We caught up with long standing Ambassador and England Roses player George Fisher, about life as a shooter in the international netball game.
- Have you always played netball or were there other sports that you played growing up?
Being dyslexic I struggled a lot academically at school. I found that I really enjoyed sport so played every sport possible including: football, hockey, netball, athletics, rounder’s and tag rugby (which I really loved), but my first passion was swimming. I’ve always loved water since as far back as I can remember and joined a swimming club when I was eight. I started competing a couple of months later and totally loved it; I was even interviewed at 13 as a potential 2012 Olympic swimmer!
- Did you always want to be a shooter or did you test out some other positions at a younger age?
I started playing netball at school when I was 11. I used to play GD and when I first joined Turnford NC, they put me as GK; at that point I wasn’t very good at catching or throwing! After a couple of months they decided I’d be better at the other end and told my mum to buy a post and get me out practicing every day. I generally played GA when I was younger but I have been known to play in any position on court, as I love having a run-a-round but most of the time you would find me in one of the D’s.
- Is there a shooter you have always looked up to?
There are so many Shooters I admire - Irene Van Dyk, Maria Folau, Janine Folwer and Ameliaranne Ekenasio. All are, or have been, at the top of their game and all are total legends that play in very different styles. I think Jo Harten has always been the stand out for me; she grew up pretty locally to me so was someone everyone knew and admired.
- On average how many shots do you put up per day to make sure you’re at the top of your game?
I shoot every day, 200 shots a day. Well that’s 200 scored! This would be separate to any team training sessions and something I have done since I was about 12 years old.
- Apart from shooting, how does your training ensure you’re fully prepared for your games?
The more you put in the more you get out. Training is where you make your mistakes, learn and improve so it’s so important. We have both court sessions and gym sessions, which are just as important as each other. You need to build up your strength on court and also your stamina so you can perform for the full 60 minutes. I'm also a keen believer in prehab, working on the areas that need that little bit of extra attention to keep you strong and on court.
- Do you feel an added pressure because you are the person who the team relies on to get the points on the board?
No not really, I rely on the team to get the ball to me so without them I wouldn’t have the opportunity to score and I feel that this is just part of my job!
- If there was one piece of advice you’d give to your fellow goal shooters striving to get where you are, what would that be?
Always make sure you enjoy what you are doing, as this will make you perform better overall and practice, practice, practice.
