In the latest of her regular columns, Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic star and former Australia netball captain Caitlin Bassett reveals what you need to know about dating a professional athlete.
The fame, the money, the muscles.
Being with a professional athlete must all look very glamorous from theoutside - but what is the reality of life with a sporting superstar? For this topic, there is no better resource than my teammates and after some hilarious conversations I have narrowed down what you need to know about dating an athlete.
Firstly while male athletes have WAGs (wives and girlfriends), female athletes have HABs (husbands and boyfriends). It's well known that being a WAG comes with perks – five-star vacations, lavish houses, and cars to name just a few. Being a HAB comes with perks, too - free tickets to games and merchandise (if you can fit into a woman's XL top).
The first key to surviving as the partner of a sports star is to understand that food is an important part of our lives. With super high training loads, staying fuelled is a priority so when we say we are on a diet it doesn't mean we are eating salad and skipping meals.
When athletes are not playing or training they're eating - or thinking about eating! Photo / Getty Images
When we are not training we are usually eating and even with food in hand we are generally thinking about our next meal. Keeping an athlete happy is simple - always have food on hand and don't judge us on the ridiculous amounts we eat. Bonus Brownie points if you know your way around the kitchen and can whip up a good, healthy, home-cooked meal. In fact, one of my teammates gets greeted by her partner holding food outstretched after a loss. The food has to be finished before talking about the game is allowed to start.
Being an athlete often means enduring a rollercoaster of emotions, from the highs of a win to the lows of a loss. If you want to stay in the good books, don't try to offer feedback straight after a game.
Mood swings are common, so telling us how we could have played better will never end well. Although we make things look easy out there on the field/court/pitch it's not, don't tell us how to do our job and we won't tell you how to do yours.
Give us some space and lend a supportive ear while we rant about an opposing player. And don't worry - we generally calm down after a snack or a nap.
Former Australia netball captain Caitlin Bassett training ahead of a 2018 test. Photo / Getty Images
Athletes are often very time-poor, having to juggle training, games, family, friends, and work or study. Being born in May means I spent my 18th and 21st birthdays at training camps at the Australian Institute of Sport and every birthday since then playing an away game.
It may be hard at times to understand that sport is our top priority but with such a small window of opportunity to perform at the elite level activities such as late nights out or sleep-ins on a weekend are the first to be sacrificed.
Don't get upset if we aren't around to hang out whenever you want, instead enjoy the moments of time you do spend together. You may not realise it but with such a busy schedule it actually means a lot that when we do have spare time, we want to spend it with you.
I'd like to think that while it's hard at times being in a relationship with an athlete, the pros outweigh the cons.
Being a professional athlete has many highs but also several lows ... like after a defeat. Photo / Getty Images
We are highly motivated to achieve our goals and love to encourage our partners to do the same.
There is never a dull moment as we tend to be very competitive and will turn even the most mundane tasks into a game. Being an athlete is a challenging career to pursue and the support we receive from our loved ones is what helps make it possible.
