On Saturday afternoon, I gathered with a group of girls aged between 15 and 17 on the courts at my local netball association.
The team I coached were dressed in our club's required uniform: a light and short netball dress, bike shorts, socks and shoes.
It was 11 degrees, blowing a gale and pouring down with rain.
We sat on the sidelines and watched as they attempted to play a game of netball. We watched as they tried to catch a rock hard ball with frozen fingers, as our shooters tried to put up shots while they battled against the wind, and as one of our girls took a spectacular intercept only to nearly do the splits as her shoes slid out from under her.
Tree branches had snapped off and were whipping along the courts and wheelie bins had blown over. Parents were forced to keep track of the score on their phones as the scorecard was soaked through. As I tried to give instructions at half time, I found I was speaking with a lisp as my upper lip had frozen.
Eventually the final whistle sounded and the girls all rushed to find their waterproof jackets - only to find they had also been soaked through due to the sheer ferocity of the rain.
As they stood there - legs purple, bright red faces and their teeth chattering – I could hear the familiar mantra spouted by any mum who has ever had to sit out in the rain to watch their kid play a Saturday game.
"It's a winter sport."
To use a slightly nicer version of what I tell people when they try to use this justification on me: get lost.
Firstly, if it's a winter sport, why would you make us wear a summer uniform then? A tiny lycra dress is not designed to stand up against any level of rain and cold.
Seeing the girls' reluctance to peel off their jumpers and stand around in their short, airy dresses was enough to make me want to herd them all into the clubrooms and forfeit the match before it had even began.
Secondly, if emergency services tell you to stay inside, I'm of the opinion you should bloody well stay inside. They put out a warning about driving on Perth roads on Saturday afternoon, and said there would likely be a thunderstorm and lightning.
Why does this rule suddenly change if there's a ball involved? But still, if you stay inside you're considered "soft" because "it's a winter sport".
Thirdly, parents who decide kids these days are too "precious" if they express any sort of concern about playing in this weather.
There were tree branches flying around the association. One girl apparently broke her nose from falling face first on a slippery court. I now have a team of girls who are guaranteed to have the flu for most of the school holidays.
You go stand out there in a lycra dress, jar a finger from catching a cold ball and tell me "I am really enjoying myself and this is super fun". It's bloody not.
Lastly, the fact of the matter is: footy, rugby, hockey and soccer are winter sports because they are all played on grass.
Netball is played on pavement. There are various rules that impact how you can land and how you can move, as well as a new rule change that sees the sport classed as "semi-contact" – add in the fact the court is flooded, and you're asking for trouble.
So to all parents who seem to be under the impression they've fought in a war because they played a game of netball in the rain once: who cares?
There was such an uproar about this issue only last year, when parents voiced their anger over after Wanneroo District Netball Association decided carry out their games during a severe weather warning.
Parents said the association forced their "crying" and "hysterical" nine-year-old children to play out games during the wild weather or face a fine.
They later called off the remainder of their games, and were faced with yet another uproar - this time from parents and players who thought the decision was soft.
No matter which way the Association had gone, they would have faced backlash for their decision.
That's why I propose a change. Yes, netball is technically still considered a "winter sport" but it's time we attached an asterisk to the phrase and added a footnote:
"Remember, they're kids and this is not Suncorp Super Netball."
Sometimes it's about duty of care and understanding that standing in a lycra dress during a severe weather warning isn't worth four points on a leader board.
Sometimes it's about laughing through the experience and wringing out your socks in the shower later.
Either way, let other parents and players do whatever they feel is right. Berating others based on the "it's a winter sport" argument is narrow-minded.
That being said, us opens players really should just suck it up and have a warm drink in front of the fire later.