KEY POINTS:
From golden girl to wonder woman, windsurfer Barbara Kendall's sailing journey has been far from plain.
A glorious career has brought Olympic gold, silver and bronze medals, stacks of other triumphs, many accolades and awards, and an indelible place in the national heart.
Kendall burst into national life at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics where she was New Zealand's only gold medallist. At the age of 40 she is still smiling out from magazine pages, is the current world silver medallist, and will help lead our Olympic hopes again in China this August.
Of course her life has changed in many ways since Barcelona. Most importantly, she married top boardsailor and her future coach Shayne Bright in 1993 and they have two daughters, Samantha, 6, and Aimee, 2. She is also much more than an Olympic competitor these days, as an IOC member and representative of athletes internationally and in NZ.
Kendall has already qualified for her fifth Olympic appearance so she might get to fully enjoy competing in a major regatta for the first time when she lines up at this week's world championships at Takapuna.
"A major goal is to go out and really enjoy big regattas because I put so much pressure on myself. To just have fun - that would be awesome," she says.
Then again, such pleasure might prove forever elusive. Behind the sunny exterior, competitive fires burn strong in this wisp of a woman who first came to prominence as the little sister of Olympic boardsailing champion Bruce Kendall.
Nearly 16 years on from her life-changing Barcelona triumph, Kendall reflects on then and now.
WORLD EVENTS
"When I went to my first Olympic-class event in 1992 it was completely different - different boards, no pumping was required, so it wasn't as physically demanding as now.
"There are more girls, more countries, the equipment is faster and more demanding. Back then it was a lot more fun in a way because the athletes weren't so tired.
"It is more serious now, more professional, more money, and more pressure because of the money invested by governments.
"But check out the beach and you still see board shorts and T-shirts. The culture of sun and surf remains.
"Windsurfing still attracts the same type of personalities and that's why I'm still here. It's fierce on the water but there is great comradeship.
"There have been athletes here for six weeks and some have come down on holiday with us in the Coromandel and we've invited them home."
TRAINING
"A lot more strength is required. Back then, I hardly ever went to the gym. All I did was sail. Now when I'm not sailing, I'm doing at least five days a week in the gym. Now I do cross training not only because I need to be fitter and stronger, but because I get bored with sailing. I don't need to do as many hours sailing."
DIET
"It hasn't changed too much. I was always pretty aware of that aspect."
TRAVEL
"The biggest difference. Before, it was so easy to pack the bags and you were away. I didn't have to worry about coaches, children. I thought I'd be late getting to Takapuna today because I had to pack up the kids to stay with their grandmother for the next nine days. It's about trying to organise all the kids' stuff and making sure they are really happy. Life is about taking hats on and off all the time, being able to switch on and off from being a mother to a competitor as well as managing an Olympic campaign.
"This year I'm trying to organise just about everything around school holidays.
"My parents are retired and are travelling the world fulfilling their dreams, and they meet up with me to help out when I need it. It is an intermingled mess of spider webs and organisation, numbers, dates, timing ... back in 1992 I travelled with my brother and just tagged along. He organised everything."
GROWING UP IN AUCKLAND
"We're slowly migrating north. Whangaparaoa is a lot like Bucklands Beach, just bigger with more surf-type beaches.'
PROFILE
"I blew my cover in 1992. Before that, life was very different but it hasn't changed much since although it depends a bit on what you do on the race course. Being famous has good points and bad. Positives - it can help you make a difference and it is easier to get what you need. The negative - you lose your privacy."
SPORTS ADMINISTRATION
"I've slowly but surely moved into the administration side. If I told you about my last week you'd be exhausted. I'm getting letters from athlete commissions - I'm the voice for athletes and at the moment there are a lot of Pacific Island athletes who have a problem because a high performance centre at the Millennium Institute is to close down and they don't want to move.
"They are saying 'help us' and I've been dealing with that while preparing for the worlds. It's amazing how much you can fit into life but I wouldn't have coped with any of that in 1992."
MOTIVATION
"Way more now. I'm trying to fit in everything that I did before we had kids.
If I retired tomorrow I would feel I've done everything I wanted to ... my motivation is to prove you can compete in a world class field at 40, that there is no reason why you can't just because you have two children and are older than the rest of the girls.
"As an athlete, you are always trying to reach that zone where everything is awesome.
"Trying to reach perfection is such an amazing challenge. Back in 1992 I was just trying to prove I was talented and a good sailor, to myself and maybe to New Zealanders.
"I don't have to do that any more, which is a nice feeling."
FINANCIALLY
"Government funding is a lot better now. Young athletes have got it much easier. There is a lot better understanding that athletes can't survive unless they have support. Most quit between 18 and 24, yet you don't peak until your 30s."
POLLUTION
"The Chinese have problems - it doesn't smell good and there is rubbish in the water. They are trying to do their best so I take my hat off to them.
"But in Barcelona there was raw sewage pumped out to where we were sailing. It didn't matter to me then because I was so focused. Now ... it is upsetting when you see the environment is not being looked after."
COMMUNICATION
"My dad used to send telexes to organise things for me. I used to write postcards to my sponsors. Now I send bulk emails."
