Olympian ANZers reflect as Paris games begin

If you’re one of the millions of people planning on watching the Paris Olympics, you might find yourself wondering what it’s like for the athletes. From the first moments entering the Olympic stadium for the Opening Ceremony, to reflecting on the scoreboard at the end of a close game.

The beginning

Meet Kyle Pontifex and Dean Couzins OLY , former members of the New Zealand ‘Black Sticks’ in field hockey, who’ve travelled the world together to 3 Olympics as players - Athens, Beijing and then London, and now work at ANZ.

Kyle and Dean have a unique story. A connection that stretches 23 years of professional hockey and work, the pair made their international debuts on the same day back in 2001 against Malaysia, where they first pulled on the silver fern to represent their country.

Making the cut

Reaching the Olympics is as hard as it sounds and is often the culmination of years of training and dedication. So, once there, it can be difficult to take it all in.

“It’s a bit surreal. Your focus is completely on your build-up to ensure you’re the best you can be. So much work goes into it - you don’t really get to stop and admire the view until after, when you reflect on it and you’re like ‘wow’.

“It’s an incredible environment. You see all these top athletes from all walks of life. Everyone gets on, everyone’s there to perform their best and have a great time” recounted Kyle.

For Dean, the moment hit when walking into the Opening Ceremony for the first time in Athens, but equally, he found the experience in London to be uniquely special.

“Walking into the stadium – there’s this thrill of everyone yelling. In London, it was a walk from the village to the stadium, and they lined it with kids from all over the UK. And they’ve got no clue who you are – they don’t know you’re a hockey player from New Zealand, but they don’t care. They’re just pumped and excited.”

When pressed on their favourite Olympics of the three, both agreed, there was a clear standout.

“I reflect on London in two ways. It was tough. It was the best outside of performance for me – how it was set up, run, all that sort of stuff – but from an on-field perspective it was a bit disappointing. But you take a lot of learning away from that disappointment, whether it be to coaching, or even to work” Dean stated.

Reflecting on success

While the pair never quite reached the podium at the Olympics, they do have some hardware to reflect their success, in the form of Commonwealth games medals.

“It’s genuinely rewarding [winning a medal]. In 2002 we were a bit more junior, but it was really thrilling. By 2010 when we won a medal [at the Commonwealth Games], you have a more important role, so it’s really nice to get that reward”. A reward, which Dean keeps in a draw in his bedroom, and Kyle…well, he’s not quite sure where it is exactly.

“When you don’t win a medal, there’s no less effort involved – so it’s nice to have something tangible.”

And they both agreed it’s nice for their kids to be able to hold some of that success in their hands, and show their schoolmates, too.