Olivia Gloyn's dad always said polocrosse was too rough for girls.
Try telling that to his daughter - who has been playing for 11 years and in the process become so good that she's off to the United Kingdom to represent her country.
Olivia, 26, a Turangi-based early childhood teacher, will be playing in the eight-strong New Zealand team at the Polocrosse World Cup in Rugby, England and with the tournament kicking off next month, the pressure is mounting.
She has been preparing for the World Cup for around 18 months and currently works three days a week, spending the rest of her time training.
The Polocrosse World Cup is held every four years and this year's two-week competition is from July 4 to July 17, with eight nations (New Zealand, Australia, England, America, Ireland, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe) taking part.
Olivia plays for Taumarunui-based Kaitieke Polocrosse because when she first took up polocrosse, the Turangi club Tuwharetoa Polocrosse did not exist.
Polocrosse runs in the family - dad Greg Gloyn has always played and both he and his brother Errol Gloyn have also coached. Olivia took up polocrosse at age 15 after a misunderstanding during a family trip to England where her father was helping with polocrosse.
"People just assumed I played and they gave me a pony and a racquet and said 'go for it'."
So she did, despite knowing that her father might not be pleased.
"Dad always said it was too rough for girls."
She first knew she was in with a serious chance of making the World Cup team 18 months ago when she was selected for the initial World Cup squad of 30 players. In January a team of four men and four women was announced, with half of those being from Kaitieke. The other four are from Waikato clubs.
Each game at the World Cup will consist of eight chukkas of eight minutes each, and the men and the women alternate chukkas so that the first chukka is women playing women, the second chukka is men playing men, and so on. Each team fields three players at a time with one in reserve in case of a mishap.
The New Zealanders will ride borrowed ponies, something that isn't new to Olivia. She has played polocrosse in Australia and South Africa with New Zealand teams, although the World Cup will be her first competitive trip to England.
But money is always the big issue, and the squad has been fundraising almost since the last World Cup.
"There's not enough money to pay for everything in there but there's money to help out with costs. Other than that you have to find the money yourself."
There's been plenty of work and preparation.
She has been doing fitness training under the guidance of a trainer and her programme includes running, press-ups, sit-ups, endurance and strength training. On top of that there's also her polocrosse skills - including horse riding, catching and throwing - to keep sharp.
Although she also show jumps and hunts, Olivia says polocrosse for her is "like a disease".
"Once you've got it, you've got it. It's really addictive. And when you get the ball and go down the field and score a goal it's an awesome feeling as well."
She says although polocrosse is not particularly dangerous, there's always a good chance of coming away with a few bruises - although she does her best to avoid them.
"I've got a full-on armour. I wear knee pads, elbow pads, face guard."
She says one of the best things is that because polocrosse is not widely-known, it'll be great to be with others from around the world who are passionate about the sport.
"To go to the World Cup and be in this place where there's hundreds of people that are all like you, it's like one big polocrosse family."
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