I think playing a lot of sports when I was younger has definitely helped my career as a netballer. Just the different skills you get. I mean in touch you've got to anticipate who's going to get the ball, someone's going to touch you, you’ve got to release the ball and the vision that you get.

I would say to parents and coaches and who want the kids to specialize, just don’t do it.

Let them go out there, let them play a lot of different sports. I think and I know from experience you actually gain a lot more skills and skills that you won't get taught in that specialized sport that you're actually going to send them to.

I think as a parent, coach or administrator to any sport, I think it's our responsibility to give these kids opportunities. We need to let them be kids, let them choose what they want to do. Some people - they represent the region at 19 for the first time ever, so every child's different, and it's the importance of knowing your child, knowing what they want, how they feel, you know…do they really want to do what you want them to do? Because I think sometimes as parents we just want the best for our kids.

My message to parents and coaches and anyone involved with young athletes is at a younger age I think you should just let them go and play a lot of different sports because you get lots of different skills that crossover, and sometimes you don't get taught those skills in that specialized sport.

So let them fly, let them fly at a younger age, and then just guide them as they come through.

Through my career, I wasn't the only one that played another sport, and competitively. We’ve had Belinda Colling and Donna Loffhagen and who played basketball, Anna Scarlett who was into volleyball and you look at the way they play the game they're just so explosive, innovative, instinctive, but I think the New Zealand style of game is about flair and I think that flair comes from experience in different sports and that skill level combines into one it’s just like wow!