Like any team sport, you make great friends from all walks of life. And it's really nice to experience the highs and lows of the game with a group of friends.
Hockey caters for a large number of athletes - fast forwards, defenders who need more stamina...you need technique and an understanding of the sport, of course, but different players have different attributes that come together - that's what moulds a team.
As a kid you always dream of going to an Olympics - so when you put it in the context of being a home Games? Wow. That's what we're aiming for now, that's why we train so hard. Being on the podium is our ultimate aim.
For the first time ever we're training together as Team GB (not England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland teams individually) for the full four-year cycle between Beijing and London. It's three days a week team training, plus general fitness training in between.
We're all living in the same place, building up an understanding of each other and how we play. That's going to be amazing when it gets to the pressured environment of the Olympics. It's so exciting to be able to do and hopefully it means we'll be able to deliver when it matters.
What will really make a difference to the athletes in 2012 is getting the crowds in, creating an atmosphere - that'll make all the hard work worthwhile.
In the short term though I'm looking forward to the Women's Champions Trophy, starting on 10 July, featuring the top six teams in the world. It's a pretty amazing event for Britain to hold - you don't often get the top six in one place!
