“I always try to make my message relatable to all the kids and not just those who love sport and maybe want to go to the Olympics, as cool as that is.”
Athletes wanting to be ambassadors must meet certain criteria, and if they want to continue in the role they must apply again each year. This is Hoskin’s second appointment.
“It’s part of the New Zealand Olympic Committee’s education programme to try to connect Olympians with our communities and share our journey and the Olympic values with up-and-coming generations.
“The role allows us to go into schools and share our own story and Olympic journey, and also share some of the Olympic values — friendship, respect, excellence.
“It’s engaging with the community . . . sharing our stories and some of the challenges we’ve had as Olympians.”
The road to be an Olympian is not as easy as riding a limo to the red carpet. Hoskin, 23, is able to connect with the kids and tell them about some of the challenges she faced vying for a seat in the sport she is passionate about.
“It’s about sharing our real and authentic story with all the ups and downs of where we got to.
“Sometimes you can see highlight reels on television or social media and it can create an unrealistic expectation of what Olympians might be like.”
Speaking from Auckland after a week-long training camp in Cambridge, Hoskin said she was blown away by the children from Te Wharau School.
“I’ve always had so much respect for Te Wharau,” she said. “I think they are doing such an amazing job with those kids.
“I could feel the amount of mana that those kids had and pride in their school and themselves. It was also a bit emotional, especially at the end when they performed a haka and the walls were vibrating. It was cool to be a part of, and it made me so proud of where I’ve come from because once upon a time I was sitting exactly where they were sitting.
“There is so much character but also so much respect in the kids. I have nothing but amazing things to say about their principal, Mr Harris.”
Hoskin feels “grounded” and “reconnected”
to her roots as she prepares to go abroad to compete in campaigns to qualify for the Paris Olympics.
The process begins in August and it is her immediate focus. Her ambition is to be selected again.
Hoskin has a way of dealing with the pressures of being a high-performance athlete on the world stage.
“Sometimes when I am having a really hard training session, I imagine those kids being on the coach boat and I imagine what they would want to see in me . . . what behaviours and attitudes they would want to see in someone who is representing them.
“My goal, as much as it is to inspire the kids, also makes me really accountable for my attitude, my behaviours, my perspectives.
“Some days I think I need the schools as much as they need me.
“As much as I am really keen on pushing myself and seeing how far I can go in this sport, I am also really passionate about investing into the community and the next generation of youth.”
Hoskin says her mother, Toni, has been instrumental in her success, and fills a unique role.
“I would never have been able to do this without her. She is my ‘Mumager’.”
