The Moment

Today I was inspired.

It’s that time of the year when our busy schedules start to catch up to us, when you are longing for a break and you keep having those days where it all just feels too hard and you start to question what you are doing. But then you have a moment, a moment where you realise it’s bigger than you, the moment where you remember that it is really worth it.

Today I was lucky to meet about 20 young girls from all around Victoria who helped me see that moment.

The group of girls were part of Basketball Victoria’s ‘Girls Got Game’ initiative that recognises players that contributed to the sport. They were a group of young girls who weren’t picked out because they are superstars of their basketball teams, but because they have done something that made a difference to those around them.

As they read through the winners and what they had accomplished, I was stunned at what some of these girls have been out doing. The girls aged from as young as nine, were out in their schools and communities being pioneers for new teams, creating programs for those with disabilities, leading new pathways for basketball and the list goes on. It was incredible to listen to these achievements and to see all of their proud parents watching them have their moment in the limelight.

I was fortunate to be able to share my story with these young girls and their families, and allow them to understand my journey and hopefully offer them some insight into the different pathways and opportunities they have ahead of them.  After the event I spent time with the girls and their families and I was so amazed to hear about how many of these girls are already challenging themselves to take on these new opportunities. A whole bunch of them came up to me and told me about their love for basketball and football, proudly telling me about the clubs they play for and how excited they were to hear about how I played both sports. It was also so great to be able to spend time with the parents and their kids and talk about balancing school and sport into a career and being an athlete.

Whilst telling my story, listening to their stories and answering their questions, today I remembered and reminded myself that you don’t need to be a superstar or be at the top of your sport or work or whatever it is that you do to be able to make a difference. I spent so many years of my life thinking that I didn’t succeed if I wasn’t the absolute very best at what I was doing. I credit those athletes who now openly talk about mental health, because being an athlete has so many challenges that are so often kept behind closed doors. I heard Jack Reiwoldt answer a question about Richmond’s turn to success and he talked about Damian Hardwick and ‘it being hard for a grown man to strip himself back and open up to the the team’. These things are so difficult to talk about and they are not unique to sport - these are the pains of so many people around us. We as a community need to keep opening up these conversations and continuing to provide support and guidance and help take away any stigma that comes with these topics.

I’m taking my turn to take a risk, but I’m now not afraid to say that I didn’t achieve what I spent years dreaming and striving for. I’m certainly not ungrateful for all the amazing opportunities I have had, but I definitely aimed very high from a very early age and it took me a long time to understand that success has many different meanings. Now I can proudly look back and realise that I achieved so much - I learnt all of the values that make me successful today, I made friends that I will have for the rest of my life and I, along with all my many teammates, have influenced a generation of change makers.

So thank you to all those young girls I met today, you truly inspired me.