Dr Farah Rangikoepa Palmer captained the New Zealand Black Ferns team to three consecutive Women's Rugby World Cup wins in 1998, 2002 and 2006. In an extract from Will To Win, she talks about rugby, netball and leadership.
Rugby may be romantically considered New Zealand's national sport but until recently that has only reflected the male part of our national obsession with team sports. Netball, on the other hand, has held the reputation of being New Zealand's national team sport for women, with more than 300,000 participants playing some version of the game.
Netball was and always will be my first love when it comes to organised sport. As a young child, I remember three generations of women making the 40km round trip from Piopio to the Te Kuiti netball courts to watch my mum play. It was a Saturday morning ritual we all looked forward to. I'd be running along the fence line close to the courts, with Nana keeping an eye on me. Meanwhile, Mum played netball enthusiastically in her pleated skirt, tie-up bib and white Bata Bullets shoes. I soon followed in her footsteps and played for our local primary school. In the 1980s my netball initiation kicked into overdrive when Silver Ferns netball stars became my idols. Lois Muir was a household name; the dynamic defensive duo of Tracey Fear and Waimarama Taumaunu inspired me (I fancied myself as a defence player back then!); the flair and spatial awareness of Rita Fatialofa and the energy and cheekiness of Sandra Edge, the "Margs" — Margharet Matenga and Margaret Forsyth — blew me away; and we all felt the dream of wearing the silver fern was even closer when local girl Rhonda Wilcox (nee Meads) donned the black dress for Aotearoa New Zealand. The dream came even closer when fellow Piopio-ite Jenny May Clarkson (nee Coffin) also became a Silver Fern from 1997 to 2002.
For me the 1990s meant a change of city and a change of sport from the round ball to the oval ball. I didn't fall out of love with netball and always thought I'd return to the Bata Bullets someday. That day happened after retiring from rugby and having my first child. Netball seemed like the best way to get back into shape and regain my sense of identity and the feeling of camaraderie I got when playing for the Black Ferns. I also believed netball culture, with strong female engagement everywhere, would be supportive of a mum wanting to find her mojo again. Netball was a sport I could easily take my child to, where they'd be safe with many people on the sidelines volunteering to keep an eye on them. The games didn't take too long and everyone understood what it was like to squeeze in a bit of "me" time with a young family. I continued to play netball through both my pregnancies and enjoy playing to this day. Some days it is a challenge to put on the netball uniform and drag the kids out the door but the competitive spirit kicks into gear when the whistle blows and it is all on! Afterwards I feel exhilarated, exhausted and satisfied. It is important for women of all shapes, sizes, circumstances and abilities to be active, connected and energised. Perhaps that competitive spirit that comes with playing at the elite level never leaves.
