20 minute read
Channel Interview: Eliza McCartney
Catching up with Eliza McCartney
Pole vaulting, loving the Shore and a passion for the natural environment
After former Takapuna Grammar School student Eliza McCartney launched herself 4.80 metres into the air to claim Olympic bronze in 2016 at the age of 19, it wasn’t necessarily the height or the medal or her age that caught the world’s attention – it was that smile. The professional pole vaulter spoke to Heather Barker Vermeer in mid-January about the joy of sport and how she’s adapting to her new normal.
Being a professional athlete can be a bit like living on a rollercoaster, says Eliza McCartney. And there hasn’t been a more turbulent ride for international athletes in recent times than this past year, when the ride ground to an unwelcomed halt. “As a professional athlete, your job is to compete and do well. It’s been a long time since I have been able to feel like a normal athlete!
“It’s been hard [2020]. There wasn’t a lot that I could do; I didn’t have everything I needed to train with at home during lockdown. It’s not easy to practice pole vault at home!
“But I learnt that things don’t have to be perfect. There wasn’t a lot that I could do about it, like everyone. But I learnt that’s ok. Just because things are different to how you planned, doesn’t mean they can’t have a positive effect. And you come back stronger – I learnt that after injury.”
Her 2019 season was slimline after the diagnosis of a genetic disorder causing autoimmune inflammation that targets her tendons (she had been battling
Achilles issues for several years). After trialling many means of treatment and recovery, Eliza is confident she has found the right mix and is ecstatic to be back in training ahead of her first competition of 2021. “I have had enough time out to fine tune things and recognise patterns. I have an incredible team at High Performance Sport New Zealand and a really good medical team behind me. The fact that I am now able to jump twice a week feels so good!” The late January Potts Classic meeting held at Mitre 10 Park in Hastings is one of Eliza’s favourite places to vault.
“We’ve been very careful to plan out the weeks and months ahead and it will be amazing to be competing again. The last time I competed was mid-2019.
“I haven’t reached the Olympic qualifying height yet, which is of course at the back of my mind. But I have no expectations for the comp coming up. The track at Hastings is one I really enjoy. If I can jump the qualifying height for the Olympics, that would be incredible. But simply the fact that I am now able to jump again in a competition is amazing.”
Having a focus on big goals isn’t important, or helpful, to Eliza. “I don’t set the goal that I want to get an Olympic gold medal or anything like that. Of course, I have these thoughts in my head, but I focus on the goals that I can really achieve myself, like jumping a personal best.
“But in a competition, someone else could jump their personal best
Eliza won a silver medal at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games in 2018.
Eliza was the North Harbour Club’s Supreme AIMES Award (as Sport Award) winner in 2016.
Silver medal presentation, Gold Coast Commonwealth Games 2018.
too and do better than you, so there are things that are beyond your control.”
Does she use visualisation as a tool to help her reach the lofty heights needed to clear the bar? “I use that in training and in competitions, yes. However, I’ve been working more on feeling the movements rather than visualising them. I am so used to seeing video footage of myself vaulting that I can only see myself in my mind’s eye from side on now!” Her laughter is free flowing.
Atmosphere is key for Eliza when it comes to competitions. Instead of the bright lights of the international mega stadiums, she prefers the more characterful competitions, such as the quirky festival of pole vaulting held in Jockrim near Frankfurt. “They don’t even have a full track, just two soccer fields, which they convert into this incredible vaulting competition. They fill the whole area with spectators, there’s beer and sausages, people are smoking – it’s so different to anywhere else I’ve competed! But it’s an incredible atmosphere. I think atmosphere is a huge part of competing. Also, I jumped my personal best there!” Eliza reached 4.94 metres at the event in 2018.
Back home, Eliza could not enthuse more about her love of the North Shore. “I’m so grateful to live here. I love being near the ocean – it’s a part of who I am. I feel the coast becomes a part of you, so I’m very much at home around the beaches.
“I feel very fortunate to have been raised in Devonport and I’m definitely planning on sticking around!”
One of her favourite spots is Maungauika/North Head. “It’s such a magical place!”
Growing up in a positive, supportive environment around her parents and two older brothers has helped Eliza develop her glass half full attitude, but it’s something she has to work on. “I am one of those children who is definitely a real blend of both my parents. I don’t think I get my positivity from one or the other. And it’s certainly not like I spend all day everyday smiling!
“Being positive is something I have to work on. Being a professional athlete can be mentally challenging. I’m always working on my resilience and strength to handle that side of sport and not all of that comes naturally to me. It does when you find joy in what you are doing! But positivity is something I have to work on.”
Eliza has found a passion not only in pole vaulting, but in the natural environment. She is studying for a BSc in Environmental Science at Massey University, slowly. “I’m halfway through! It’s a very slow process but I liken it to a hobby in a way; it’s something I enjoy doing. It provides a perfect balance to pole vaulting for me. 2025 is my target for finally finishing my degree!”
Her drive to protect and enhance earth’s natural resources has led her to become an ambassador for Trees That Count, a charity that promotes the planting of native trees. Eliza is acutely mindful of the many human failings in regards our planet and sees this as one simple action everyone can take to play their part in environmental improvement.
“Sustainability and climate change, as we all know, are ridiculously complex issues. The more I study, the more I learn, and it can be quite upsetting at times. I need to be aware of that and be careful what I put my energy into.”
Alongside the ad-hoc study, Eliza is back into a full training schedule. “I vault twice a week, go to the gym four times a week; two upper body sessions, two lower body. I also do gymnastics; high bar, parallel bars, rings. Because of my Achilles, I can’t do a lot of work on the floor. I used to do a lot of running but the rest of my training is still rehab-based at the moment.”
As a role model, young aspiring North Shore sportspeople would be hard pressed to find better than Eliza, who is now 24. What would be her advice to them? “First, enjoy what you’re doing. Have a reason for why you do what you do – and you might need to dig a bit deeper into a ‘why’.
“It can be really tough being a professional athlete: it can be quite a rollercoaster! But when you enjoy something, have the motivation to keep going and a solid, deep reason why you’re doing it, that’s where sport is very cool!”
“I usually do my best when I’m just enjoying it.” And how it shows.
The elation of medalling, Gold Coast Commonwealth Games 2018.
Away from the crowd
Science-backed workout with guaranteed results
Are you somebody who knows you should exercise, who wants to exercise, but never seems to find the time? Not to mention years healing from exercise injuries that crop up as we get older. Fit20 has the perfect answer.
“Fit20 offers a high-intensity training method aimed at helping clients reach their health and fitness goals in just 20 minutes per week. I was inspired by fit20’s mission of ‘improving the quality of life of our clients by adding strength’ for all people of all ages,” says Managing Director Catharina Flisijn.
Short but sweet fit20 training is offered by appointment only and always with the guidance of a personal trainer. The boutique-style fit20 studios are pleasant, inviting, and comfortably cooled. Clients typically train one-on-one with their trainer, or along with a partner or colleague if they choose. The fit20 concept is based on the research-backed High Intensity Training (HIT) protocol.
The fit20 trainer explains
Is fit20 also cardio training?
Joel Bell: Yes, definitely! With our fit20 high resistance training we are targeting the main muscle groups. To get these muscles to work that hard they need lots of oxygen. During the training our heart rate is going up to get that oxygen to the muscles. As we train the muscle up to muscle fatigue if we can, this is a very healthy peak performance for our heart, which is a muscle as well. By giving it a healthy stimulus on a weekly basis, you are improving your stamina and cardio as well, all in a safe environment and with your own personal trainer there to guide you, to motivate, hold you accountable and adapt the training where necessary.
A fit20 client explains
“My sore back is gone”
Gail Griffiths: Fit20 is a weekly routine that even with my busy work schedule I can easily stick to. I just come in during lunchtime in my business clothes, do the training and go back to work. I love the fact that it’s a safe training with a personal trainer looking after you. Previously I had quite a few aches and pains, especially a weak back. I was a netball umpire and had an injury. With the weekly training all this improved to a point that the pains have vanished. As I have become much stronger, I now easily run upstairs. You can’t ask lots of things from your body and mind if you don’t maintain them. Through fit20 I also came in contact with a nutrition programme. The healthy routines that I build from both has even led to me being off my high blood pressure medication!
Thank you fit20
I can always count on a healthy and wellfunctioning body. Everything is working as it should and sometimes, I regard this even as ‘normal’. Over the last year we all have even more than usual realised that a strong and healthy body is very important. Science tells us that strong people life longer. I know this is not a ‘given’ for every one and also for myself there were other times with far more aches and pains and struggles.
When I was young, I played soccer and later on when I had children and team sport was getting too complicated, I turned to running. But slowly as I got into my forties, I started developing aches and pains, leading to not even being able to walk properly. The doctor diagnosed me with fibromyalgia, soft tissue rheumatism. I started seeing a physiotherapist, which helped in a positive way, but it was not until I started doing the fit20 strength training that everything improved massively again. As we age our muscle mass declines which causes all sorts of health issues, chronic disease and aches and pains.
I know now that I need to keep on training my muscles, to keep them strong and my body less vulnerable. With the fit20 High Intensity Resistance training we know from research that it is the most effective way of training. Doing this on a weekly routine is for me like brushing my teeth, something that I maintain for a healthy body.
During my holiday I climbed the Rob Roy track with my 18-yearold son. Fourteen hundred metres up and down again, I must confess I was sour afterwards. One thing I know for sure, without my fit20 strength training I couldn’t have done it. Thank you fit20; for helping so many people to improve their health. Something we never should take for granted!
Catharina Flisijn, Managing Director - Fit20 New Zealand Book your Free introductory training rosedale@fit20.co.nz or 021 02652819
This month in TAKAPUNA
TOKA PUIA CARPARK IN TAKAPUNA
Takapuna’s new Toka Puia 420 space carpark is now open. Built on the old Gasometer site it has entrances from both Northcroft and Huron Street’s, making entry real easy. It is also really affordable, just $1 per hour with a maximum of $8 per day – an opening special through until March 31st. The ticketless system makes it very easy to pay, particularly if you use the AT Park App – which also reduces the cost per hour to 50 cents! Motorcycle and bike parking is absolutely free. The Toka Puia carpark is open 6am to 9pm during the week, 8am to midnight on Saturday’s and 6am to 6pm Sunday’s. Bike parking entry is via Huron Street. There are spaces for 84 bikes, 28 of these for ebikes. The carpark also has four changing room sized public toilets. On a busy Saturday recently we walked passed and there were 398 parks available at that special rate of $1 per hour! It’s great that there are also digital devices on the carpark and on arterial roads (e.g. Esmonde Road) that clearly inform of how many spaces are available. Parking is abundant in Takapuna with Toka Puia a new option in addition to existing carparks.
SHAKESPEARE AT THE PUMPHOUSE AMPHITHEATRE
If you haven’t experienced Shakespeare at The PumpHouse Amphitheatre then you don’t know what you’ve been missing. It’s on through until February 20th. The Amphitheatre is tucked in behind the French Rendez-vous Café building next to The PumpHouse main theatre. The French Rendez-vous Café Satellite Bar is nearby for those who love a beverage while enjoying the traditional presentations of two of Shakespeare’s finest plays (Hamlet and Much Ado About Nothing) performed outdoors. Now in its 25th season, Shoreside Theatre’s Auckland Shakespeare in the Park features fabulous costumes and passionate performances. For more info and to book visit: www.pumphouse.co.nz
TAKAPUNA NOW AUCKLAND’S FIRST ACCESSIBLE BEACH
Through the generosity of locals, Takapuna Beach now has an accessible mat that has made it Auckland’s first accessible beach. Anyone can use the mat, but it’s particularly helpful for people who usually don’t get onto the beach and move across the sand – such as those with wheelchairs, walkers, mobility scooters and strollers. The new mat, worth upwards of $30k, funded and maintained by generous community contributions, is located at the bottom of The Strand, not far from the playground and toilets.
TAKAPUNA BEACH BACK IN 60S…
This interesting photo was recently posted on Facebook, featuring on an old 1967 calendar for a motor vehicle repair shop. Obviously taken from about the position of the Takapuna Beach Café. It was a busy place even back in the mid 60s!
MERCEDES- BENZ NORTH SHORE TEAM LOVING LIFE IN TAKA
The team at Mercedes-Benz North Shore are loving their new home in Takapuna. Craig Innes, Managing Director, says the support of the local community has been great so far and they’re seeing increased foot traffic and drop ins as people recognise them on Lake Road. The dealership was formerly located in Wairau and will be moving to a more permanent location in the area in 2022. If you’re in the market for a new vehicle, visit the team at 445 Lake Road, Takapuna.
BEACH CAFÉ GOODNESS NOW IN NORTHCROFT STREET
If you’re after a great coffee and a pastry or treat around Takapuna, we suggest visiting Garry at Piccolo, by Takapuna Beach Cafe. Piccolo recently opened in the Amaia Living showroom (10 Northcroft Street) offering the same delicious coffee and cabinet food as down the other end of the beach. The team has also started doing regular office catering around the local area so if you have a special event or meeting and you need a plate of sweet treats or sandwiches, get in touch with Garry at Piccolo.
Expect the Unexpected
An innovative kitchen by designer Marianne Gailer from Kitchens By Design has totally transformed and revitalised the interior of this Browns Bay home.
It’s been almost ten years since Sharon and Brian Slater first moved into their home. The original kitchen had a scullery and a small breakfast bar that could only seat two people, max. At that time, Sharon says their two girls were quite a lot younger, but as they have grown and started to cook and bake, the kitchen layout didn’t work for them, plus it was beginning to look tired.
“At first we thought about just doing a makeover, but they couldn’t get the flow working and just kept stagnating. In the end we realised that we needed a whole new kitchen.”
“We came across Kitchens By Design by accident,” she says. “We happened to park right outside their Byron Ave showroom in Takapuna, looking for a café, and thought I’m definitely going to have a look around here. Marianne [Gailer, kitchen designer] opened the door for us and in we went. She was really helpful. We were immediately impressed with her knowledge.”
Brian says he was taken with the three kitchens on display. “They were all quite different. At that stage we were still looking at a makeover, but once we compared the pricing we’d been given for a makeover and what it would cost to pull the whole thing out and start again, it made much more sense to put in a brand new kitchen.”
What was your brief to the designer?
“Our must-haves were a bigger, better breakfast bar; better layout and use of space; and having a bit more of a focal point, which we both agreed was the window. We always wanted that marble look and also some dark timber somewhere, because we already had dark wood in the rest of the house,” says Sharon
“The thing that really surprised us was that when Marianne came back with the first concepts; they were completely different from our preconceived ideas of what we thought our new kitchen was going to look like,” adds Brian. Sharon says it took a bit of time to get used to the idea of getting rid of the scullery, but once we thought it through, what Marianne proposed made perfect sense.
What was the most memorable moment of the process?
“When everything was pulled out, it was pretty scary, but the day we went out to the factory to see the new kitchen all set up, it looked spectacular. That’s when we finally got a feel for what our new kitchen was going to look like. That day was a highlight for us,” says Brian.
And now that it’s in, Sharon says she loves the overall look of her new kitchen, especially the breakfast bar. “We love it when people see it for the first time and just go, wow!”
Brian works a lot of work from home, and he says the new island is a perfect space to work. “It’s at a good height and the lighting is excellent. It always was the hub of the home, but it’s even more so now.”
How did you find the experience of working with Kitchens By Design?
“Right at the beginning, Marianne said to us, trust me, and she was right,” says Brian. “We would never have been bold enough to do what we ended up with, but it couldn’t have worked out better. There’s nothing we’d change. Richard [Cripps, owner of KDB] is a perfectionist, and was really easy to deal with. Everything was handled so smoothly all the way through in a really transparent way.”
If you thinking about putting in a new kitchen, give the team at Kitchen By Design a call, or pop into their showroom at 3 Byron Ave, Takapuna (09) 488 7201. And for inspiration, take a look at their website at www.kitchensbydesign.co.nz
Salvation Army benefits from Glenfield Mall’s busy festive season
2021 has started off well for Glenfield Mall, with owner Dallas Pendergrast reporting that the popular mall has enjoyed record days of foot traffic, going against the trend of many retail areas.
“We were thrilled with how busy we were through the NovemberDecember pre-Christmas period and this has continued in January. We never stop improving the mall, adding variety, and customers obviously love what we are doing. We are very happy about being well supported and positive about the year ahead.”
As a result of the busy pre-Christmas period Glenfield Mall has once again been able to make a considerable donation to the Salvation Army, funds that have come from the Christmas gift wrapping service that the mall had in place once again in December. Dallas says this is the fifth year that Salvation Army has been the recipient.
“We love doing this for the Salvation Army, but the real kudos should go to our community who make the gold coin donations. We employ around 12 young people during the busy pre-Christmas period to do the gift wrapping and it is entirely up to the customer how much they feel this service is worth. Clearly our shoppers are very generous, enabling us to pass on the donation of $3000 to our local Salvation Army.”
Dallas also reports further enhancements for Glenfield Mall in 2021. These are on the back of Chemist Warehouse opening their big new 600 square metre store late last year.
“We have a focus on increasing our service business offering and Chemist Warehouse has really provided a boost in that regard. They are open extended hours, 9am to 9pm like Countdown and The Warehouse, when much of the mall is closed. We are excited to have Smile Dental and The Cosmetic Clinic opening in coming months, further enhancing our service offerings.”
Great work Glenfield Mall!
Chemist Warehouse is now open at Glenfield Mall.
Visit: www.glenfieldmall.co.nz
FREE February Activities!
Fun EXCITEMENT for the kids!
Horizontal Bungee Sat 6th - Mon 8th All Day Centrecourt
Elsa & Olaf Sat 6th - Mon 8th Sat 27th - Sun 28th Roaming 11am - 3pm
Hungerball Sat 20th - Sun 21st All Day Centrecourt
Minions Sat 20th - Sun 21st 11am - 3pm Roaming Bouncy Castle Sat 27th - Sun 28th All Day Centrecourt
