INSPO Fitness Journal March 2018
Everything from nutrition, beauty, home and workplace wellbeing to health, performance – and so much more.
Everything from nutrition, beauty, home and workplace wellbeing to health, performance – and so much more.
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One of your most memorable moments?<br />
Being officially announced in the Commonwealth<br />
Games team.<br />
Goals for <strong>2018</strong>? My ultimate goal this year is<br />
to medal at the Commonwealth Games. This<br />
will involve having a successful build-up.<br />
Other sports you have played? Tennis, basketball,<br />
netball, athletics, swimming<br />
What’s involved in maintaining your<br />
fitness? Weight/agility/cardio sessions 4-5<br />
times per week<br />
How do you relax? I love going to the Mount<br />
hot pools for a soak and to chill-out, it does<br />
wonders for those tight muscles.<br />
How do you treat/pamper yourself? I love<br />
to go out to eat every now and then, for sure<br />
brekkie is my fave meal.<br />
Has there been a turning point for you in<br />
your commitment to the sport? I actually<br />
came back to New Zealand to work and live a<br />
bit of a normal life, then the Commonwealth<br />
Games opportunity came up. I couldn’t say<br />
no to giving that a go, so here we are.<br />
The team around you? I have a solid support<br />
crew who have helped me through the past<br />
year and Commonwealth Games qualification<br />
process hugely. In terms of volleyball,<br />
our coach Mike Watson and physical trainer<br />
Tim Wilson have been great. The support<br />
and understanding of my family and partner<br />
in everyday life has been amazing, I am<br />
stoked they have the opportunity to support<br />
us at the Gold Coast.<br />
How do you fund/support yourself in this<br />
sport? Volleyball New Zealand has been great<br />
helping us out here and there with funds, but<br />
ultimately the past year has been self-funded<br />
through working full-time as an auditor at<br />
KPMG in Tauranga (who have been very accommodating<br />
of my absence for tournaments<br />
during the qualification process the past year).<br />
SHAUNNA POLLEY<br />
Age: 24<br />
Currently living: Hamilton<br />
How You got involved in the sport? I started<br />
playing beach volleyball when a good friend<br />
of mine, Holly Sprosen,asked me to play in a<br />
tournament with her in Mount Maunganui.<br />
We ended up doing really well for our first<br />
time and subsequently made the NZ U17<br />
team which kickstarted my career playing<br />
beach volleyball internationally.<br />
What do you enjoy most about it? I love how<br />
it is such a physical game. You are running<br />
in sand, jumping, diving, hitting, exploding<br />
- so many complex athletic movements all<br />
while trying to keep the ball alive. I also like<br />
that there is only two of you on the team<br />
- you are held more accountable for your<br />
performance and there’s also so much more<br />
emphasis on the mental side of the game.<br />
List of achievements to date? 1st place NZ<br />
National Championships <strong>2018</strong>, 3rd place<br />
Daegu, Korea FIVB 1 star World Tour event,<br />
3rd place Vietnam Asian Volleyball Tour<br />
One of your most memorable moments?<br />
Going to three sets against a top Brazil team<br />
in Monaco earlier this year - although we lost<br />
it was definitely a memorable match and I<br />
was super proud of our performance.<br />
Three things you’d like everyone to know<br />
about beach volleyball? 1. Sand gets everywhere.<br />
2. Beach volleyball players will jump<br />
around 300 times in one match. 3. Different<br />
beaches have different depths of sand which<br />
can make playing harder or easier.. For<br />
example, the Gold Coast sand for Commonwealth<br />
Games is too deep, so they are<br />
shipping in regulation sand to make it a little<br />
easier to play on.<br />
Goals for <strong>2018</strong>? Gold Medal at the Commonwealth<br />
Games.<br />
Other sports you have played? I used to play<br />
hockey for Waikato and Midlands. One year<br />
however, I had to choose between competing<br />
in the USA for volleyball or being coached by<br />
my mum for the Waikato team in Wellington..<br />
I picked the USA and my mum has<br />
never forgiven me.<br />
What’s involved in maintaining your fitness?<br />
Lots of strength and conditioning training as<br />
well as maximising time on the sand.<br />
Has there been a turning point for you in<br />
your commitment to the sport? At the end of<br />
2016 I moved to the US with my partner Trent<br />
and we lived in California for 10 months.<br />
I originally moved there to have a break<br />
from beach volleyball as I was confused as to<br />
whether it was something I really wanted to<br />
be doing. However, I ended up playing beach<br />
volleyball almost every day I was there and realised<br />
that it was definitely something I loved<br />
and wanted to continue pursuing.<br />
The team around you? My family are the<br />
best support crew you could ask for. My<br />
parents have been heavily involved in my<br />
sporting career as coaches and managers.<br />
How you fund/support yourself in this<br />
sport? I work seasonally for the Weetbix<br />
Kids Tryathlon and do odd jobs here and<br />
there and I am fortunate enough to still be<br />
able to live with my parents while I train<br />
full-time. I have well-developed frugal living<br />
skills.We train and work really hard to be<br />
able to commit to the sport, so we’re hoping<br />
the exposure of the Commonwealth Games<br />
may help us secure a major sponsor, so we<br />
can make a serious campaign for upcoming<br />
pro tours and perhaps the 2020 Olympic<br />
Games.<br />
Career path? I have a Bachelor in Science<br />
majoring in chemistry but am unsure if I<br />
will use it now. I would love to start my own<br />
business eventually.<br />
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