McCaw now a mum on a mission
In returning to the Black Sticks, Gemma McCaw wants to show daughter Charlotte what’s possible, writes Andrew Voerman.
Two words in an Instagram caption last November said plenty.
Next to a photo of herself and daughter Charlotte, Gemma McCaw wrote: ‘‘My why.’’
The Black Sticks veteran took to the turf for the first time since the 2016 Rio Olympics yesterday, making her 247th appearance for her country against Belgium as the FIH Pro League began.
Since her last outing – a loss to Germany in the bronze medal match – she has married former All Blacks captain Richie McCaw, and they’ve been joined by Charlotte, who turned one in December.
Yesterday’s match was her first as Gemma McCaw, rather than Gemma Flynn, and her new name connects her not only with her husband, but with her daughter, who, as she noted in that caption, is why she has made this comeback.
As she first told Woman’s Day, McCaw was inspired when she happened across a quote about the relationship between parents and their children, and children and their parents.
‘‘It’s not only children who grow,’’ it began. ‘‘Parents do too. While we’re watching to see what they do with their lives, they’re watching us.’’
Charlotte was set to be watching from the stands as her mum made her return – and being able to share these next six months or so with her daughter is a big motivator for McCaw, who is eyeing a place at the Tokyo Olympics, having been to Beijing in 2008, London in 2012, and Rio four years ago. ‘‘If I’m going to say to her, ‘follow your dreams and work hard to do whatever you want in life’, I want to show her that myself rather than just tell her,’’ McCaw said on the eve of her comeback.
‘‘This is a nice opportunity for me to look back on with her, even tough she probably won’t remember much.’’
McCaw’s first taste of hockey in almost two years came early in 2019, when she played a club game in Christchurch while Charlotte was only four months old, and she admitted it was a bit of a challenge.
‘‘I went out there and the body wasn’t quite up to what the mind was hoping to do, but I just thought I’d take it step by step, one foot in front of the other.’’
When she decided to give a return to the international arena a try, McCaw had work to do to get back to where she had been between 2008 and 2016 while playing, but with some help from husband.
‘‘It’s always a challenge – you can ask any parent about it – fitting in exercise around having a child. But I’ve [played for the Black Sticks] before, so I know what it takes to get there. It does take hard work and there were moments there where I had to push through.
‘‘I was lucky enough having Rich be able to help to tag-team some of the exercise. He would be with Charlotte while I would go out and train.’’
Help from family has played a big part in allowing McCaw to return to the Black Sticks, who have another pair of matches in Auckland next weekend, then spend four weeks in Christchurch, before heading to Europe for the remainder of the Pro League season.
‘‘You need good around you,’’ she said.
‘‘You need family who are willing to help with those moments and I’ve been lucky to have my mum – she’s taken this year off work, to help with Charlotte – and Rich as well – the full days where we’ve been training, support he’s been with her.
‘‘It’s really nice that she’s got one of us to be with her, so that I know she’s in really good hands.
‘‘It’s about setting those small goals and if it’s something that you really love, it’s about problem-solving and finding a way you can do that. For any mother it’s definitely hard, because you’ve got the emotional pull, but if you’ve got the right support around you, you can do anything you want to.’’
McCaw acknowledged it had been tough at times, making a return to top-level hockey while starting to raise her daughter, but said it would ultimately be beneficial for both of them.
‘‘Any mother will know – you’re working through having a baby, then feeding a baby, and the sleeping schedule, and travelling, and then I’m trying to fit hockey in around her naps and those kinds of things.
‘‘We’ve had to be quite adaptable but we’ve kept a nice routine.’’