I’m Sharni Layton, netballer for Australia and the NSW Swifts. Recently I was contacted by Marco Maisano the Managing Director from NSR and asked to write fortnightly blogs for you all! I jumped at the opportunity to be able to share my opinions, beliefs and experiences that I have gathered over the last 27 years of my life, 11 of which I’ve spent as an elite netballer in high performance programs.
Netball nearly has as many people on the bench (five) as it does on the court (seven). The difference between other sports like ice hockey that has a similar ratio is that netball has very little rotation. Because of this, it’s extremely difficult as a rookie to grab a position in that starting line up and unless you’re a freak netballing prodigy, you’re more than likely (at some stage) to do your time on the pine.
That time for me was five years. I was scouted at age 16 into the Melbourne Kestrels. Picked up in 2004 I spent three years with the Kestrels, one year with the Melbourne Vixens and a two-year stint at the Australian Institute of Sport. It wasn’t until 2010 that I began starting as a regular with the Adelaide Thunderbirds and you can now find me in Sydney playing for the NSW Swifts.
Although I appreciated you have to “do your time” in netball, after five years I knew the only way to progress my career and play at the highest level was to be out on court.
It’s now 2015, I have moved ten times in the last eight years, lived in three states and a territory, won two Premierships with the Adelaide Thunderbirds, a World Championships in 2011 and a Commonwealth Games Gold Medal in Glasgow last year, it’s fair to say my journey and sacrifices to date have been well and truly worth it.
It’s been far from a smooth sailing journey with obstacles such as having to overcome fears and anxiety as a teenager. Dealing with injuries and in chronological order they are: a dislocated elbow, bulging disks, broken nose, torn rotator cuff in the shoulder and ruptured ankle ligaments (and they’re just the nasty ones). All in all that adds up to four surgeries in the last six years.
Everything I have faced has been worth it. I love netball and the opportunities, experiences and learning’s that it has brought to my life. I have met the most incredible, inspirational people through sport that I’m lucky to call good friends. It has given me a platform for personal growth and shown me the importance of being true to myself, and these are all stories that I am excited to share with you fortnightly through NSR Australia.