Dame Valerie Adams Interview: Why Sport Isn’t Just About Netball, Footy and Soccer

Growing up in Australia and New Zealand, it can feel like the only sports that exist are netball, footy (whether that be league, union, or aussie rules) and soccer. That’s all well and good, because they’re great sports. But at the same time, they just aren’t for everyone.

The truth is that you can be sporty even if you don’t like the sports that the people around you are playing. It’s all about finding the sport that you enjoy.

We chatted with Olympic Gold Medalist Dame Valerie Adams to talk about how she discovered her love for shot put and how that led to her becoming a world champion at the sport. 
 

YEAR13: As a child, did you grow up in a sporty environment? Did you find that sports came pretty easily for you when you were growing up?

VALERIE: I didn't grow up in a sporting environment as such. Our family is genetically blessed with very long levers thanks to my English father and Tongan mother. So, you know, when you’re given this genetic makeup, it's almost obvious that you're going to get thrown onto the sporting field. And sports were an area that we felt like we could participate in and contribute to society in a very positive way.

YEAR13: Growing up in Auckland, what were some of the most popular sports that you saw young boys and girls playing? I know you played a bit of basketball growing up. Was that kind of the main sport that people were getting around or was it the classic rugby and netball that most people were playing?

VALERIE: I was brought up in South Auckland which is one of the poorest parts of Auckland. Life growing up was very, very tough and for anybody from South Auckland the chosen sport is normally rugby, netball, volleyball, and basketball because everywhere had courts. Athletics was never one of the options at school, neither were things like rowing or soccer, yachting, cycling, and all those more expensive, fancy sports. So, team sports were the way we went. And team sports were the one area that everybody kind of got into because not only was it good for our physical wellbeing, but also, we loved the competition, the friendship and the socialising. And it was just part of our childhood because we didn't have anything else, so that became it for us.

YEAR13: So, when did you first come across Shot Put if it wasn't something that was kind of a common sport to be played in your area?

VALERIE: Every school here in Aotearoa has an athletics day, like most places around the world. Then within the school we had houses and you participated to get points for your house. And I did all the throwing events for my house and from there I broke all the school records and ended up qualifying for regional championships for one side of Auckland. I went and broke the record by a couple of metres with no shoes on. I was just waffing the shot, no technique no nothing, just very, very basic from what the PE teacher taught me. And soon after that was nationals and six months after picking up the shot put, I qualified for the world youth championships which were going to be held in a place overseas called Bydgoszcz in Poland.

First of all, I'd never heard of this place and second, there was no way I thought that this was even possible, especially to me, here in South Auckland. And so, all of a sudden I fell in love with this sport because it was, A: an individual sport and B: it was something that connected with me. 

I was bullied a lot as a youngster and growing up because I was quite tall by the age of 12, you know, towering over my friends and teachers. Nothing ever made me feel comfortable within the school environment apart from PE or the three sports days we had with our school. So shot putting worked well for me, it’s a lonely event. And through that I was able to meet a coach at a local club and then I just hung on to the hope of a way out of the area that I was living in. 

And it gave me something to do because, “Ooh, I get to go and train twice a week” and for me it was fun. It was a bit of an outing for me. So, I took the opportunity to do that and soon realised that I was very talented and I really loved the sport.

And when I went to Bydgoszcz and I competed there, I got a little taste of the sport and how hard it was to be at the top of your game. So obviously that got me even more hungry when I did come home from that trip at the age of 14. I was so homesick, but I experienced something that I never thought I would have in my lifetime. 
 

YEAR13: A lot of people out there might look at the popular sports that are happening around them and think “Oh, I’m not a sporty person.” What would be your advice to help them find a sport they like? 

VALERIE: It’s definitely finding something that you do like, but also opening your mind to trying all sports. Also, parents should take responsibility and support from the back and actually let your child participate in all sports, winter sports, summer sports, individual, teams. That’s the only way that they’ll find something that they enjoy doing. 

And yes, I realise that it’s hard for us to keep students, especially young girls, to continue playing sports because there are other distractions in life and in society. But we have to continue to encourage them and be there for them. And they might take a break for a short time but let them know that there's always a door open to come back in time. 

Also remember, sports are one thing, but any physical activity that makes you feel good about yourself, that's a step in the right direction. And it might not be sport per se, it might be something like yoga or pilates or just a simple exercise at home or going for a walk. 
 

YEAR13: Yeah, that’s great advice. As a mom yourself, have you noticed any differences in how young people and young women in particular approach sports and fitness compared to when you were growing up?

VALERIE: There's more opportunities now. There are more options and resources and facilities as opposed to back in the day. There are more options to make a living from being an athlete as well. So, the opportunities are there, but there's also a lot of distractions. There's a lot of things that are happening that weren't happening back then.

It's almost like we have to bring up our kids differently to how our parents did because we've been brought up to deal with life as it was 10, 15 years ago. We now get to prepare our kids for what lies ahead for them. And it's not the same struggles, it's not the same hardship. Sometimes it’s a little bit more difficult now, but also sometimes it's a little bit easier.

So, we have to find a fine line between making them resilient and helping them with things. There's a balance here that we have to try to work out and do what's best for that particular athlete, but also remember, everybody's not the same.

As a parent, I take it upon myself to set an example for my kids. If my kids see me being active, they get active. If I'm going for a walk, I drag them along. Right now, my daughter loves gymnastics and I saw that she was into it. So, she's in a gym class now. I take her once a week and she has a lot of fun. She's only five, but I can only lead by example and encourage her to stay active and healthy as much as she can and wants to.

But if she decides to specialise in the sport, I'm going to be the parent supporting her from behind. I'm not the one that's going to drag her from the front. Because as soon as you start dragging, they become resistant, and it ends up becoming the mom and dad and caregivers’ dream and not the child's dream. And it's something that I've seen unfold before my eyes in multiple situations with multiple people around me.
 

YEAR13: When you were growing up yourself, were there any female athletes at the time that were role models to you?

VALERIE: No, I didn't have any. A lot of athletes would have sports heroes or inspirations that would motivate them. Growing up, my biggest inspiration was my mother and my upbringing. My life was my inspiration. Losing my mom at a very young age was my inspiration. I took grief as my source of inspiration. The mere fact that I was brought up in South Auckland and the normal thing to do when you become an adult is to go on the dole and start having babies and that’s pretty much your life. I wanted to break the cycle. I was like, “No, there's more to it than this.” 

So, I utilise that as a motivation, the want to be more self-sufficient. To own my own home so my children have a home that they can call their own because I never had that growing up. So, my motivation was a little bit different to a lot of other athletes out there. But that's what got me going and that's what keeps me going today. Now that I'm a mom myself, I remember what it felt like to have that inspiration from my own mum’s strength and I want to be the same pillar for my children, or one of their pillars because I’m sure they’ll see a lot of great role models around them as they grow up.
 

YEAR13: So, speaking on being a role model for so many young women who are growing up watching you, how does it feel knowing that you have a chance to be that inspiration for them? Whether it's people who are athletes themselves and admire your athleticism or whether it's people who are really inspired by your dedication and perseverance.

Being a role model comes with responsibilities because a lot of kids do look up to you. And to know that I am possibly, or I am one of those role models, I take this seriously and whenever I have an opportunity to speak to anyone, if a young woman approaches me or kids approach me, I take that opportunity to share my story and to talk to them. Because it may be 30 seconds out of my life, but for them, that might be all they need to keep them going, even for a little bit longer. 
 

YEAR13: Now that you're retired, are there any sports or activities that you get to do just for fun now, rather than as a professional athlete?

Well, as a retiree (laughs), I now train for my mental health. I train very differently now. And that's only because my physical being has suffered a lot through high performance training. I trained for over 25 years to become a full time Olympic medallist so it took a toll. But I really love going to the gym to train for my head. 

I do a little boxing and a bit of running on the treadmill and a little bit of lifting for normal people. Don't ask me why I keep saying that. It’s really because before I was training to perform and lifting crazy tons of weights and doing crazy exercises and all the rest. But now I go to the gym, and I look at the little picture of the little man on the machine, and I follow it and it gives me a lot of joy to be able to do that.