From playing netball just for the fun to playing on the biggest stages, Meagan Roux is a fantastic example of how dedication is key to reaching your goals.
Meagan’s inspiring netball career started when she was in grade 1 at the tender age of 6. She started playing because her mom said it would be fun and because that is what her friends were playing, which at 6 years old is the perfect reason to play a sport! Fast-tracking a few years forward, Meagan attended Eunice Girls High School in Bloemfontein, where she met her biggest career inspiration, Maryka Holtzhauzen, who was her coach in 2013 and 2014.
Although clearly very talented, Meagan only got her provincial colours once attending high school. This was in 2015 when she was selected for the Free State B team. She was selected for the Free State Senior team for the first time in 2017 at the beginning of her first year in the goal attack and wing attack positions. When asked about this, she explained that she there were several occasions where she wanted to give up, but through constant dedication and commitment, her hard work is finally being rewarded.
Around the same time she was selected to represent the Free State in 2017, she was selected to represent Kovsies. Later that year she became the youngest player to play in the Brutal Fruit Netball Premier League when she represented the Free State Crinums for the first time at age 18.
In 2018, things seemed to get better and better for Meagan as she again represented Kovsies and Free State in all of their respective tournaments. She also represented Mangaung Metro at the SA Championships in Port Elizabeth. Shortly after the championships and USSAs which took place in July, Meagan reached every young South African netball players goal and was selected to represent the South African National team, the Proteas, in the Quad Series which is set to start on Saturday, 15 September in Auckland, New Zealand.
While doing exceptionally well in her netball career, Meagan is currently excelling in her undergraduate degree in physiotherapy at the University of the Free State. According to her she has always dreamed of becoming a sports physiotherapist. She strongly believes that students should study something that will make their job enjoyable and not feel like work. She has always been interested in sport and she loves to help people, making physiotherapy the perfect job for her.
When asked about her biggest supporters, she said her parents, her boyfriend and her closest friends would definitely take that title. She believes that without their support, she wouldn’t be where she is today.
In terms of netball and after already accomplishing so much, her goal is still to become a better player every day and to continue to work hard until she comes out on top.
The best piece of advice she would like to give to other young netball players is: “Never stop working hard. Just because things don’t work out for you in the moment, doesn’t mean that there aren’t bigger things planned for you.”
Many lessons can be learnt from this young lady. While being extremely busy, juggling training and studying, she manages her time well enough to reach great heights in her netball career, to do well in her studies, to make time for the people who are close to her and to even have small conversations in the passage. On top of effective time management being an achievement on its own, Meagan shows that no matter how difficult a day might have been, there is always a reason to smile.
By Mary Gordon
