Alice Henderson On Debut

Twenty-seven

Charlie runs around madly in both dodge ball games we've played, having a great time. I think she's on a high after finally getting to talk to Jules. It was just a quick "Hi," but she didn't pass out, which is always a good thing. While I relish the opportunity to take out some of my frustrations on something other than cricket, it turns out that I was right about my dodge ball skills. I don't have any at all. Just getting the chance to hang out with some of the Brisbane squad is awesome though. I like the way they all joke around with each other and the way they seem to actually like each other. Unlike my training team.

"Having fun?" Jules asks as she sits down beside me on the bench.

"If you call getting out first in both games fun then yes, I am having fun."

Jules smiles. "You'll get the hang of it." She looks back to the game, where Charlie is standing low, ready to dodge a ball being held aloft by one of Jules' team mates. "She's good," she says, nodding in Charlie's direction.

"She's got a heap of younger brothers, apparently," I reply.

Jules laughs. "I guess that would teach you to dodge pretty well." She takes a drink of water. "How's your training going?"

"Okay," I reply.

"Just okay?"

"Different to what I'm used to I guess. More intense."

"I found that too when I first moved down to Brissy."

"You're not from there?"

Jules shakes her head. "Ingham. Up north."

"Wow, that's like, miles away from Brisbane."

Jules nods. "In both distance and time."

I look at her. "What does that mean?"

"We're girls who play cricket, Alice. Not many people get that."

I think about Adam and what Mum said to me before I left for camp about things supposedly being hard for him when he really has it easy compared to me. "I know what you mean."

"We've got to stick together us girls," Jules says, nudging my shoulder with hers.

"I guess." I know she's right about that, but it seems that some of the girls at camp are more competitive than even the boys I've trained and played with. Plus, the boys give me more respect than Paris apparently does. I look back over at the game. "Is your squad super competitive?"

Jules shrugs. "I guess so. But in a good way. It's good to have competition. It makes you train harder."

"No-one on your team's ever put you down?"

Jules looks at me. "Is everything okay?"

I shrug. "I guess there are a couple of girls on my team who think they're better than everyone else and they don't mind making sure we know."

Jules sighs, almost like she's heard it all before. "Well, sometimes people can be like that. You can't worry about them."

"What if it's putting me off my game?" I ask.

"You know there's more to sport than just being good at it?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, coaches are looking for more than just skill, Alice. They want team players. People who fit in as part of a group instead of trying to be better than everyone else."

There's celebrations on the court and we look over to see Charlie and her team mate high-fiving each other. Jules claps me on the leg and stands up. "Come on. We've got time for one more game before they turn the lights out on us."

As we get started on the next game, Oona comes in and tells Charlie she's got a phone call in the office. "I'll see you back in the room," Charlie says as we pass each other in the nets. "Have fun."