As Alicia Hoskin puts it, pressure is a privilege.
It makes sense. If you are in a position where you are feeling under pressure, there’s a fair chance you’ve been entrusted with a task that requires you to be functioning at the very best of your abilities.
Like sitting in a kayak with one of the world’s greatest paddlers. Not once, but twice.
This is where 24-year-old Hoskin finds herself in Paris. Sitting in a K2 behind multiple Olympic champion Lisa Carrington, preparing to help her defend a gold medal that was won three years ago. And then to jump in a kayak four, hoping to help the New Zealand crew to a medal wanted so desperately in Tokyo.
Hoskin is loving life as an elite kayak athlete. Always smiling, her sunny disposition shows no signs of the pressure that must surely come with carrying the hopes of a nation.
“A lot of people say pressure is a privilege, and I guess I probably didn’t really understand that until the last couple of years,” Hoskins said.
“But I guess the growth has really been as a person, and feeling like I have the trust from Lise, the learning from the past. I’m not going to forget that the girls have raced the K2 before, so I’m really encouraged by the legacy there and the learning.
“I’m just trying to build on that, look after the K4, look after the K2, look after Lisa’s kayak single. I’ve grown more holistically as a person and a paddler. So that’s been the amazing thing with pressure, it’s demanded me to step up, believe in myself, trust myself, trust in the team.
Of course it helps to be guided along the way by a paddler who has won gold at three consecutive Olympic Games, and picked up an incredible three in Tokyo for a grand total of five.
Carrington has taken on the task not only as the New Zealand squad leader, but also, whether she likes it or not, the role model for her young group.
Hoskin was in Tokyo, and was a member of the K4 which finished within a whisker of a bronze medal. She and Carrington are the remaining crew members in Paris.
“All of the girls in our team bring something quite unique, so it’s amazing to have Lise on the team,” Hoskins said.
“If there was anyone I would choose to stroke this boat, it’s Lisa. We really value the experience, the constant urge to grow and learn is what Lise brings to the team. And really grateful to have that and I’m just going to soak it up.”
“The preparation we have done has been really encouraging, and we know we want to go out there and perform and represent New Zealand to the best of our ability. We know we’re better together as a team than we can be on our own.”
In Tokyo Carrington and Caitlin Regal were unstoppable, charging to New Zealand’s first ever women’s K2 gold.
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Regal was always planning to retire after Tokyo, and you can be certain Carrington had a major say in who should replace her in the gold medal boat.
And when they cruised to a win in their K2 heat on Tuesday, Carrington was full of praise for her younger partner.
“We went out there and had to get top two again, and just doing the best race we could and the most efficient we could, and we know that paddling together, timing is super-efficient for us,” Carrington said.
“Alicia and I work really well together, we kind of help each other along the journey, stay forward thinking, stroke after stroke, what’s most important for us.
“It’s been a gradual learning. We’re relatively new and green as a country doing the K4. We’ve just done so much understanding of what it takes, and we’re really excited to show the world, and show ourselves what we’ve been working on and if we can perform under that pressure.
“The girls have been working incredibly hard and are expecting excellence from themselves. I think it would just be awesome for them to put the race together that we can.”
And a final thought from Hoskin?
“I’ve really enjoyed that challenge.”
