Sports
Jaclyn Parker took up the sport of Handball in her 20s when, with a friend, she decided she wanted to represent New Zealand in sport. Picking a niche sport with less competition Jaclyn found herself three weeks later making the New Zealand Women's Handball team. It was the start of a massive learning curve for Jaclyn on the journey to fully understand and appreciate not only the nuances of Handball but also of herself as an athlete. Ten years later and Jaclyn's love of the game, and her commitment to master it, keep her going, In 2018 Jaclyn captained the New Zealand Women's Handball team in Japan at the Asiana Champs - the first time New Zealand Women's Handball had ever competed on the world stage. Under the stage lights, with TV cameras, competing in a different country, against professional women who earn their living playing Handball (unlike Jaclyn's a full time Physiotherapist), she took it all in her stride and shares how she did it and the lessons the team learned in today's episode of Mental Strength Conversations. Jaclyn and I talk also about the mental strength challenges that come from being a Captain of a team. Where you're not only responsible for your own performance but for how your team mates also perform on the Field of Play. Jaclyn talks about how she handles the Captains responsibility even if she's not feeling it and how understanding her team mates and herself is crucial to the teams success. We also talk about Jaclyn's own evolution of self-reflection and how she uses her intuition and feelings to mentally prep for games, how warming up can affect your game mentally and how you can work smarter not harder to stay consistent in your sport. Plus much more. So without further adieu, here's New Zealand's Handball Captain, Jaclyn Parker.