At 21, Jane Taylor has already enjoyed a season with the Severn Stars in the Netball Super League and represented England Students.
For most that would be something to be proud of and happy with but during my chat with her, what is striking is the brutal honesty with which she assesses her own performance.
“I’m very harsh on myself as a player. Even though my coach said you played really well, I was like no I didn’t. I always focus on the bad things that I do. I think that’s any athlete really. I think you’ll always remember the stuff you did wrong and you’ll think I should have done better.”
Her candour is refreshing but she also appears to possess a remarkable self-awareness and concedes that her foray into the Super League may have come too soon.
This year Taylor is still involved with the Stars but as a training partner and whilst a setback she feels it may benefit her in the long run, especially whilst she is studying for a masters in Sports Therapy at the University of Gloucestershire.
“I think my debut season was a bit premature for me, if I’m being truthfully honest, I don’t think I was ready. I didn’t expect it anyway because I didn’t have a full season as a training partner. Finding out this season that I’m not fully in the squad and I’m a training partner, felt like a step backwards but in the right direction. That’s a bit strange but I can focus on my masters I can improve on that, really focus on my netball and then having this on top being able to represent England makes me feel like, I’m not bad at netball, it’s worth it.”
What is apparent when talking to Taylor is that her call up to England Students came at an opportune time and was also a massive source of pride despite her initial anxiety to receiving the news.
“I didn’t open it on the day because I didn’t want to find out. I think I had something on where if I didn’t get in, I didn’t want it to ruin it. And then the next day when I was on my own, I just opened it and it said congratulations and I was ecstatic.
It was very good news at the time and I kind of needed it. Just to say yes you had a setback in the NSL, but you’ve also had a step forward with England Uni, so it was good.”
Making your debut during a pandemic poses even more challenges, in particular with the absence of crowds and in particular loved ones, especially with the support she has from her own family.
“My family are really supportive and come whenever they can. I really missed not having family watching me play last season. Especially with it being my debut season. “
With two older sisters who were sporty as well as her parents, sport permeated family life for Taylor growing up.
It is evident what her family mean to her but she is also grateful for the competitive spirit that her family environment has fostered.
“Sam and Catherine, and myself were really into sport. And I think, it really comes from my Dad, he is and was very sporty when he was younger. He also went to the same secondary school as us, Chosen Hill School, which is only ten minutes away. He was very much into his rugby and he played for his club, and I think he got pretty far and I think he might have had a trial for England, like the 21’s or something, not the actual England squad.
We’re just quite a sporty family and we used to be in this thing called Young Farmers club and they ( Mum and Dad) used to play in this mixed hockey team and were very competitive. We all hate losing and the drive to be really good at what we do and to win definitely comes from them.”
The desire to improve is no more apparent when I mention her stats in the Super League.
In her debut season she scored 36 goals from 47 shots which from the outside appears like a good return but not for Taylor herself.
“Our normal (percentage) is 85 so to hear 74 is not what I want to hear. So if I ever get the call up to play this season ill definitely be trying to make sure I get the majority in, or only miss one or two in a game. I don’t want to miss too many because that’s our job as a shooter, our main priority is too get the goals in. If we don’t do our job then what are we doing it for, that’s what my mindset is.”
Archie Connolly Sport 