C O M M U N I T Y
LOKOTUI SHINES IN DEBUT PROFESSIONAL SEASON
QMC Leaver from 2019, Paris Lokotui, had a remarkable year in her first season of professional netball. A standout campaign with the Central Pulse resulted in a call-up to the Silver Ferns Development side. Paris will be back with the Pulse in 2022 and kindly responded to some of our questions.
What was your reaction when you
much been the same, but most
first found out about making the
of the scheduled conditioning
Silver Ferns Development side?
sessions are now done together
I was actually quite shocked and didn’t realise what had just happened. I guess you dream of moments like these growing
with the wider Silver Ferns group based in Wellington. This helped us lead into the Sliver Ferns tour against England.
up, and to have made the Silver
You’ve obviously played a lot of
Ferns Development side in my
Prem grade netball at school.
first year of being a professional
What is the most significant
netball player was unreal. My
difference between that and
family shed more tears than I did,
the professional level?
but I guess they are the people
The most significant change
that have gotten me where I am today and the people who allow me to be my best self, so really, this achievement was for them. What does your training schedule look like these days? It must be full-on! Training over the lockdown period was hectic, but I enjoyed my time and spent it mostly with family. Most days, I only had one training, but three days a week, I had two. These would include court conditioning with netball specifics, a strength workout, and
would have to be the shift in intensity. During school, I guess we only trained once or sometimes twice a week but moving into a professional environment, you’re training at least once or twice a day every day for for nine or ten months. Whether it’s an early morning gym session, a team training mid-afternoon or match play Thursday evening, everything was done with maximum effort as we were always looking to better ourselves and our mates. What is your fondest
some long-distance runs, but
memory of QMC?
it varied nicely. We were lucky
My best memory at QMC would
enough to use Microsoft Teams
have to be when Tiuana-Marie
as a communication channel,
and Mia became Head Girl and
and this is where we were able to
Deputy. Those two had the
have live gym and rehab sessions
best connection, and to see
with the trainers. However, since
two Samoan Head Prefects
coming out of lockdown, it’s pretty
leading Queen Margaret College
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was amazing – it definitely changed the perspective of many people about QMC. What advice would you give to any up-and-coming netballers who are dreaming of becoming a pro? Train hard, soak up as much information as you can from your coaches and be confident in what skills you have. Enjoy the highs and the lows and use your strengths to your advantage. Being a professional athlete takes time, and if people are willing to put in the hard work, results will follow. Who do you think is the best player you’ve ever gone up against? 100% Ameliaranne Ekenasio (Meels). Her ability to create space as a shooter and her shooting range is incredible. She does everything to her best and she loves to learn and broaden her knowledge. Meels treats you as an equal in any environment and wants you to learn like a sponge and absorb everything. It’s still crazy to think from a young age she was someone I looked up to, but now she’s a friend who loves a good coffee catch up. She’s someone I aspire to be.
