A new queen of Kiwi sport
New Zealand snowboarder Zoi Sadowski-synnott quite literally has the world at her feet.
It’s there before the remarkable 17-year-old as she stands at starting gates in alps all around the globe.
And opportunities abound to cash in on her quickly earned status as one of New Zealand’s true sporting stars.
The arrival of the Wanaka teen to such lofty status is perfectly timed.
This is a new era of appreciation for the skills and drive of women’s sport as calls for equal opportunities and rewards increase.
Commercial deals for Sadowski-synnott should flow in after a remarkable 12 months where she has created history for New Zealand snow sports, winning an Olympic bronze, claiming the world slopestyle title and winning gold in the same discipline at the X-games where she also won silver in the big air division.
Suddenly she now deserves to be in the same conversation as Valerie Adams, Lisa Carrington, Sophie Pascoe, Eliza Mccartney and Lydia Ko on the vanguard of this remarkable women’s movement.
She’s got the sporting credentials and time will allow the bubbly youngster to develop the personality to match those.
In fact she might just eclipse her famous compatriots as time rolls on because she is operating in a sport of the modern generation.
With due respect to her classy Kiwi compatriots, hurtling down a snow slope and throwing yourself into the air has a bit more glamour and appeal than hurling a metal ball, taming a small white one, swimming up and down pool lanes or pushing yourself full throttle down a canoe lane.
Sadowski-synnott is also a shining example for New Zealand’s contentious sports funding.
Snow Sports NZ was a massive winner in the last round of handouts, seeing huge investment going into their scene on the back of the Olympics success.
Sadowski-synnott’s ability to instantly back that up and prove the worthiness of that investment will have her bosses rubbing their hands in glee.
Her latest achievement as a world champion will ensure more funding flows into an emerging sport.
When youngsters look for a sporting avenue in a time when there are so many alternatives, it’s the sexy stuff like snowboarding and surfing that will hold increasing appeal. The All Whites are hoping to be involved in a tournament in Malaysia during the March international window.
It is understood New Zealand Football has been involved in discussions about a revival of the Merdeka tournament, celebrating Malaysian Independence Day, which was last held in 2013.
The All Whites have taken part in the friendly tournament on several occasions, most recently in 2000, where a squad featuring Noah Hickey, Ryan Nelsen, and Ben Sigmund beat Malaysia, a Malaysian under-23 team, and Oman to be crowned champions.
Oman could be involved again this time, with Hong Kong also mooted as a possible entrant.
The return of the Merdeka tournament was signalled in Malaysian media late last year, but there have been no updates since, and time is running out for the host association to get it over the line.
The international window begins on March 18, which means players and their clubs have to be notified of callups by March 3, less than three weeks from now.
Teams are only supposed to play two matches during international windows, so there would likely be two semifinals to start the four-team tournament, with the winners and losers then meeting, if it were to come to fruition.
All Whites coach Fritz Schmid’s previous role as Malaysia’s technical director is sure to have helped him get his team in the mix.