Scott Dixon, Niamh Fisher-Black, Paul Coll, Zoi Sadowski-Synnott reflect on New Zealand

RNZ News

3 days ago

Scott Dixon, Zoi Sadowski-Synnott, Paul Coll and Niamh Fisher-Black represent New Zealand with significant amount of time spent overseas.
Photo:
photosport
When the road to sporting success takes an athlete far from home for years, if not decades, at a time, does the connection to Aotearoa diminish or does the pride of flying the New Zealand flag on the global stage intensify?
Four athletes from different sports, at different stages of their careers share what it means to be representing New Zealand when their success can happen in the small hours or with very few New Zealanders in the crowd.
IndyCar driver Scott Dixon poses for a photo with his wife Emma.
Photo:
Brian Spurlock/Icon Sportswire
Six-time IndyCar series champion Scott Dixon describes himself as "a hundred percent nothing but Kiwi" after spending more than two decades based away from where he grew up and first got into motorsport.
Dixon followed the lead of many accomplished New Zealand drivers before him when he left Aotearoa in the late 1990s, first for a brief stop in Australia, and then a full time move to America in 2000.
"I think from the 1980s onwards, or even look at Bruce McLaren who relocated to the UK and raced in America quite a bit through late 60s into the 70s, for most drivers you were going to have to move to America or Europe I think to continue that career," Dixon said.
Dixon's career, which includes 23 years and counting with Chip Ganassi Racing, has made him one of New Zealand's most successful drivers of all time. He is also a self-appointed ambassador for the country he wishes he could spend more time in.
Outside of his team identity, on race days Dixon's helmet showcases the flag, the colours of New Zealand and the Southern Cross.
"I just feel proud to fly the flag for New Zealand and try to promote it in any way that I can, or up and coming drivers [from New Zealand] or people in motorsport.
"I think the only downside for me is that I don't get to spend as much time as I would like back home, but we're spending a good three week period over Christmas and New Year this year, and I think as family and stuff start to get a bit older I'm going to start getting back to my usual two or three trips a year back home.
"We still own property in New Zealand and I think eventually we will have some kind of standing in New Zealand on a regular basis once the kids are through school and graduating."
Scott Dixon's helmet shows his connection to New Zealand.
Photo:
Photosport
Dixon is dad to three children - Poppy, Tilly and Kit - with his wife Emma.
He said the family "craves" the holidays in New Zealand but Kit, who was born in December 2019, has only been to see his cousins here once. For the older girls, the link to New Zealand is different.
"Even if it's school events Poppy and Tilly would always represent New Zealand for their nationality, which is great to see. And honestly, they've been in the schooling system in the UK for the last four years, five years now so I think Poppy is looking at universities in New Zealand as well."
What might keep the family overseas for longer is whether their youngest decides to get behind a wheel too.
"With Kit, we'll have to see where that takes us with racing or whatever he decides to do down the road as well," the 45-year-old said.
For many years, Dixon was the only New Zealander in the IndyCar lineup. Now, he is one of three with Scott McLaughlin and Marcus Armstrong also competing in the open-wheel racing category.
"It's a shame that it took so long. I think we've definitely had huge amounts of talent in racing, whether it's sports cars, Formula One and IndyCar, but at the moment to have three is definitely very special.
"I get to catch up with Armstrong a lot more because we're kind of in the same engineering group and not officially on the same team, but it's kind of the same team as such as when we do debriefs and things like that.
"McLaughlin kind of keeps to himself a little bit so don't see him too much apart from race weekends, and obviously him and his family now live in Charlotte, North Carolina, which is not Indianapolis where most of us are based.
"But it's always fun to catch up and whether it's talking about things from back home or when everybody's going back and then seeing other families that are coming over too, whether it's Marcus' mum or dad or brothers or sisters or things like that too.
"It's refreshing to see familiar faces and Kiwis and we just actually had a group of friends that came up from New Zealand for the Iowa race and
Mid-Ohio race
so that was quite fun."
For New Zealanders wanting to watch Dixon race it has not always been easy.
"I feel like we get a tonne of support from back home. Obviously some sports are bigger than others, some are better timed for viewership and sometimes even in New Zealand, depending on broadcasters, a lot of our races don't get aired so that makes it kind of tough."
Niamh Fisher-Black climbs the Côte De La Butte Montmartre passing crowds outside Basilique du Sacré-Cœur de Montmartre during the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Photo:
Zac Williams/SWpix.com
Olympic road cyclist Niamh Fisher-Black has "grappled" with where home is and how important a home base is when she is surrounded by different cultures on the other side of the world.
The 24-year-old from Nelson left New Zealand in 2019, a year after finishing high school, to chase her professional cycling dreams.
She was based in Italy for a period during Covid, then spent four years with Dutch outfit Team SD Worx, who "at the time were the best team in the world".
"Racing with the top riders in the world was a really huge experience, especially as a young rider to be surrounded by such stars it lifted me up and also my level and mentality in the sport."
This year Fisher-Black switched to American team Lidl-Trek and is based in Andorra.
"In the first few years I definitely grappled with the idea of where home was, maybe because it is difficult I think if you base your life in Europe and to consider New Zealand home because it's so far away.
"I cannot just pop home there for a weekend after a race or something. So, for sure there was some times that I really, really missed home but in the end I started to make myself more of a home base in Europe and to become more comfortable here I think that made mentally what I do a lot easier because then I did not feel so homesick for eight months of the year."
Fisher-Black has just represented the team and New Zealand at the
Tour de France Femmes
and hearing Kiwi voices in the crowd on the sides of the road in France struck a chord with her.
"I will never miss those voices that fills me a lot inside because I know that yes, okay, the connection is difficult, but that probably makes it even more special when I feel the support from New Zealand."
Fisher-Black said she was surrounded by "so many different cultures the whole time" in the professional cycling world.
"I have adopted a lot of mannerisms from say the Dutch culture I spend a lot of time around them, and now also Italian and Spanish. But for sure I feel who I am is always a little bit different from them, I very much am still a New Zealander and I think when I'm with them I can take a lot of pride in the New Zealand culture because they also think it's really cool."
"I have some members on my team that know New Zealand and they always make Kiwi jokes and stuff with me and so for sure I still hold onto a bit of the culture."
She said the physical distance between Europe and New Zealand made keeping connections complicated "but every time I go back I always feel that relief of home and it's like a breath of fresh air, so for sure that will never go".
Niamh Fisher-Black of New Zealand.
Photo:
PHOTOSPORT
Fisher-Black believed the support from New Zealand for her achievements differed to what her European team mates got.
She said of the support, "sometimes I doubt whether it's there so much".
"I almost get a little bit frustrated sometimes.
"I guess cycling's not as big there as it is here in Europe and I don't know if [New Zealanders] fully understand what I do yet, but I can see every now and then this support that I have from them, even though I'm racing yes, in the middle of the night.
"Especially with the likes of the Tour de France, I think it's been super cool for realising who was supporting me back home.
"I think it's different sometimes, especially if I see from my European team mates the support or the coverage they get from their countries. But I know that it's cycling and cycling as a whole is generally a growing sport the last few years and eventually that is going to lead on to New Zealand and get that far I think."
Fisher-Black's younger brother Finn is also a professional cyclist living in the same area of Andorra as Niamh.
"I see a fair bit of him and that's actually super nice. His girlfriend's also a pro cyclist so we see each other a lot in some races.
"He is a big pillar for me. I go to him for a lot and I hope I'm also support for him because I guess we go through the same ups and downs and we both know how cruel and harsh top level sport can be. It's really nice to have him and we both also know what it's like to be so far away from home."
New Zealand snowboarder Zoi Sadowski-Synnott.
Photo:
AFP
Snowboarder Zoi Sadowski-Synnott was 14-years-old when she first spent six weeks training overseas without her parents. By the time she was 16, she was spending about four months away from New Zealand competing in international events and the winter Olympics.
"This past year I probably spent around seven months away from home in the whole year," the 24-year-old said. "And just this year I did five and a half months away from home from Christmas all the way through till halfway through June and that's been my longest stint away training, competing and doing other sponsorship stuff.
"It's been 10 years of doing overseas stints for snowboarding and I've learned from every season. Every season is different but it definitely feels like a lot of time spent away from home and that definitely takes a toll."
Sadowski-Synnott said there was a temptation to return home to Wanaka during her down time in North America and Europe but she ultimately could not justify it.
"We do get times where we have a week or 10 days where we could come home, but two or three of those days could end up just being travel days and then you only really get a week at home and have to deal with jet lag and such. So I've learned over the years to minimise long haul travel and to me that means staying away from home for longer and spending time away from family and friends is really hard. But when you're over there to do your passion and get the job done, it makes it worth it.
"It is funny being halfway through the season and some of my competitors will say, I haven't been home in six weeks and I will have been gone for already three months and won't be going home for another two. That is really hard but when I get to see other Kiwis on the road who are travelling, when we find each other, it just feels like home and that is super cool."
Sadowski-Synnott is a two-time winter Olympian and is the reigning champion in the
Olympic slopestyle
. She has won three World Championship gold medals and six Winter
X Games
golds.
Gold medalist Zoi Sadowski Synnott raises the New Zealand flag in the women's slopestyle snowboarding final during the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games.
Photo:
PHOTOSPORT
All feats achieved a long way from home and in a completely different time zone.
"It's tough knowing that it could be like four in the morning when I'm competing and it doesn't give the chance for a lot of New Zealanders to tune in and check it out.
"But I still come home and I get comments from people saying they're up watching and that feels really special to me. And when I do have Kiwis in the crowd, and that is extremely rare, it just feels so much more special knowing that they have either come a long way and it's so much more of an effort to make it there than a lot of other countries and athletes. So it means a lot to me."
Sometimes coming across a fellow New Zealander on the slopes makes an instant connection.
"We compete in a lot of resort towns and there's a lot of Kiwis who take seasons overseas to work in these towns and experience winter overseas, so it's really exciting when I get to meet other Kiwis who just happened to be there and take on supporting me because I'm just another Kiwi and it just feels so sick because we're such a small country and we're so far away from everywhere and when you have those little moments it is really cool."
Sadowski-Synnott is New Zealand's most successful ever winter Olympian and her success has helped change the sport in New Zealand.
"New Zealand has never been a huge snow sports country and here in the southern hemisphere our winter is three or four months compared to a lot of the people I compete against their winter's almost six months.
"It just feels special to know that we have all worked so hard to put New Zealand on the map in the snow sports world and it makes me really proud to call New Zealand my home and to represent."
Paul Coll celebrates
Photo:
PHOTOSPORT
Paul Coll did not grow up thinking he would spend a large part of his adult life on the road a long way away from his support system in Greymouth.
But every time he warms up for a squash game in far flung corners of the world he has a reminder of his hometown on his back.
The former world number one, and current number three, was in his early 20s when he realised he would have to consider a move to the other side of the world.
What started as three month stints in Europe followed by a return home for three months was a cycle he had on repeat for about three years.
That evolved to where he was spending most of his time in Europe. Now, as a 33-year-old, he is based just outside of Amsterdam with his wife Nele, who is also a squash player on the world tour.
"After juniors I sort of gave myself a couple years to try professional squash and see how it would go.
"I ended up winning a couple [of tournaments] in Australia and after that if I wanted to keep going I had to spend more time in Europe where the bigger tournaments were. I just had to keep doing the next thing that would get me further up in the rankings.
"So just from there kept giving myself a timeframe to see how I was going, whether I still enjoying it, and I got to a point where I was doing well so moved over there full time."
Coll said New Zealand's distance from other countries can be a deterrent for some others considering pursuing sport professionally.
"The reason I left New Zealand was because I had probably three people I trained with and in a sport like squash it doesn't really make you better if you're just training with the same people and you're not learning different styles of play.
"When it got to that level I definitely had to move over the other side of the world, and you can't just pop home for a weekend if you're getting homesick. So that's the toughest thing about being a sports person from New Zealand, that we're very far away from the rest of the world, and different competition and different experiences that you can get is not easy and it probably stops a lot of people going professional if you have to move that far away and you're not prepared to do it... I think is one of the biggest disadvantages for New Zealand athletes."
Although he has a house in the Netherlands, as a top player he still spends most of his time living out of a suitcase.
"I'm probably travelling two countries a month, almost. So, it's definitely a busy lifestyle but got to do it while I can."
What is always packed in the luggage is his retro Greymouth warm-up jacket.
"Keeping my ties to New Zealand is what I really like and gives me a lot of motivation to compete so far away from everyone.
"I definitely love looking at the New Zealand flag and wearing the New Zealand badge and the silver fern and really gives me a lot of pride."
Squash is an individual sport and Coll is a rarity on the men's circuit. He is surrounded by players who fly the flag for the likes of Egypt, Peru, Wales, England, France, USA, Japan, Belgium and Malaysia.
As the only New Zealander sometimes it hits home what he is achieving.
"If I win a tournament, I'm the first New Zealander to do it, it's really cool just to have those sort of stats and see those pop up. So 100 percent it's cool to see that."
Paul Coll and Joelle King celebrate their mixed doubles gold medal during Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.
Photo:
PHOTOSPORT
Coll has been to three Commonwealth Games and it is that pinnacle event that he said he enjoys the most and the connection to New Zealand can feel the strongest.
"Just to have that feeling of being in a wider team and not just playing for myself. I love New Zealand and to be able to compete for them, but just to have the bigger team around me I really enjoy those sort of events and experiences. So it's definitely some of my favourite events to look forward to."
Coll said he struggled being away from home and family.
"It's not something I'll be able to do for my whole life, but it's cool to see the joy that it brings to family and friends, but at the same time, it's very hard to be away from home for so long and miss out on so many family occasions.
"I do get a lot of support from back home, which is really cool, and just try and soak that up and pay attention to how much support I do have and how much everyone enjoys following me and just see that side of it."
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