‘We call it our Everest’- Hockey star Lena Tice on Olympic aspirations ahead of a massive weekend

'Pressure is what you want, we thrive on it'.

This weekend all eyes will be on Donnybrook as the Irish Women's Hockey team look to recreate their World Cup successes of last year. This time around though the stakes are arguably higher; it's Tokyo 2020 and the opportunity to call themselves Olympians. For athletes, I struggle to quantify a higher level of pride than representing your country at an Olympic games. Lena Tice alludes to this in our chat on Girls With Goals as she and the Irish team prepare to welcome Canada to Energia Park for a two-legged weekend battle. On the subject of nerves, Lena explained that a home crowd for her brings nothing but comfort:

"When I think about the games and I remember that we're going to see green out there and all the people who are closest to us will be in the stands, it has a calming effect. I think we'll really thrive in the home environment, we're looking forward to seeing all the support that comes out."

Lena also discusses the struggles of being a dual athlete, why the Olympics are viewed as their 'Everest' and how she's championing the Team Hope charity this Christmas. Listen to the episode in full below: It's not just her work on the hockey pitch that excites Lena, in the run up to Christmas she's throwing her support behind Team Hope and their Christmas Shoebox Appeal. Every year the Christmas Shoebox Appeal sends thousands of gift-filled shoeboxes to children in Eastern Europe and Africa. The children who receive these boxes are affected by poverty in different ways, many come from families with little income others are living in areas of conflict. The important thing to remember about the appeal is that it brings hope, joy and excitement to children who need it most. Lena explained to us why she's thrilled to be raising awareness for such an important appeal:

"Team Hope is obviously a fantastic organisation, a fantastic charity with a real heart for serving others. It gives a chance for people to get around and actively show their love for people they don't even know by getting these shoeboxes together the stuff that goes into these boxes can be hugely valuable for the children."

You can find out more about Team Hope here.