VIP Frames and Trusses Tactix Training Partner Kate Littlejohn has built her journey on balance, hard work and saying yes to opportunity.
Littlejohn’s pathway is unlike most, and it has taken her to elite rowing, studying at one of the world’s most prestigious universities, international charity adventures and now a return to high performance netball in Christchurch. But despite the incredible twists and turns, Littlejohn says one theme has remained constant throughout her journey - balance.
“From a young age, my parents were really big on making sure we had balance with sport, study and everything else going on,” she said, “I found that when one area of life maybe wasn’t going so well, I could lean on something else.”
That outlook helped shape a sporting career that took her from New Zealand secondary school netball and rowing to a scholarship for Stanford University in the United States.
“At the time, rowing was the opportunity in front of me, so I took it,” she said. “I’ve always been someone who tries not to think too far ahead and instead just make the most of the opportunities that are there.”
While netball took a back seat during her time in America, Littlejohn never fully let go of the sport, and it was the global pandemic that unexpectedly became the turning point to reconnect her with the game. Returning home to New Zealand during COVID gave Littlejohn the chance to play in the National Netball League, reigniting a passion she hadn’t realised she missed.
“What I really missed was the problem-solving and strategy side of netball,” she said. “With rowing, you just go as hard as you can for a certain amount of time, but netball has that tactical element that I really love.”
Shortly after completing a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, Littlejohn returned to Christchurch to continue her studies and earned an apprentice player opportunity with the Tactix.
The call-up ahead of this preseason came as a surprise, Littlejohn admits. While contemplating stepping back from netball to focus more heavily on her studies, she received the opportunity to join the Tactix as a Training Partner. “I thought, ‘Why not?’ If I could make it work and still keep that balance, then it was worth giving it a crack.”
Now back inside the Tactix environment, Littlejohn says the culture created within the group has been one of the highlights of her experience. “One of the best things about this team is the connection and culture they’ve built,” she said. “At no point have I felt like I’m on the fringe, as a Training Partner. Everyone genuinely wants each other to succeed.”
Littlejohn believes opportunities like these roles are vital in showing players there is more than one pathway into elite netball. “I think it’s really important that athletes can see there’s a developmental pathway in the region,” she said. “Even though I’m not a young athlete straight out of High School, I think it’s really cool in our space to see that Donna and the Tactix are interested in developing players that we have in the region.”
Combining life as an athlete with her psychology studies has helped shape Littlejohn’s passion for mental health in sport, and she is excited about bringing all her experiences together to help others.
“In New Zealand we’re such a sport-focused country, and I think sport can be a really powerful vehicle to help drive conversations around mental health,” she said. “I’ve seen how important it is for athletes to have balance and understand who they are outside of sport as well.”
Whether it has been rowing at Stanford, representing Mainland in the NNL or training with the Tactix, Littlejohn’s journey has consistently been shaped by embracing opportunities outside the ordinary.
One of her most unique experiences came in 2024 when she took part in RowZambique, an international crew rowing down the Zambezi River in Africa to raise awareness for clean water access in local communities. “Sport can be such a powerful vehicle for change,” she said. “That experience really showed me how sport can bring people together and create conversations much bigger than competition itself.”
And while she admits she still does not know exactly what the future will look like, she is comfortable with that uncertainty. “I’ve learned that you don’t always need to have everything mapped out,” she said. “Sometimes it’s just about taking the opportunity in front of you, enjoying it and seeing where it leads.”
