Built for Greatness: Recent Episodes
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Dane Lett played rugby and hockey through most of his schooling before focusing on making the Vantage Black Sticks.
But it wasn’t until he’d started a family and secured a fulltime job – both of which gave him a fresh perspective – that his Black Sticks career took off.
Dane Lett is Built for Greatness. Our podcast series is brought to you by Vantage Windows & Doors.
THE EPISODE BREAKDOWN:
1. Growing up playing multiple sports in the Wairarapa (0:14)
2. Deciding to commit to hockey (1:38)
3. Sporting inspiration growing up (1:58)
4. Dane's pathway to the Vantage Black Sticks (2:48)
5. Wearing the Vantage Black Sticks jersey for the first time (5:40)
6. What advice would Dane give his teenage self (8:41)
7. The impact family has had on his hockey career (9:15)
8. Key to keeping kids in sport for as long as possible (10:07)
Growing up in a small Bay of Plenty town, Frances Davies never imagined she’d become a Vantage Black Stick and still didn’t believe it when she got the email telling her she’d made it.
The criminology graduate loves working with children and talks passionately about her work with Pillars and Cure Kids.
Frances Davies is Built for Greatness. Our podcast series is brought to you by Vantage Windows & Doors.
THE EPISODE BREAKDOWN:
1. First memories of playing hockey (0:18)
2. What it felt like being selected for the Vantage Black Sticks for the first time (2:34)
3. Graduating with a degree in criminology (3:22)
4. Working for Pillars in Christchurch (4:13)
5. Driven by helping people (6:10)
6. Steering the Vantage Black Sticks ambassador relationship with Cure Kids (6:42)
7. How Covid-19 impacted Fran's 2020 (7:51)
8. Juggling the demands of training and a fulltime job (9:00)
Dylan Thomas admits growing up in small-town New Zealand had its challenges. The Hawke’s Bay midfielder talks about moving to Auckland to focus on his hockey, and how he responded when a global pandemic brought international hockey to a grinding halt.
Dylan Thomas is Built for Greatness.
Tessa Jopp is back in the Vantage Black Sticks after her dreams were dashed on the eve of the 2018 Commonwealth Games by a previously undiagnosed heart condition. The Otago midfielder returned to her first love – farming in the Maniototo in Central Otago – but when Graham Shaw called she knew she couldn’t turn down a chance to make the Olympic squad.
Tessa Jopp is Built for Greatness.
Not once but twice Nick Wilson thought his hockey career was over as he battled serious knee injuries. The prolific goalscorer opens up about his journey into the Vantage Black Sticks, how hockey has helped him in the real estate world, and the advice he’d give others dealing with career-ending injuries.
Nick Wilson is Built for Greatness.