Garage the perfect setting for Silver Ferns midcourt maestro

Down time is a foreign phrase for bubbly Silver Ferns midcourter Laura Langman, who has found herself busier than ever during the COVID-19 lockdown.

From her base on the Sunshine Coast where she plays in the Australian league, Langman, 34, has had little time to pause for breath, embracing an exacting schedule which includes hosting NETFIT NZ three times a week while showcasing netball skills and fitness drills for those wanting to stay in shape and including elite players.

She also manages to fit in part-time accountancy work for her New Zealand employers BCD Group in Hamilton and extra training requirements for her Sunshine Coast Lightning team.

“Working, working, working,” was how Langman described life in lockdown.

“Planning NETFIT NZ, filming NETFIT NZ, using this time to crack into some professional development and of course smashing some tin and rolling the legs over.

“Just before COVID-19 hit, our Lightning team all got bikes and we split into teams and the aim was to cycle over 100km as a team each week. You could have not asked for better timing. Everyone has embraced the bikes and are getting out and about cycling the Sunny Coast. It’s the best.

“This has been the ultimate entrance into the New Zealand market for NETFIT and I’m really grateful the NETFIT team asked me to be involved especially with me living in the Sunny Coast. Once we got into a routine, we now film three times a week and the planning and filming definitely take a lot longer than you think.”

While the live NETFIT NZ sessions help, Langman, who with 163 Tests under her belt is the Silver Ferns most capped player in history, adds to her personal load with specific trainings in regards to her Lightning requirements.

“The solo skills sessions have been perfect timing as we are progressing back to preparing more specifically for court play,” she said. 

“In recent episodes (team-mate) Steph Wood has joined me and we try to incorporate agility and skills we need to work on or do work in the technical space.”

This all happens from Langman’s garage which she said had become the most popular and prominent room in the house.

Australia has adopted slightly less restrictive rules than New Zealand during lockdown but Langman shares her bubble with husband Adrian and Emma Hayes a Dietitian who helps with the cooking segment on NETFIT NZ. 

Langman is in regular touch with her family and friends in New Zealand and told her parents, who farm at Te Pahu in the Waikato, that she had been eyeing up the woolshed as the perfect setting for a gym if she had been on this side of the Tasman.

With the start to the Australian league on hold, there has been plenty of interaction with her Lightning team-mates to ensure spirits and fitness levels are maintained. 

“There’s constant banter going on amongst the troops,” Langman said.

“We have Friday Zoom club drinks, athlete intelligence sessions via zoom on a Thursday and team updates on Tuesdays. We are confident we will be back soon.”

From Tuesday 5 May NETFIT NZ will screen on Sky Sport 3 at a new afternoon slot of 4-6pm on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday with replays at from 9-11am on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday mornings. Clinics are also available online at www.netfitnetball.com