Erikana Pedersen knows the netball pathway from every angle. She came through the NZ Netball World Youth team in 2013, spent years in national development squads, pulled on the black dress for Fast5 in 2017, made her Silver Ferns debut, and played across the ANZ Premiership with the Mystics, Pulse and Tactix. She's still on court today for Harbour Opens.
Now she's bringing all of that experience home. Erikana has joined Netball Northern as our NetballSmart Development Officer, working with centres, players and coaches to reduce injury risk and help athletes perform at their best. She's hit the ground running, delivering workshops across the zone and getting courtside at the Netball NZ U18s. Her latest stop was the Upper North Island Secondary Schools (UNISS) tournament, where she cast a NetballSmart eye over team warm-ups and was pulled into some honest kōrero with players about her career.
We sat down with Erikana to hear about her week at UNISS.
You’ve just joined Netball Northern as our NetballSmart Development Officer. What does the role involve, and what drew you to it?
The role is about working with centres, communities, players, and coaches to promote behaviours that help reduce the risk of serious injury and support athletes to perform at their best. What drew me to the role was my own experience with serious ankle and knee injuries and wanting to share what I’ve learnt throughout my career to help others avoid some of those setbacks. It’s also really special to be back home in Auckland and have the opportunity to give back to the zone that helped me grow as a player when I was younger.
You spent the week at UNISS. What stood out to you about the tournament overall?
What really stood out to me was how much netball is thriving at a community level. There is so much passion and enthusiasm for the sport from everyone involved; players, coaches, management, umpires, supporters and event organisers. It was awesome to see that level of engagement and to be part of it.
With your NetballSmart hat on, you were watching teams go through their warm-ups. What did you see? What were teams doing well, and where’s the room to improve?
With the limited space available I thought the teams that did well were really good at maximising both the space and time they had. They used the warm-up courts effectively and then transitioned into transitional skills once their full court became available.
I think the biggest opportunity is finding creative ways to incorporate the running and jumping elements of a warm-up when space is limited. Tournament environments don’t always give you ideal conditions, so being able to adapt and improvise while still preparing the body for the demands of the game is really important.
Why does a proper warm-up like the NetballSmart Dynamic Warm-Up matter so much at this age and level?
When the different elements of the warm-up are performed with intent, you’re essentially preparing both your body and your brain for the demands of the game. It gets you physically ready to run, jump, change direction and land, while also helping you mentally switch on and prepare for competition.
It’s not just something you have to tick off before a game, it’s an important part of preparing yourself to perform and helping reduce injury risk.
While you were there, a few teams invited you in for a kōrero. What kinds of questions were the players asking you?
There were lots of different questions which was really cool. We talked about learnings from throughout my career, the importance of nutrition and recovery, mental skills I’ve used to help my performance during games, the importance of connection especially with a new team and what advice I would give my younger self.
I really enjoyed those conversations because it gave the players an opportunity to ask questions about things they might not always get to talk about in a team environment.
One question that came up was whether you had any regrets from your netball career. What did you tell them?
I told them I have no regrets. Everything that has happened throughout my career (the highs and the lows) has taught me something about myself or how to deal with different situations.
Those experiences have helped me build a toolbox of skills and learnings that I can draw on when I face challenges, both on and off the court. Looking back I wouldn’t change those experiences because they’ve all contributed to the person and player I am today.
You’ve come through the NZ pathway, from the 2013 World Youth team through to the Silver Ferns, played across the ANZ Premiership, and you’re still on court for Harbour Opens. What’s one piece of advice you’d give the rangatahi you met at UNISS who are dreaming of that pathway?
Your future self will thank you for the habits you start building now.
It’s easy when you’re younger to focus only on what happens on court, but the things you do away from the court have such a big impact on your performance and longevity- particularly how you fuel your body, recover, sleep and look after yourself.
Nutrition was something that really clicked for me later in my career and once I understood how much of an impact fueling my body properly could have I was able to take my game to another level. You don’t have to get everything right straight away but building those good habits early can make a huge difference in the long run.
Learn more about the Performance Pathway in our Zone here.
