Aaron Beck has recently been away working as the physio at the 2019 Netball World Cup, held in Liverpool. Hear about Aaron's experience below!
What was the event and what was your role at the event/trip?
The 2019 Netball World Cup is held every 4 years and is the pinnacle event on the international netball calendar. This year it was held in Liverpool, England and I was the team physiotherapist for Samoa.
How did you become involved in this opportunity?
In April 2018, Samoa topped the Oceania region to be one of the 16 countries who qualified to compete at the 2019 Netball World Cup. I applied for the physiotherapy position with Netball Samoa late last year - and my previous experience working as a physiotherapist at the 2018 Commonwealth Games may have helped me get the role!
What kind of work you did whilst you were working at the event / away with this team, e.g. what was a typical day for you?
We played 7 games in 8 days while at the 2019 Netball World Cup. Game days were particularly busy - there was athlete strapping and treatment pre-game, and I ran recovery sessions (pool, ice baths, stretching), massage, and treatment post-game. Even on our 'free' days we had 1 or 2 training sessions per day, which I was at in case of injuries. I also lead warm-up and cool down, educated the athletes around the requirements of good hydration, nutrition and sleep for recovery, and was an information source to players about drug testing that occurred at the competition. Given I was the only medically-trained person travelling with Netball Samoa, I was pleased that we didn't sustain any major injuries and still had 12 fit players at the end of the competition!
What was a highlight for you?
It was an awesome experience being part of Netball Samoa that participated at the 2019 Netball World Cup. Highlights for me included the opening ceremony, playing against England whose home crowd were cheering so loud it was a great atmosphere, and finishing the competition with a win to secure 13th place. Watching the gold medal match from the front row of seats was amazing too - well done New Zealand!
Who else did you get to work with?
The management team I worked closely in Liverpool with was Frances Solia (coach), Pili Apulu (assistant coach), Linda Vagana (technical adviser), Vai Tuita'alili (team manager), and Zoe Vicic (performance analyst). They were a great group to be involved with. I also formed good relationships with our squad of 12 players, spread over Samoa, Australia and New Zealand.
What is one benefit or one thing you learnt from working at this event?
The greatest benefit for me was developing relationships with other staff and players of Netball Samoa. Being at the Netball World Cup also allowed me to network with experienced sports physiotherapists of Australia (Alanna Antcliff) and Fiji (John Fitzgerald). Having this experience has reaffirmed that working at this elite level of sport is what I want to pursue in my physiotherapy career.
From working at this event, I learnt how busy physiotherapists can be trying to keep all the players in good physical condition and available for game selection. You also have to be organised (particularly on game days) and have good communication with the coaches.