Whether marching behind the New Zealand flag or watching on TV with their teammates because of competition schedules or being in a satellite village, three words come up regularly with the five former Olympians to summarise the moment – pride, excitement and reality. Pride in being a Kiwi on the world stage representing Aotearoa New Zealand, excitement at being part of the biggest global celebration and reality, the ‘this is it’ moment where hopes and dreams become real.
HPSNZ’s Chris Arthur and Anna Simcic share their marching moments while Hannah McLean, Adrian Blincoe and Tina Manker reflect on the occasion they watched with teammates.
Chris Arthur, OLY #400, HPSNZ Head of Performance Life Coaching
“I marched at both my Games, Los Angeles 1984 and Barcelona 1992, and remember how much the atmosphere and amazing experience lifted me up for the coming days.
“The anticipation and excitement of dressing up in my New Zealand uniform and then heading off, en masse, with all the other Olympians was a dream come true.
“There was a long wait time to march and finally your country is called. You walk into the stadium to see thousands of people cheering and celebrating together. The walk seems to be over in a flash and then the reality that what you have trained for, fought for and planned for is about to start.”
Anna Simcic, OLY #671, HPSNZ Performance Life Coach
“Because I wasn’t swimming for the first few days of competition, I weighed up the pros and cons of being on my feet however the privilege of celebrating being an Olympian in front of my family won out.
“Marching as part of the New Zealand team at my first Olympics and with my swim teammates, coaches and support staff filled me with pride. Unlike international swim meets it was one enormous celebration with all my Kiwi sports mates and we truly felt like one team.
“I recall the pure emotion when New Zealand was announced over the loudspeaker and walking behind our flagbearer. Looking around I remember seeing many of my teammates overcome with emotion.
“Barcelona certainly turned on a very special Opening Ceremony. The vibe was upbeat, the celebration amazing and the atmosphere like a huge, beautiful carnival.”
Hannah McLean, OLY #932, HPSNZ Performance Life Coach and Internship Lead
“In Athens 2004 my first races were in the first few days of competition so I wasn’t able to attend the Opening Ceremony. But I have memories of watching it in the Village at the New Zealand team base which was named Middle Earth.
“The night before Beatrice Faumuina was named as flag bearer and the beautiful kākahu dropped around her shoulders before Dave Dobbyn brought everyone to tears playing all his hits including Loyal. The energy, team connection and sense of what it was to be on the world stage was running high.
“Greece put on an epic opening ceremony in all senses of the word. Ancient Greek mythology and art was evoked, and the haunting vocals of Bjork captivated the stadium.
“I did go to the Closing Ceremony and I remember feeling the real sense of being part of the Olympic movement when all the teams from every country erupted into the stadium letting off four years’ worth of steam.”
Adrian Blincoe, OLY #1000, HPSNZ Performance Team Leader
“The athletics competition was in the second week of the Games so the athletics team was in Hong Kong for a pre-Games camp before heading to Beijing.
“We went out to dinner as a team and then watched the Opening Ceremony on a giant screen in a park next to our hotel. Even though we were not there it was a special moment watching with my teammates.
“I was able to go to the Closing Ceremony which seemed to be more relaxed and more of a party atmosphere. We had competed and we could enjoy the moment. It was great to just take it all in whether goals had been met or not.”
Tina Manker, German Olympian, HPSNZ Performance Life Coach
“Unfortunately we weren’t able to attend the London 2012 Opening Ceremony because racing started the next day and we were staying in a satellite village closer to the rowing course.
“Watching from our base, two of my standout memories are the appearance of Rowan Atkinson as his Mr Bean character. I remember being so impressed that his character was widely known and recognised by people around the world. The stadium erupted with cheers and laughter once everyone realised it was him.
“The second memory has to be Daniel Craig as James Bond and the Queen parachuting into the stadium. It was great to see the Queen participate like this and it also spoke to the planning and preparation that had gone into the event. In its way it honoured the level of preparation athletes and coaches had put into preparing for their performances.
“Once the teams started walking in there was the realisation that this is it now – it’s really started.”
