Youth Olympics took teen's breath away

There's only one word to really describe Kate McCaw's experience of the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in Singapore – amazing.

Seventeen-year-old McCaw was the vice-captain of the New Zealand under-17 hockey team which won a bronze medal at the tournament.

Held from August 14-26, the event involved more than 3600 athletes from around the world.

"It was just incredible," McCaw said. "I couldn't imagine how amazing it was going to be. Our coach [Greg Nicol] had told us it would take us by surprise, the atmosphere and everything.

"It was completely out of this world and my breath was taken away."

The Games gave the athletes a taste of what an Olympic event would be like and has left the Samuel Marsden Collegiate year 13 student wanting to experience the real thing in the future.

The New Zealand hockey team didn't have it easy on their way to winning bronze at the competition.

Their opening game was against Korea which the New Zealand side won 3-2, before beating Ireland by the same score two days later.

The side then suffered their first loss of the competition, going down to the Netherlands 1-0, but bounced back the next day to beat South Africa 4-0. The team then played Argentina and lost 1-0.

That loss meant they faced Korea in the playoff for the bronze medal and the New Zealand team – of which McCaw was among the goal scorers – bagging a golden goal to win 5-4.

That win provided McCaw with her highlight of the experience. "Standing on the podium getting the bronze medal was just an amazing feeling."

Although the hockey players didn't get to see many of their colleagues compete, due to their match schedule, they didn't lack support going into the final days of their competition.

"Most people came to our final game," she said. "We had a lot of support. But because of our games, we didn't get to watch anyone else which was unfortunate."

Team officials Dallas Seymour and Robyn Wong had talked to the athletes about becoming one national team, rather than staying within their sporting codes.

"We ended up being really close as a team," McCaw said.

"They [Seymour and Wong] talked to us about becoming one team and one spirit and that is what we lived by day in and day out.

"We grew into that one big team and one family. The support was amazing."

For McCaw, there has been no time to reflect on her achievements while in Singapore.

She arrived back in New Zealand with the team on Saturday and less than 24 hours later was in Palmerston North preparing for the national secondary school hockey tournament with her Samuel Marsden Collegiate team.

On Monday, she played in both of the side's games at the tournament.

"I was quite tired after that."

This week's tournament also means some of McCaw's national team-mates will become her foes in the coming days.

"It is going to be quite weird, I think," she said. "There are two girls staying at the motel and it is weird seeing them in different uniforms."

- © Fairfax NZ News