Team Players
Alistair McGregor in action
Laura Bartlett in action for GB
Will she get her chance in China?
Two of Scotland's Team GB Olympic hockey players remember the moment when they got the call...
Alistair McGregor and Laura Bartlett, two of Scotland’s hockey stars representing Team GB at this month’s Olympic Games in Beijing, are making their Olympic debuts in drastically different circumstances.
For 27 year-old McGregor, GB’s first choice goalkeeper, this is the culmination of four year’s hard work with one goal in mind, and almost an entire lifetime spent dreaming of this moment.
Meanwhile for Bartlett, 20, this has all come as a bit of a shock. This time last year she had never even played for GB, and now she finds herself boarding the plane (as a reserve) for China, as the only Scot involved in the women’s set-up. A roller-coaster for one, a long-haul journey for the other.
However both of them, speaking exclusively to In The Winning Zone, share one common thought on their selection for the squad – and that is a feeling of utter delight, excitement and determination.
“It’s quite amazing to be honest, something I’ve always dreamed about,” says McGregor, who is from Aberdeen but lives, plays and works as a teacher in Loughborough. “I remember growing up watching the Olympics in Atlanta and Sydney, thinking how amazing it would be to play in an event like that.
“Playing in the Commonwealth Games in 2006 comes a very close second,” he added. “But now it is slowly sinking in that I am actually going to the Olympic Games. I suppose it’s the reward for the last 15 years of working hard.
McGregor was a jack-of-all-trades sportsman when he was younger. No sooner had he taken up one activity when he was eyeing a move into another. So when he started playing hockey, his parents didn’t hold out much hope that he would ‘stick’ at it.
He quickly rose through the Scotland age-grade system, and made his debut for GB shortly before the Athens Olympics in 2004, though he didn’t make the final cut that time.
“It gave me a good idea of what I had to try and achieve over the next four years to ensure I made it to Beijing. That was a great lesson I learned.”
He now finds himself in the strange position of being one of GB’s most experienced players, while at the same time being as much of newcomer to Olympic competition as many of his team-mates.
“I’m up with the top six or seven most experienced players in the squad, cap-wise. This is the eighth year I’ve been playing international hockey, while a lot of the guys have only been involved two or three years.
“Over the years I have learned quite a lot of leadership skills, and it is easier for me to lead the players on the pitch, to encourage, help and support them. It gives the younger guys confidence and they like to be told they are doing things right. People are always told quite quickly when they have done something wrong, but we often take much longer to tell them they have done something right.”
Despite his lack of Olympic ‘game-time’, McGregor says that the experience of playing in the Olympic qualifiers, where GB’s bid to book a ticket to Beijing went right down to the wire in a play-off match against Pakistan in Chile, will stand him and his team-mates in good stead for any pressure they come under in China.
“I think qualifying was the ultimate prize. The only thing that could be bigger is an Olympic medal match. As a squad of players, we went through such an intense, pressurised game in that qualifier. It was all or nothing for us, we had to perform, otherwise it was over for another four years.
“Coming out as 2-0 winners having been under such pressure has given us valuable experience going into the Olympics. If we face a pressurised situation, we know we can cope with it. Coming out of a situation like that has helped our preparation massively.”
Bartlett, on the other hand, has somewhat less experience, with 18 GB caps, making her debut in January this year as a 19-year old. And though she will be on the sidelines this time round, unless a team-mate is forced to pull out, she is keen to grasp her opportunity with both hands.
“Obviously I was gutted not to be in the 16, but I was delighted to learn I was going out there and that I would experience an Olympics. This time last year, if someone was to say I was going to be the 17th player in the Olympic squad, I would never have believed them.
“I will just try to enjoy the whole experience and always be ready and give everything I’ve got. I’ve trained really hard and the work has paid off in getting this far, so I will just continue on working hard.”
Bartlett, unlike her compatriot McGregor, has experienced the emotions of an Olympic event before, if not quite on the same scale as Beijing. In January 2007, along with fellow Scots Becky Merchant and Nikki Kidd, Laura went to, and won, the Youth Olympic Festival in Sydney, Australia, defeating the host nation in the final.
“It was an amazing experience. Playing against the likes of Australia, China and New Zealand and getting into the game and not being over-awed made me realise that yes, I can play the game at this level and take my career further.
“Obviously I know that an Olympics is a hundred steps higher than that, and you never know what to expect when you go to an Olympics, especially me as I have never been to one before.”
Though they will travel and board separately, both McGregor and Bartlett flew out to the GB holding camp in the Chinese region of Macau in early August. There they will stay until the competition starts on August 10th, running until the 23rd.
GB hockey has an enigmatic history in Olympic competition. Their most memorable era in modern times would be the late 80s and early 90s. In 1988, GB men struck gold in Seoul, beating their fierce rivals Germany 3-1 in the final. Then at Barcelona ’92, it was the women’s turn to take centre stage. Coached by Scotsman Denis Hay, the ladies returned home with a bronze medal.
So how does Britain’s top goalie rate his team’s chances this time round?
“We are hoping to peak at the right time,” says McGregor. “Fitness-wise we can compete with anyone. So we want to get off to a good start, and if we get a bit of luck we might be challenging some of the major nations for the higher up spots.”
Romance and speculation goes out the window when the team lands in Beijing. From that point onwards, it is no longer about the journey that took you there, it is about the trip that you about to embark upon.
For 27 year-old McGregor, GB’s first choice goalkeeper, this is the culmination of four year’s hard work with one goal in mind, and almost an entire lifetime spent dreaming of this moment.
Meanwhile for Bartlett, 20, this has all come as a bit of a shock. This time last year she had never even played for GB, and now she finds herself boarding the plane (as a reserve) for China, as the only Scot involved in the women’s set-up. A roller-coaster for one, a long-haul journey for the other.
However both of them, speaking exclusively to In The Winning Zone, share one common thought on their selection for the squad – and that is a feeling of utter delight, excitement and determination.
“It’s quite amazing to be honest, something I’ve always dreamed about,” says McGregor, who is from Aberdeen but lives, plays and works as a teacher in Loughborough. “I remember growing up watching the Olympics in Atlanta and Sydney, thinking how amazing it would be to play in an event like that.
“Playing in the Commonwealth Games in 2006 comes a very close second,” he added. “But now it is slowly sinking in that I am actually going to the Olympic Games. I suppose it’s the reward for the last 15 years of working hard.
McGregor was a jack-of-all-trades sportsman when he was younger. No sooner had he taken up one activity when he was eyeing a move into another. So when he started playing hockey, his parents didn’t hold out much hope that he would ‘stick’ at it.
He quickly rose through the Scotland age-grade system, and made his debut for GB shortly before the Athens Olympics in 2004, though he didn’t make the final cut that time.
“It gave me a good idea of what I had to try and achieve over the next four years to ensure I made it to Beijing. That was a great lesson I learned.”
He now finds himself in the strange position of being one of GB’s most experienced players, while at the same time being as much of newcomer to Olympic competition as many of his team-mates.
“I’m up with the top six or seven most experienced players in the squad, cap-wise. This is the eighth year I’ve been playing international hockey, while a lot of the guys have only been involved two or three years.
“Over the years I have learned quite a lot of leadership skills, and it is easier for me to lead the players on the pitch, to encourage, help and support them. It gives the younger guys confidence and they like to be told they are doing things right. People are always told quite quickly when they have done something wrong, but we often take much longer to tell them they have done something right.”
Despite his lack of Olympic ‘game-time’, McGregor says that the experience of playing in the Olympic qualifiers, where GB’s bid to book a ticket to Beijing went right down to the wire in a play-off match against Pakistan in Chile, will stand him and his team-mates in good stead for any pressure they come under in China.
“I think qualifying was the ultimate prize. The only thing that could be bigger is an Olympic medal match. As a squad of players, we went through such an intense, pressurised game in that qualifier. It was all or nothing for us, we had to perform, otherwise it was over for another four years.
“Coming out as 2-0 winners having been under such pressure has given us valuable experience going into the Olympics. If we face a pressurised situation, we know we can cope with it. Coming out of a situation like that has helped our preparation massively.”
Bartlett, on the other hand, has somewhat less experience, with 18 GB caps, making her debut in January this year as a 19-year old. And though she will be on the sidelines this time round, unless a team-mate is forced to pull out, she is keen to grasp her opportunity with both hands.
“Obviously I was gutted not to be in the 16, but I was delighted to learn I was going out there and that I would experience an Olympics. This time last year, if someone was to say I was going to be the 17th player in the Olympic squad, I would never have believed them.
“I will just try to enjoy the whole experience and always be ready and give everything I’ve got. I’ve trained really hard and the work has paid off in getting this far, so I will just continue on working hard.”
Bartlett, unlike her compatriot McGregor, has experienced the emotions of an Olympic event before, if not quite on the same scale as Beijing. In January 2007, along with fellow Scots Becky Merchant and Nikki Kidd, Laura went to, and won, the Youth Olympic Festival in Sydney, Australia, defeating the host nation in the final.
“It was an amazing experience. Playing against the likes of Australia, China and New Zealand and getting into the game and not being over-awed made me realise that yes, I can play the game at this level and take my career further.
“Obviously I know that an Olympics is a hundred steps higher than that, and you never know what to expect when you go to an Olympics, especially me as I have never been to one before.”
Though they will travel and board separately, both McGregor and Bartlett flew out to the GB holding camp in the Chinese region of Macau in early August. There they will stay until the competition starts on August 10th, running until the 23rd.
GB hockey has an enigmatic history in Olympic competition. Their most memorable era in modern times would be the late 80s and early 90s. In 1988, GB men struck gold in Seoul, beating their fierce rivals Germany 3-1 in the final. Then at Barcelona ’92, it was the women’s turn to take centre stage. Coached by Scotsman Denis Hay, the ladies returned home with a bronze medal.
So how does Britain’s top goalie rate his team’s chances this time round?
“We are hoping to peak at the right time,” says McGregor. “Fitness-wise we can compete with anyone. So we want to get off to a good start, and if we get a bit of luck we might be challenging some of the major nations for the higher up spots.”
Romance and speculation goes out the window when the team lands in Beijing. From that point onwards, it is no longer about the journey that took you there, it is about the trip that you about to embark upon.
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