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| Human Interest | |
|---|---|
Further Personal Information | |
| Residence | Palmerston North, NZL |
Sport Specific Information | |
| Club / Team | HSOB Burnside: Christchurch, NZL |
Further Personal Information | |
| Higher education | Exercise Science, Sport Studies - Massey University: Palmerston North, NZL |
General Interest | |
| Injuries | In 2011 she missed three international matches against Republic of Korea in February because of a thigh muscle injury. She then re-injured the muscle in a match against Germany in June. (stuff.co.nz, 15 Jun 2011) She ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament [ACL] in her knee in 2006. (hockeynz.co.nz, 23 Aug 2008; nomiznz.co.nz, 29 Oct 2007; nztimes.co.uk, 29 Oct 2007) |
Sport Specific Information | |
| Why this sport? | She wanted to play netball, but she was only hockey was available at her primary school. |
General Interest | |
| Most influential person in career | Her friends, family, and previous coaches. (Athlete, 03 Jul 2011) |
| Hero / Idol | Argentina hockey player Luciana Aymar, and Swiss tennis player Roger Federer. (Athlete, 03 Jul 2011; sportmanawatu.org.nz, 21 Aug 2010) |
| Awards and honours | She received the Player of the Tournament award at the Rotterdam semifinal of the 2012/13 World League in June 2013. (nzherald.co.nz, 23 Jun 2013) In 2012 she was named Hockey New Zealand Player of the Year, and Manawatu Sportswoman of the Year. (olympic.org.nz, 12 Aug 2012; tvnz.co.nz, 27 Apr 2013) She was named in the International Hockey Federation [FIH] All-Star team in 2010. (fih.ch, 12 Jan 2012) |
Sport Specific Information | |
| Name of coach | Mark Hager [national], AUS |
| Preferred position / style / stance / technique | Midfielder |
| When and where did you begin this sport? | She began playing hockey at age seven. |
International Debut | |
| Year | 2003 |
| Competing for | New Zealand |
| Opponent | Canada |
| Location | Palmerston North, NZL |
Further Personal Information | |
| Occupation | Athlete |
| Languages | English |
General Interest | |
| Nicknames | Kaylapuss, K (fih.ch, 2016; hockeynz.co.nz, 02 Aug 2010) |
| Sporting philosophy / motto | "Enjoy what you are doing. Give 100%. Do the basics well and practise, practise, practise." (tk-hockey.com, 16 Jul 2015) |
| Famous relatives | Her husband George Whitelock has played rugby union for New Zealand, as have her brothers-in-law Sam and Luke Whitelock. (nzherald.co.nz, 08 May 2016; allblacks.com,16 Jul 2016) |
| Ambitions | To win a medal at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. (nzherald.co.nz, 08 May 2016) |
| Other information | BREAK She took a break from international hockey following the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland to give birth to her daughter Addison. After giving birth in April 2015, she returned to the New Zealand squad in January 2016. She took a similar break after the 2012 Olympic Games in London in order to focus on finishing her degree and finding a job. On that occasion, she returned to the New Zealand squad in March 2013. (stuff.co.nz, 11 Mar 2013, 07 Sep 2012; stuff.co.nz, 29 Jan 2016; nzherald.co.nz, 08 May 2016) DISTANCE LEARNING She had some challenges when combining international hockey with trying to study for a university degree. This included her having to sit some exams thousands of miles from home, including in Azerbaijan and the Netherlands. (massey.ac.nz, 15 May 2013) COACHING She has worked as an assistant coach of New Zealand National Hockey League team Central Mysticks. (olympic.org.nz, 12 Aug 2012) |
Further Personal Information | |
| Family | Husband George, daughter Addison |
General Interest | |
| Hobbies | Watching sport, rugby, tennis. (2015.tk-hockey.com, 2015) |
Further Personal Information | |
| Other names | Kayla Sharland |