The dual sportswoman aiming to prove people wrong
“I’ve been told a fair bit you’re never going to achieve well, if you keep spreading yourself out doing multiple sports.”
That’s exactly what Charlotte Coughlan has set out to prove wrong.
You’ll often find her on a netball or basketball court, in a water polo pool, or even on a lake rowing, and this month she’s representing the fern across the ditch.
The 17-year-old from Christchurch is representing New Zealand in the 19 and under water polo team at the Australian State Championships in Melbourne on Friday, one month before she takes part in a national development camp for netball.
“I got the invitation around the same time as I got named in the water polo team, so it was really awesome to be able to pursue both sports at a higher level,” she said.
Coughlan, a student at St Margaret’s College in Christchurch, has always loved the water and playing team sports. She believes they have each helped her develop transferable skills and strengths. Juggling can certainly be added to her skill-set, as she often balances shooting basketball hoops three times a week, netball six times, and treading water with water polo teams five times a week.
“That was pretty full on managing it with school, but I always stay organised with knowing what’s coming for the day and week ahead and I always prioritise my school work.
“I’m just a very driven person. I always like to do things to the best of my ability.”
The professionalisation of junior sport has seen a rise of sports academies putting kids under pressure to specialise early in a chosen sport in recent years.
Research endorsed by Sport New Zealand said early specialisation could mark a decline in participation rates, and instead it encouraged youth to try a range of sports.
That was the set of values Coughlan’s family believed in, she said. They had encouraged her to experience a wide variety of sports, before her passion for water polo and netball grew. “I found that one sport always helped the other, like in rowing, the strength and power that you get in your legs and shoulders transfers over to water polo. My parents love whatever I love; they’re so supportive of whatever I will do.”
The six-day water polo championships mark Coughlan’s first time playing for a New Zealand team, which had always been a “dream”. Just one month later, she’ll attend a national development netball camp in Ashburton that will “hopefully” lead to a selection into the New Zealand Secondary School team next year.
The Youth Water Polo World Championships are also on Coughlan’s radar for 2024.
“As long as I can, I definitely would love to keep them both up,” she said.