GOLDEN GIRL’S GOLDEN ADVICE
JUST ENJOY IT. YOU COULDN’T THINK OF A BETTER PLACE TO HOST A GAMES AND I THINK THEY’RE GOING TO HAVE A WONDERFUL TIME NIKKI HUDSON
Hockey legend Nikki Hudson represented Australia at three Commonwealth Games. Now, as Dwayne Grant reports, she’s feeding off the excitement of a new generation as the clock ticks down to GC2018. SHE doesn’t miss the training, the airports or the sick feeling she’d get in the pit of her stomach after losing a match she should’ve won.
But she sure misses days like these. “Second to the team actually being selected, this would be the next most important day as a player,” Hockeyroos legend Nikki Hudson said at yesterday’s unveiling of team pools for the Commonwealth Games hockey competition.
“Once you find out who you’re playing, it all becomes a lot more real.
“I don’t miss the training and the heat, but I do get envious (about what lies ahead for the players).
“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to play in a home Commonwealth Games and, talking to the players, there’s so much excitement among them and such a lot of innocence as well.”
Befitting a woman who can reflect on the “innocence” of youth, Hudson played the role of hockey elder at the big reveal.
Alongside former Kookaburra and fellow Order of Australia Medal recipient Brent Livermore, the 41-year-old ran the show as MC – announcing the pools one minute, interviewing players the next.
“I was worried I might come across as nervous but then I look at them and they’re the ones who are so young,” Hudson said of the fresh-faced Hockeyroos and Kiwi stars who joined her on stage.
“I’m now the older person and they’re walking the path I did so many years ago. It’s great to see them laughing, taking photos and feeling the excitement. I remember that feeling.
“Brent and I were actually having a chuckle about the role reversal. We’re the oldies now and we’re feeding off their excitement.”
Those words will be music to the ears of Mark Peters, a man who has waded through his fair share of serious issues as GOLDOC chief executive but now gets to increasingly talk about sport.
“What’s important about these days is we start to see the athletes,” he said as guests at Labrador’s Gold Coast Hockey Centre lined up for selfies with the players they’ll be cheering next April.
“We have a lot of world-ranked teams (in the hockey competition) ... and you can see the players starting to get excited, which is special for everyone who works on the Games because that’s ultimately what this is all about – the athletes.”
One of those athletes is Renee Taylor,
the 21-year-old from Brisbane who grew up idolising Hudson and now finds herself continuing her legacy in the green and gold.
“The first time I met her was at an under-18 tournament and it was like ‘Oh, my God, that’s Nikki Hudson’,” she says.
“Everyone in the hockey community knew who she was – she’s a legend of the sport – and it’s awesome to have her around the Commonwealth Games.”
Hudson contested three Commonwealth Games in her stellar career, winning
two gold (Kuala Lumpur 1998 and Melbourne 2006) and one bronze (Manchester 2002).
And while she prefers to strut her stuff on the social soccer pitch these days, there’s no doubt where she’ll be in April.
“Where we’re sitting right now is where I’ll be happy to sit and cheer them on,” she said.
As for her advice for the players? “Just enjoy it. You couldn’t think of a better place to host a Games ... and I think they’re going to have a wonderful time.”