As a sports journalist, covering rugby specifically, I’ve gotten used to professionalism being interpreted as a straight jacket for players when it comes to showing any real personality in the public eye.
It’s obviously different around the world, but that’s the case here in New Zealand, at least for men’s sport.
Women are doing things very differently, and holy moly is it refreshing.
I was at a women’s rugby final recently where the best Kiwi side faced the best Aussie team. The home team, the Blues, won a penalty early in the game - not a particularly pivotal penalty or overly impressive one, more technical - but the winger was so overjoyed for her team that she did a cartwheel.
It really was a bit of a profound reminder of the freedom we have in life.
Performing in a high-stakes game in front of a few thousand people, it takes a bit of empowering to really feel that comfortable, and that has always been the impression I get when hanging around the women’s teams. They empower each other to be themselves in an incredibly holistic way.
This player, Katelyn Vahaakolo, is one of the best players in the world with a huge fan base. For the fans, young and old, to see someone like her exercising her freedom in such a carefree and joyous way is exactly what we need more of from our role models.
