News 12 July 2014
All the news for Saturday 12 July 2014
SA hockey teams want bounce back
JONATHAN COOK in London
Unpalatable defeats to England’s men and women was the upshot of the second day’s play in the Investec Cup at the national hockey stadium in London Thursday, leaving the Investec South Africa women’s hockey team and the SA men’s side with nothing on their minds but victory in the final round-robin phase Saturday.
The world’s 11th-ranked SA women, who outplayed then world number three England 4-1 at the Hockey World Cup in The Hague, Netherlands four weeks ago, effectively destroying their dreams of a gold medal, were their own worst enemies Thursday as a period of near-total dominance at stages in the first and second halves was not converted into the goals that would have effectively killed off England hopes once again.
The result was a 2-1 defeat, but all is not lost as victory for peerless captain Marsha Cox’s charges against minnows Wales in Saturday’s 4pm SA time match will ensure another crack at the full-time professional England side, now sixth-ranked in the world after The Hague debacle, in Sunday’s Investec Cup women’s event gold medal match, the title match kicking off at 6.15pm SA time.
The SA women, playing with just three on the rolling subs’ bench to Scotland’s allotted seven in round one on Wednesday, beat the full-strength Glasgow-based side 2-0, a team that have been in full-time training since April 3, this after two flights and a long time in airports to get to London on Tuesday.
The SA women are still without world-class striker Sulette Damons and highly regarded young midfielder/defender Quanita Bobbs, both of whom are writing unavoidable university exams, but the duo will be back for the Commonwealth Games that starts on July 23.
For the SA men, it’s been even more difficult. Still without four Commonwealth Games players due to unavoidable exams and work commitments, plus the unavailability for the foreseeable future of drag-flick goal machine Justin Reid-Ross due to work and personal commitments, as well as the late arrival of players in London for the same reasons, it was never going to be easy against the full-time, fully paid English players who, like their women’s side, live and train together daily at their state-of-the art Bisham Abbey headquarters in London.
Yet the nagging feeling remains – and is commented on regularly by seasoned observers here – just how good this SA men’s side could be had they, and head coach Fabian Gregory’s coaching staff, the same opportunities afforded to their English counterparts. This applies to a lesser extent to the SA women as well.
Sublime, yet too infrequent, patches of play hint at why seasoned punters make this observation. The SA men could well have beaten the settled Irish side instead of losing 4-2 on Tuesday. The well-honed English line-up overwhelmed an SA midfield in Thursday’s first half to conjure up five goals without reply. Not surprising when you consider that circumstances meant players had to play out of their regular positions. The second half was better, but the outcome was still a 7-0 defeat.
Saturday sees the SA men up against Scotland (at 10.45am SA time), a Scotland who deserved to beat fancied Ireland instead of drawing 1-1 Thursday. Scotland have been in near-full-time training, like their women’s side, since April 3.
SA will want to win Saturday, as they will meet Scotland in Sunday’s 10.45am third/fourth place playoff and again in their opening match at the Commonwealth Games on July 25.
Times are tough, but one thing never in doubt is the incredible spirit inherent in the guys and girls wearing the green-and-gold kit.
SA Hockey Association media release
Pakistan to feature in Hockey Champions Trophy
KARACHI: Pakistan is among eight nations set to feature in the 35th edition of Men’s Hockey Champions Trophy, to be staged in the Indian city of Bhubaneswar from Dec 13 to 21, according to an announcement made by the International Hockey Federation (FIH).
As per the data gathered on Friday, the Champions Trophy will now be held biannually due to the introduction of the Hockey World League. This means that the event will return to its original format which was altered after the inaugural tournament in 1978.
Alongside the host nation, the top five finishers from the tournament’s previous edition and the winners of the 2012 Champions Challenge-I qualify automatically for the event.
The remaining spots were nominated by the FIH Executive Board, making it a total of eight competing teams. If one of the teams refuses to play, its place is awarded to the next best finisher in the previous tournament.
Teams taking part in the event include defending champions Australia, runners-up the Netherlands, Pakistan (third in 2012) Belgium, Argentina (winners of 2012 Champions Challenge-I), England (nominated by FIH Executive Board), Germany (nominated by FIH Executive Board).
Pakistan is also likely to take part in the Olympic Test Hockey Tournament which will be held in Rio de Janeiro from Nov 19 to 26, 2015.
The FIH will nominate the teams for the event.
Dawn
Whitelock: Black Sticks' attitude must change
KAYLA WHITELOCK
OPINION: As this is my last column, I thought I'd let you in on what the Black Sticks have been talking about ahead of the Commonwealth Games, what we've been working on and where we see our strengths.
I'm not going to tell you all of our secrets in case the Aussies or English happen to find this, but we've had a good hard look at ourselves and our performance at the World Cup in the Netherlands and we think there is real room for improvement.
Improvement mostly on our attack and our attitude.
I've said it before, but our attitude towards preparation wasn't good enough at the World Cup and it cost us. We finished fifth, but it could, and perhaps should, have been better.
We didn't prepare as well as we could have for the Korean game and we lost 1-0.
We should have beaten them and if we'd done all the work and prepared like it was a match against the world No 1 Netherlands side or Australia, we would have given ourselves a far better chance.
So that's been a major talking point for us and will be through the Four Nations tournament in Ireland before the Games then in Glasgow as well.
Hopefully, those teams ranked lower than us, that we perhaps wouldn't have prepared as well for in the past, are going to feel the brunt of our extra work and a change in attitude at the Games.
We're the top ranked team in our pool, but if we slip up there's a good chance we'll meet Australia in the semifinals. We're not afraid of them, but we'd rather win our pool and have perhaps an easier crossover.
We're ranked second at the tournament so if we don't get a medal, we'll all be pretty disappointed.
But obviously all the other teams will lift for a chance at a Commonwealth Games medal too, so it's not going to be easy and that's why we need to turn up 100 per cent on top of our game and mentally ready to go.
We've got Trinidad and Tobago up first and we have India, South Africa and Canada in our pool.
South Africa and India are likely to be the toughest two and obviously we want to win all our games, as well as improving throughout.
The other crucial thing we need to work on is our attack.
We create a lot of chances, but the percentage we convert isn't as high as we'd like.
We were pretty disappointing in this area at the World Cup too and we've worked really hard on it for the last three weeks so hopefully the goals start flowing.
That doesn't come down to just the strikers, though. It's where they get the ball, the space other players find themselves in and how we can stretch the defence.
We've addressed and worked hard on those things as well as spending plenty of time on our basic skills. They weren't quite where they needed to be at the World Cup either so we've spent plenty of time on that too.
Those things are all easy to work on, what is a little tougher to gauge is how the team will react to the Games life. It's so different from a straight hockey tournament. There's that New Zealand team atmosphere and so much more going on. We'll talk about how we deal with that closer to the time.
We've got games against Ireland, Canada and Chile in Ireland to get through then we're off to the Games. We really concentrate on just one game at a time and not getting too far ahead of ourselves, but it's hard not to think about medals and such things. And it would be great to win New Zealand's first Commonwealth Games hockey gold medal. There's a bit to do before then, though.
Stuff
Canadian women set for international tune-up prior to Commonwealth Games
Shaheed Devji
With less than a month to go before the start of the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland, the Canadian Women’s National Field Hockey Team has already made camp in the United Kingdom and is set to begin a final pre-Commonwealth test in Ireland.
The 2014 Four Nations Invitational Tournament in Dublin, Ireland features the host Irish, and teams from New Zealand and Chile in addition to the Canadian team, and serves as final preparation before the Commonwealth Games, which begin with the Opening Ceremony on July 23.
"In the final stages of our preparation, the Irish 4-Nations, provides the team the perfect opportunity to refine our game,” says Women’s National Team Coach, Ian Rutledge.
The sixteen athletes who makeup Canada’s Commonwealth Games field hockey team have been joined for the test series by two additional player, Kathleen Leahy (Victoria, B.C.) and Tegan Stairs (Kitchener, ON).
“Playing against three very strong teams, including world number four ranked and fellow Commonwealth Games pool rival, New Zealand, is vital for our development in a live competition,” adds Rutledge.
Canada will play three round robin games, one against each opponent, with the first on Saturday, July 12 against Chile.
“The opportunity to measure up against fellow Pan American opponents, Chile, is ideal, just over twelve months out from the Toronto 2015 Pan American Games," says Rutledge. “We also know that Ireland are a well prepared team and are always tough to play, especially at home.”
After facing each team once in the round robin stage of the tournament, Canada will play in either the 1st place match or 3rd place match, depending on results and rankings from the round robin portion.
After the completion of the Four Nations Tournament, Canada will head to Glasgow and officially begin to focus on the Commonwealth Games.
The Canadians face India in their first pool match on July 24th at 2:00pm local time.
Field Hockey Canada media release
Making up the numbers
By Jugjet Singh
AUSTRALIA have a perfect record, winning the men’s hockey gold since the sport was introduced in the 1998 Kuala Lumpur Commonwealth Games, and the Glasgow title is also theirs for the taking.
Malaysia, who finished 12th in the recent World Cup, will be represented by a motley crew of juniors and a handful of seniors who will be out to re-claim their spot in the Asian Games squad.
Players like Baljit Singh and S. Selvaraju will have to give their best if they want to impress coach K. Dharmaraj in his Asian Games selection.
Dharmaraj will be resting No 1 goalkeeper S. Kumar and only fielding one goalkeeper in Junior World Cup player Hafizuddin Othman.
The Games only allow 16 players to be registered, so the choices were limited: “We have selected a big number from the training pool to give them a chance to show that they are capable of playing in the Asian Games.
“The Commonwealth Games does not offer ranking points, and all the other teams will also be fielding youth for the future,” said Dharmaraj.
The men will open their Group B campaign against Canada on July 26 followed by England (July 27), Trinidad and Tobago (July 29) and New Zealand (July 31).
Defending champions Australia, India, Wales, South Africa and Scotland are in Group A.
At best, the men will advance to the semi-finals but a medal is out of their reach.
As for the women, they are more confident after winning the gold medal at the Hockey World League Round One after beating Kazakhstan 5-0.
Two goals from Hasliza Ali Noor and a goal apiece by Nuraini Rashid, Nadia Rahman and Adawiyah Mohamed saw the Malaysians emerge as unbeaten champions — but the other teams who will be in Scotland are way above coach Nasihin Nubli’s players.
“We have selected experienced players for the Games, and hope to use it as a platform to improve our status in the Asian Games,” said Nasihin.
A total of 10 women’s teams are confirmed, and Malaysia will open their Group A campaign against defending champions Australia on July 24.
Their other matches are against Scotland (July 25), England (July 27) and Wales (July 30).
In Group B are Canada, India, New Zealand, Trinidad and Tobago, and South Africa.
The women’s best outing was sixth at the 1998 Kuala Lumpur and 2006 Melbourne Games, while in New Delhi four years ago, they finished last in the 10-team competition.
New Straits Times
No witch-hunt in Malaysia’s World Cup failure probe
By S. Ramaguru
The Malaysia hockey team players acknowledge the fan support after one of their World Cup matches at The Hague last month. - Filepic
KUALA LUMPUR: The national hockey team performance review committee have assured they are not on a witch-hunt or fault-finding mission over the team’s poor showing at the recent World Cup in Holland.
The committee, headed by former national coach Datuk R. Yogesweran, have been tasked to assess and analyse the performance of the team who finished last in the 12-team tournament.
“This is not a committee formed to find fault with anyone. We are basically going to look at their preparations and analyse their performance as a way to move forward for the future.
“This has nothing to do with the appointment of coaches and so forth,” he said on Friday.
Among the committee members are National Sports Institute (NSI) CEO Datuk Dr Ramlan Aziz, National Sports Council (NSC) director general Datuk Seri Zolkples Embong, Datuk Poon Fook Loke, Datuk Ow Soon Kooi, R. Ramakrishnan, M.P. Haridass and Ariffin Ghani and MHC national team management chairman and vice president Datuk Nur Azmi Ahmad.
“Most of the work involves interviewing the team officials, players and stakeholders like the NSI and NSC. All other relevant people who wish to have their say can also contact us.
“What we would like to do is to find out what went into their preparations? Whether it was adequate or lacking in any way?
“We are also looking at a way forward for the team and our recommendations will be towards that end. There may have been some shortcomings and our group will study all the relevant data before we do our analysis,” added Yogesweran.
The committee have interviewed all the coaches who were with the team in The Hague and also provided the players with a questionnaire.
Yogesweran said they hope to complete the task in another 10 days.
Yogesweran pointed out that it is not unusual for the MHC to appoint a panel to review the performance of the team.
“This has been done before and I am sure that if some of those previous suggestions had been put to good use we may not have had some of the prevailing issues,” he said.
The Star of Malaysia
Women's hockey World Cup 'needs to be standalone event'
The FIH, world hockey's governing body, boldly predicts that women's World Cup can become one of top team tournaments with London set to host 2018 standalone event
By Rod Gilmour
Winning feeling: Dutch women, with Olympic gold, will return to London in 2018 as defending world champions Photo: EPA
The International Hockey Federation (FIH), the world governing body, believes that the women’s World Cup, more than the men's, needs “to stand alone on its own two feet”, despite a successful dual tournament in the Hague last month.
The World Cup will return as two tournaments in different cities from 2018, with London hosting the women’s and Bhubaneswar, India staging the men’s 16-team event.
“How many markets can do justice to both a men’s and women’s event?” Kelly Fairweather, the FIH chief executive, told Telegraph Sport. In the FIH’s eyes “not very many”.
Fairweather admits that the women’s tournament has the calibre to become one of the top team events in world sport, a statement that Lee Valley – host for 2018 and this week’s Investec London Cup – will aim to deliver in four years’ time.
“We think that it could be amongst the top two team sports in the world,” he said. “People watch both but our goal is to make it a fantastic event in London. We want to make it top class.
“We feel that the women’s product needs to stand alone on its own two feet.”
The Lee Valley stadium on the Olympic Park site can accommodate up to 15,000 fans and will be closer to the pitch than the Kyocera Stadium in the Hague, which was converted from its usual purpose as a football arena.
“It is not always about quantity, it is quality as well,” Fairweather added. “I always believe that a 10 to 12,000-seater stadium that is full and packed is as good as a 20-30,000-seater.
“We didn’t have any problems filling the venue at the Olympics three times per day in London.
“And with the melting pot of cultures in London and different population groups, we are really looking forward to it.”
Lee Valley will host 2018 women's World Cup
The FIH hosted several meetings with International Olympic Committee officials in the Hague. The world governing body made a concerted effort to show the scale of delivering a World Cup as well as the growing popularity of the game.
For example, in the FIH lounge, they had constructed a map stretching the length of the room with facts and numbers detailing the growth of the sport.
“They spoke to us about the global popularity of the game and we want to show them we have made a big effort in the last few years,” said Fairweather.
“That has now kicked in. It’s not just about the in stadium experience but people are starting to enjoy watching on television.”
Skycam and extra cameras in the Hague demonstrated the FIH’s step up in television production, bolstered by their $250 million, eight-year deal with Star Sports, the Indian broadcaster.
Fairweather admitted: “The easier it is to watch, the more people will be attracted.
“We were a little bit disappointed by the production quality for London 2012, so we want to improve that by Rio.”
The FIH have also tweaked the rule book in the last few years, the overriding change being the decision to turn the sport from two halves to four quarters. However, there will now be a “consolidation” period as hockey adjusts to the new rules before Rio 2016.
“When you go from a rule that has been around for years, there was going to be a fair amount of reaction and comment,” Fairweather said of the four, 15-minute halves, which raised eyebrows with traditionalists.
“It will be interesting to see how teams adapt to it and how the tactics change. One of the things I would like is to see the top players play more as there is currently a big turnover on the pitch.
“We have worked on video referral and the pace and flow of the game. I like to see the 6-2 results and shots at goal. We are now seeing a nice, fast attacking game.”
The Telegraph
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Scotland's U21 Women
Promotion to the European Championship in two years’ time is the clear target for both Scotland U21 Men and Women when they compete in the EuroHockey Junior Nations Championship II.
Former Scotland and Great Britain international Graham Moodie will lead Scotland U21 Men as head coach when they compete in the men’s competition in Lousada, Portugal from 13-20 July.
Moodie’s side have been drawn in Pool A alongside Belarus and Italy. Ireland, Portugal, Russia and Ukraine are the teams in Pool B.
Scotland U21 Men Manager Fraser McCurdy said, “In preparation for the European competition, the squad has played a number of international matches against top opposition so far this summer, including England, Spain, Ireland, Germany, France and Austria.
“The squad’s application and commitment to continually improve has been evident in their performances, particularly when we have defeated England, France and Austria, all of whom play in the European Championship.
“We have warm-up matches against Ireland before the tournament begins with our first match against Belarus.
Ten members of the Scotland U18 squad that successfully maintained the team’s place in the European U18 Championship last summer have stepped up a level to join Gregor Hirst, Michael McKenzie, Andrew Malcolm, Craig Morton and Sean Hadfield, all who have at least two years’ experience of playing with the U21 squad. Ross McIntyre has been released from the Senior Men’s training squad to bolster the U21’s promotion challenge.
Grange’s Hamish Imrie is also selected after recovering from a year-long ACL injury, while 16 year-old goalkeeper James Carrie is added after making his international debut against France last month.
Scotland U21 Head Coach Neil Menzies and his squad travel to Vienna, Austria for the women’s competition from 14-21 July.
The format of the competition is slightly altered, with three pools of three teams competing in the early stages. The Scots find themselves up against Ireland and Lithuania in Pool C; Italy Austria and Poland make up Pool A, Belarus, Turkey and Ukraine are drawn in Pool B.
Scotland U21 Head Coach Neil Menzies said, “Our target is to win promotion to the top division. We believe that to be a realistic target. The change to the format means that there is less room for error. Essentially we have to win our first two games and ensure we win our section. Assuming we do that we might get away with a loss in the play-offs.
“We have been unlucky to get Ireland in our section as they are ranked lower than their standard deserves. Having previously dropped out of European competition they have had to start again and work up the levels from the bottom. While we should not worry over playing them, they will probably be our highest threat in the section.”
A number of Menzies’ squad have been exposed to the rigours of the senior women’s training sessions and friendly matches in the lead up to the Commonwealth Games, including Glasgow 2014 reserve goalkeeper Nicki Cochrane, Mairi Drummond, Louise Campbell, Maisie Morris, Jennifer Eadie and Kirsten McIntosh.
Several of the squad have also made the successful transition from the Scotland U18 Girls side that won promotion from the European U18 Championship II in Spain last summer.
Scotland U21 Men
Sean Hadfield (Grange)
Gregor Hirst (Clydesdale)
James Wong (Edinburgh University)
Michael McKenzie (Clydesdale)
Murray Collins (Clydesdale)
Andrew Malcolm (Inverleith)
Jack McAllister (Kelburne)
Ross McIntyre (Kelburne)
Lee Morton (Kelburne)
Gordon Amour (Edinburgh University)
Edward Greaves (Kelburne)
Fergus Sandison Dundee Wanderers)
Aedan McCrossan (Edinburgh University)
Jack McKenzie (Kelburne)
Hamish Imrie (Grange)
James Carrie (CALA Edinburgh)
Craig Morton (Kelburne)
Joseph McConnell (Western Wildcats)
Scotland U21 Women
Nicola Cochrane (Edinburgh University)
Rowan Sinclair (CALA Edinburgh)
Millie Brown (CALA Edinburgh)
Claire Hill (Watsonians)
Emma McGregor (Edinburgh University)
Fiona Burnet (Clydesdale Western)
Louise Campbell (Edinburgh University)
Jenny Morris (GHK)
Maisie Morris (Edinburgh University)
Mairi Drummond (Edinburgh University)
Kirsten Peters (Edinburgh University)
Kirsty Hill (Watsonians)
Kirsten McIntosh (Edinburgh University)
Laura Page (State University of New York, Albany)
Kerry-Anne Hastings (CALA Edinburgh)
Jennifer Eadie (Clydesdale Western)
Waverly Miller (Edinburgh University)
Emily Newlands (Borders Fjordhus Rievers)
Scottish Hockey Union media release
USA Field Hockey Announces 2014-15 Junior Womens National Squads
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – After several grueling weeks of sweltering days, intense competition and elite training, USA Field Hockey is proud to announce the three newly selected 2014-15 U.S. Junior Women’s National Squads. This newest generation of elite USA Field Hockey athletes exemplifies the growth and progress of our sport within the country, as younger athletes continually develop more advanced and impressive skill sets and abilities.
Beginning in mid-June, athletes showcase their skills in front of an array of selectors in the hopes of making the cut for Junior National Camp. Between Under-21 National Championship, Futures Elite Championship and National Futures Championship, 112 athletes were selected to attend the four day Junior National Camp. During camp, athletes learn from some of the best collegiate coaches in the country and compete for one of the highly sought after slots on the Under-21, Under-19 and Under-17 Junior National Squads.
The following athletes have been named to the 2014-15 Under-21 National Squad:
Kristy Bernatchez, Kelsey Bing, Emma Bozek, Catherine Caro, Alyssa Chillano, Isabella Delario, Anna Dessoye, Annabeth Donovan, Linnea Gonzales, Karlie Heistand, Ashley Hoffman, Jessica Jecko, Delaney Leathers, Alexa Mackintire, Amanda Magadan, Alyssa Manley, Lauren Moyer, Alyssa Parker, Moira Putsch, Sophia Tornetta, Tara Vittese, Julia Young
The following athletes have been named to the 2014-15 Under-19 National Squad:
Caroline Andretta, Jordan Barry, Morgan Bitting, Austyn Cuneo, Brittany Dickinson, Julie Duncan, Danielle Duseau, Sarah Furey, Ainsley Gill, Danielle Grega, Caroline Hanks, Laura Hurff, Kelly Johnson, Kelee Lepage, Gabi Major, Elizabeth Manela, Erin Matson, Sophia Miller, Madi Morano, Margaux Paolino, Erin Scherrer, Sam Steele, Julianna Tornetta, Nicole Woods
The following athletes have been named to the 2014-15 Under-17 National Squad:
Madeleine Bacskai, Bree Bednarski, Mayv Clune, Bridget Condie, Lexi Davidson, Brooke Deberdine, Megan Duvernois, Sarah Dwyer, Noelle Frost, Callie Goodman, Kyler Greenwalt, Amanda Hendry, Mackenzie Keegan, Hannah Menge, Sammy Popper, Lily Posternak, Elizabeth Romano, Haley Schleicher, Meredith Sholder, Cassie Sumfest, Julia Kate Walker, Jillian Wolgemuth, Elise Wong, Corinne Zanolli
USFHA media release
Langa's National Hockey Star
By Siyabonga Kalipa
A local player from Langa was in the South African team which finished in 11th place at the recent Hockey World Cup in the Netherlands. Siyabonga Kalipa spoke to Lungile Tsolekile.
GroundUp: How would you describe yourself?
Lungile Tsolekile: I am a proudly Langa man, who has Langa sport at his heart, family comes first and the rest follows.
GroundUp: How and when were you introduced to hockey?
Tsolekile: I started playing hockey in 1997 at Langa Sports Fields. I was bored one day and a friend just invited me to hockey training.
GroundUp: Hockey is not big in our communities.What did your family and your community say when you started playing?
Tsolekile: It's not big in all our black communities, but it is in Langa. And there is no surprise when you play hockey in Langa.
GroundUp: Why did you decide to stick it out and not to play other sports like soccer?
Tsolekile: All cricketers in Langa Cricket Club play hockey as a winter sport so it was automatic. Thami Tsolekile, Albert Nkomo, Morgan Mfobo, all played hockey, so we all do.
GroundUp: What challenges do you face in the sport and out of it?
Tsolekile: Hockey is an amateur sport, so we all work and are part-time hockey players who sacrifice a lot to be in the top ten in the world. Outside of hockey, I can say that compared to what an average South African faces daily I'm pretty fortunate.
Hockey has provided me with so many opportunities in my life. Though we don't get paid, it has has given me study opportunities and I have met valuable people through the sport.
GroundUp: Can people earn a living from hockey?
Tsolekile: No. It's an amateur sport so you can't make a living from it here. But if you go to Europe and play there, you sure can make a living from it.
GroundUp: What are you doing to give back to your community through the sport?
Tsolekile: I work with Langa Hockey and Cricket and hope to see more than one African representing the province and SA in the sport.
GroundUp: Would you encourage a youngster who wants to play professionally?
Tsolekile: Yes, as I have not played professionally in Europe. I want the next guy to be better than I ever was. In that way we, as a community, grow.
GroundUp: What do you think needs to be done to popularise the sport?
Tsolekile: We need funds, media coverage and, yes, proper administration and ideas to get the game to the masses and make it exciting to watch, so that even a person who is not familiar with the sport pays attention.
GroundUp: What are you hoping to achieve with the sport?
Tsolekile: I always wanted to make history with the team, get a better world ranking and win a medal at a major event. But that is very tough given that the other countries are also improving at a massive rate.
GroundUp:What is the future like for hockey in the province?
Tsolekile: It's great. Khayelitsha and Mandalay are growing stronger, and other regions like Cape Winelands, West Coast, Overberg are starting their own leagues and forming clubs.
GroundUp: What message would you give to up-and-coming hockey players?
Tsolekile: Set goals, and work step by step to reach these goals. With these steps come hurdles, and you will trip and fall, but getting up and jumping over the next hurdle will build your character. Look, listen and learn.