Sevens star Broughton wears heart on sleeve
New Zealand sevens player Gayle Broughton wears her heart on her sleeve.
The 22-year-old has a vast ta¯ moko running from the left side of her back, over her shoulder and down her left arm.
Each strand of the tattoo represents a different member of her family, with the inside of her biceps dedicated to those closest to her heart – her grandparents.
Branching from there are her parents, her siblings, great grandparents – it’s a full family tree which she will wear with pride at the Sevens World Cup in San Francisco next week.
‘‘My ta¯ moko, it actually starts from my back and comes all the way down to my wrist,’’ Broughton said.
‘‘Every part of this is my family. My mum, my dad, all my siblings, my aunties, my uncles, everyone.
‘‘The most important part I have is my last name, but these two ta¯ moko [surrounding my name], they’re my grandparents.
‘‘People always ask me why I put them there, surrounding my last name. It’s because they’re closest to my heart.’’ The tattoo is intricate and lovingly put together. Broughton knows every strand intimately, knowing which traditional Ma¯ ori pattern represents each of her family members.
Lower down her arm, it blends into other images, like a dove and two roses, representing her great grandparents.
The ta¯ moko on her back represents her journey to the Rio Olympics.
‘‘It talks about how hard it was to go to Rio, and obviously coming out with silver, which I’m very grateful for.
‘‘Obviously, I hope I make Tokyo, and then I’ll get the other half [of my back] done. Hopefully they’ll work into each other.’’
Broughton’s ta¯ moko are a reminder of where she’s come from, and she’s the first to admit, it’s been some distance.
As a fresh faced 16-year-old, the Taranaki youngster was first brought into the New Zealand sevens camp as their Go For Gold campaign was getting underway.
That was in the lead-in to the 2013 Sevens World Cup in Moscow, Russia, in which the New Zealand side claimed gold.
In some ways, she was fortunate the sevens opportunities came along.
She’d been booted from school, but the sevens environment became her place for learning.
‘‘Lot’s of time off school,’’ Broughton jokes.
‘‘Was I actually at school then? No. I was kicked out of school. I was literally doing nothing with my life.
‘‘You know the whole saying, ‘school’s not for some people’? I think I wasn’t one of those kids for school, but hey, look at me now.
‘‘I look back and things could have been different, but I’m blessed to be part of this.
‘‘To look back and see where my life was to where it is now, it’s just amazing. I’m honestly so proud of myself for how proud I’ve come, and how far I’m still to go.’’
Broughton has quite literally grown up in the New Zealand environment, looking up to her sevens sisters like Sarah Goss, Portia Woodman, Kelly Brazier and Tyla Nathan-Wong.
There have been times she has had to turn to each of her fellow players for sisterly advice, and she says she still does.
‘‘Wake up, train with and get to talk to your best mates, it’s honestly amazing,’’ she said.