Returning Black Stick has unfinished business
When Gemma McCaw made her debut for the Black Sticks as a 17-year-old in 2008, she wouldn’t have imagined ending up where she has in 2020.
For a while there, it looked like the Rio Olympics in 2016 would be her last outing in a black singlet – one that ended with a loss in the bronze medal match, just like in London in 2012.
But after having a daughter with husband Richie at the end of 2018, she found herself drawn back to the sport she loved – first at club level in Christchurch, then with Midlands in the National Hockey League, and now with the Black Sticks.
McCaw has returned alongside fellow veteran and mum Kayla Whitelock, who also stepped aside after Rio. The pair resume their international careers in Auckland today when the second edition of the FIH Pro League begins.
Reflecting on Rio, McCaw said the pain of losing to Germany and missing out on a bronze medal was ‘‘fresh in the mind, even four years later’’.
‘‘I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t bitterly disappointed. We put so much into that campaign and to fall short was devastating.
‘‘Afterwards I took some time [for myself] and it still didn’t make it any easier looking back at the result. You can go on holiday, but when you come home, it still sits with you.’’
McCaw played for Midlands in the NHL in 2017, but in October that year, she brought an end to her international career, having not played for the Black Sticks during the past 12 months.
Then came the arrival of daughter Charlotte, in December 2018, and a chance encounter with an inspirational quote early last year. ‘‘That quote just really resonated,’’ McCaw said.
‘‘It’s not only children who grow.
‘‘We put so much into that campaign and to fall short was devastating.’’
Gemma McCaw on the Black Sticks’ 2016 Rio Olympics campaign