Lithgow's Olympic silver medalist Lachlan Sharp is home for Christmas and is ready to celebrate his latest hockey selection with family and friends.
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The 24 year-old continues to prove his worth in the hockey world, securing his spot for another year with the Kookaburras.
He said it was always a pleasure to see his name on the list and he was excited to see who else will be joining the squad with a few spots left to fill following the departure of veterans Matt Swann, Tyler Lovell and Trent Mitton.
"Although there are normally not many changes from year to year with the squad, it is always nice to see your name on the list," he said.
"I am excited for what's ahead. It's looking possible that a few younger guys will come into our squad which will bring a lot of energy and excitement, new personalities to the group and new friendships."
He said the spots were to be filled after a national camp in Perth in late January or early February.
Following the national camp, Sharp will jet back to Perth before heading back to Amsterdam in mid to late February where he'll finish the season with Amsterdam Hockey and Bandy Club (AHBC).
"I'm pretty excited to head back over to Europe, I'm really enjoying my time over there, meeting new people and developing my hockey game and in turn hopefully developing as a person," he said.
After his European season Sharp will head back to home soil and set his sights on the Commonwealth Games in July 22 and Paris 2024.
"The Kookaburras have entered the new three year Olympic cycle which would usually be four and we're working towards Paris.
"I'll be working on a selection for the Commonwealth Games and play a couple of inter squad games, it's hard to say what next year will look like but hopefully no more COVID lockdowns, surely it's only up from here," he said.
With plenty to look forward to, Sharp will be making the most of his downtime over Christmas.
"I've just arrived back in Australia and Lithgow after playing half of the season in Amsterdam," he said.
"There is a break in the season called 'winter stop' which has allowed me to come home and spend some time with family and friends over Christmas which is always nice."
During his home stay Sharp will be still be doing strength and conditioning work as well as training at the Lithgow turf and with the NSW Institute of Sport (NSWIS).
But most importantly he'll be catching up with his family and friends.
"I always love getting back here seeing family and catching up with friends," he said.
He's also a fine golfer and is planning to hit the course with his mates.
"We're heading away for a weekend to play some golf and I'm making the most of it while I'm back home," he said.
Sharp also plans to show his silver Olympic medal to the young hockey players and school kids of Lithgow.
He'll be visiting Lithgow High for a Q&A on December 13, attending Zig Zag Public School's presentation day and also running a hockey clinic with juniors on December 16.
"Hopefully there'll be a good turnout for the clinic. It's pretty cool to be able to mentor these young kids," he said.
"It's one of our [Kookaburras] main mantras - inspiring the future, so whatever I can do to help some kids maybe realise their dream or have that dream is such a soft spot for me."
Sharp's proud parents Richard and Tania were excited to have him home for the festive season.
"We always love to get him home because we don't see him as much as we'd like to," Mr Sharp said.
They said they were extremely proud of their son's achievements and were looking forward to see what he can still achieve.
"Hopefully he stays fit, holds his form and can go to Paris," Mr Sharp said.
Mrs Sharp said she was enjoying every moment of having her son home.
"We're making the most of it because the hardest part of having him home is saying goodbye when he has to go back," she said.
Mr and Mrs Sharp were also hoping to see him more next year with COVID settling down.
"Hopefully we can get around to see him a bit more next year, we still got a buzz out of seeing him on TV but there's nothing like giving him a cuddle," Mr Sharp said.
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