Hoist, and now being known as "Anna the Adaptable".
If any athlete wants to learn about mental toughness, give her a call. Nothing seems to faze her.
With her resiliency, competitive nature and athleticism, no wonder Harrison, at 1.87m tall, upset her opposite, Kimberlee Green.
Once again, I'm not assuming to know exactly how Green feels, but I can empathise with her at a much lower level.
Having recently played wing attack against a "daddy long legs" similar in stature to Harrison (and just as fit), I experienced the bizarre feeling of turning around to see someone's torso in your face, arms reaching around from out of nowhere to intercept the ball, and having to lob the ball up into the clouds to feed the shooters if I wasn't fast enough to get the ball away before their tentacle arms blocked the sun.
It must have been very off-putting for Green, but in typical Australian fashion, they are sure to come back with a strategy to counter this and anything else Taumaunu and her team throw at them in Auckland and Christchurch.
What other tricks does Waimarama have up her sleeve?
Will she play Harrison at centre, or completely throw her in the deep end and unleash her powers in wing attack?
Unlikely, considering that attacking (rather than defending) is one area of Harrison's game she needs to improve on.
So, vertically-challenged players may let out a sigh of relief that Harrison has revealed one chink in her armour.
The netball court is already dominated by the tall and lanky Amazon variety of women. If Harrison successfully and consistently proves tall players are just as good or better than the pocket rockets and nimble-footed hobbits among us, where to next?
Maybe we, the mini kin, can start to challenge the soaring sisters by claiming our right to play (or at least trial) in the shooting circle?
The beauty of team sports like netball, rugby, basketball and soccer is that a diverse range of body shapes can play the sport.
Of course, at the elite level, the range of diversity condenses but there are still the exceptions who break the mould of what should make a great athlete in that position.
What Taumaunu, Harrison and other mould-breakers have taught all of us is that we shouldn't let stereotypes, assumptions and expectations hold us back.
On that note, next year I might just turn up at our social netball trials with some "Harrison 'H' attitude" and put my not-so-long arm up for the goal defence bib.
