Sport Canterbury’s philosophy is that ‘Balance is Better’ for our tamariki and rangatahi when it comes to participating in sport; putting the participant at the centre is crucial to enjoyment and supporting young people to stay involved.  

We recently caught up with Stacey Carr, former Black Sticks hockey player - Commonwealth Games silver medallist and two-time Olympian - to get her thoughts on balance in sport and to hear about her experiences as a young athlete.  

“I actually didn’t start with playing hockey, I played rugby because my brothers played. It wasn’t until I got to about nine years old and my mum said do you want to have a crack at something else?” says Stacey.   

This kickstarted a life-long love of hockey for Stacey, and she played for the local club in Ashburton before moving up to Christchurch to board at Rangi Ruru Girls’ School. Moving to Christchurch allowed Stacey to continue her development in hockey but also opened up opportunities for her to explore other sports.  

“I was able to play a variety of sports when I moved up to Christchurch; volleyball, touch, tennis, athletics as well as hockey. I loved every sport that I did, but the two that were really for me were touch rugby and hockey.”  

Being able to play multiple sports enabled Stacey to develop her skills, with touch supporting her speed and agility, and hockey building her endurance. It also kept things exciting, so she didn’t get bored.   

“I loved the team aspect of my sports as well as the different cultures within the sport, the people and coaches I interacted with.”  

Eventually, hockey became Stacey’s number one sport, despite also representing New Zealand in Touch Rugby at an under-21 age group level. Stacey moved through the hockey pathway, selected for regional and national teams, before then going on to represent her country at one Commonwealth (2010 Delhi) and two Olympic Games (2004 Athens & 2008 Beijing). 

Alongside her sporting career, Stacey attended university, after being encouraged by her athlete support mentor, former Olympic swimmer, Anna Simcic. This ensured she had something else after hockey to work towards.  

When speaking about her support system, Stacey noted how important her parents were in her sporting career.  

“My parents never pushed me to play a certain sport, they pretty much let me do what I wanted, and they were always there just supporting me from the sideline”.  

Stacey has carried her experiences as a young person playing sport into her life as a parent, and now has a similar philosophy that she passes on to her own children and other parents.  

“The pressure parents put on their kids to perform or do things is huge when they could actually just be out there having fun. For me, it is all about getting kids involved and wanting them to have fun, enjoy it and do whatever they want. It is about letting kids choose their own destiny really.”

For more on creating 'Positive Youth Sport', check out our brand new web page for resources: Sport Canterbury - POSITIVE YOUTH SPORT