News for 21 April 2020
All the news for Tuesday 21 April 2020
The Boon family’s generation game
Jill Boon is one of the longest serving members of the national women’s hockey team of Belgium and one of the most prolific, being named leading goal scorer in number of tournaments over the course of her career. With 302 caps to her name she was part of the Red Panthers squad from 2012 until the current FIH Hockey Pro League season.
Hockey is very much in the Boon family DNA: brother Tom is a striker feared by defenders the world over; mother Carine Boon-Coudron, grandmother Jacqueline Ronsmans and uncles Eric and Marc Coudron are all former international hockey players. In addition, Marc Coudron remains the most capped Belgian international on 358 matches.
If ever a family represented the power of hockey to cross generations, then the Boon family is it. We caught up with Jill to talk how her own hockey family has influenced and inspired her hockey career.
What influenced you to take up hockey as opposed to other sports?
Jill Boon: I chose hockey because all my family were playing hockey, from my grandmother, my mother and my uncles, so it was easy for us to play hockey. We were literally born wth a hockey stick in our hands.
How helpful was it to have a brother who also played the sport?
Jill Boon: It was really cool to be able to share it [playing the sport] with my brother (Tom Boon), because we were playing the same tournaments or travelling together. It was nice to always have someone from the same family close by.
How involved have your parents been in your hockey career?
Jill Boon: My parents try to follow us whenever they can, to the games we play abroad but here, almost every Sunday, they are involved in the domestic league.
Is it helpful to have a partner who also plays the sport?
Jill Boon: It helped me a lot to also have my partner playing hockey. She [Linda Haussener] can understand the training, the commitment that I have had for the past 14 years now. It is also really cool now to share victories in the club hockey matches.
Do you and Linda chat about hockey at home or do you steer clear of the topic? Both Jill and Linda play for Racing HC in Brussels.
Jill Boon: We obviously chat about hockey, it is a huge part of our lives but we try to avoid only talking about hockey.
What would you say makes hockey such a popular family sport?
Jill Boon: Hockey is a great family sport because you can start at every age. I was born into a hockey family but now in Belgium we can see new families start hockey, first with the kids but then the parents start too. I also have a friend who started when they were 25 or 26 so I think that is the beauty of hockey, it is fun at every level and every age.
FIH site
How India captain Manpreet Singh's love for hockey could not be confined
The Mithapur lad was not allowed to wield a hockey stick in his childhood but his determination to play has seen him hold the highest position of responsibility.
Manpreet Singh has moulded his game on Sardar’s Singh (right) style, eventually taking over the mantle from the Indian hockey great.
As a kid, all Manpreet Singh wanted to do was experience the joy his two elder brothers felt while playing hockey and winning prizes for the school team, but his family were not as keen on him hitting the pitch.
His mother did not want her youngest child to break any bones and one of his brothers even went to the extent of locking him in a room. However, much like he does with tightly-knit opposition defences these days, he found a way out.
Manpreet Singh escaped the four walls and reached the field where his brother was practising. Only the coach’s permission to allow him to learn the game saved him from a beating that day and it set him off on a path that would see him lead the Indian hockey team to the Olympics one day.
Prizes change perceptions
Manpreet Singh Pawar, who was born in Mithapur in Punjab, found early inspiration from former Indian hockey captain and Padma Shri Pargat Singh, who also hailed from the same village.
The desire to emulate him combined with his elder brothers’ prowess drove the then 13-year-old to continue playing the sport despite his family’s disapproval but that was to change soon.
The youngster’s team won 500 rupees each as a reward for winning a local tournament and it was enough to convince his mother to allow her son to continue playing and she even enrolled him at the Surjit Hockey Academy in Jalandhar
Once there, Manpreet Singh swiftly brought his talent to the fore and his ability and passing range with the ball saw him make his debut for the Indian hockey junior team in 2011.
Marking his territory
The junior debut quickly translated into playing with the senior Indian hockey team and remarkably, the then 20-year-old travelled to London as part of the squad for the 2012 Olympics.
The team endured a difficult campaign on its return to the Olympic fold but the experience held Manpreet Singh in good stead. Within a year, he was captaining the Indian hockey side in the junior hockey world cup and later led them to the Sultan of Johor Cup title
The year 2014 proved to be a breakthrough for Manpreet Singh as he was named ‘junior player of the year’ by the Asian Hockey Federation and went on to win a gold medal and a silver respectively in the Asian Games and Commonwealth Games with the senior team.
It firmly established him as an integral part of the Indian hockey team as he delivered consistent performances in midfield. It was bound to get him some reward and a knee injury to PR Sreejesh saw a new avenue open up for Manpreet Singh.
Leading the Indian team
Having already led junior sides before, the current Indian men’s hockey team captain was one of the natural choices to lead the side when ex-skipper and veteran custodian Sreejesh was forced to go under the knife in 2017.
He was initially tried as captain by Hockey India in an invitational tournament but his biggest test came at the 2017 Asia Cup. The pressure on the Indian hockey team was immense, with the former heavyweights not having won the event in 10 years.
Moreover, then men’s team coach Sjoerd Marijne decided to shift veteran Sardar Singh to defence and hand the responsibility of running the midfield to Manpreet Singh. In a way, it saw the baton being passed to the next generation and allowed the youngster to showcase his ability to rise to the occasion.
“As a midfielder, my role was to feed the ball to the forwards. There was no pressure on me at the Asia Cup. I don't think about the switch as one having any negative connotation, neither does Sardar. The switch was really beneficial to the team, which is why we did it,” he had told Firstpost at the time.
With his natural attacking instincts and ability to spot almost non-existent gaps, the Indian hockey captain sprayed multiple balls forward and drove the Indian hockey team to the Asia Cup title to flag off his captaincy in style.
Perfect conduit between seniors and juniors
With the arrival of new head coach Graham Reid, the Indian hockey team has clearly shifted its focus to blooding more youngsters and Manpreet Singh’s friendly nature sees him easily blend in.
TQ to all my teammates, coaches & support staff whose effort have made our ticket to @Tokyo2020 possible. Special thanks to @TheHockeyIndia @fihockey @KirenRijiju @naveen_odisha for their continuous support in this journey. Also heartfelt thanks to our fans, friends & family! pic.twitter.com/GG0nrCsMUa
— Manpreet Singh (@manpreetpawar07) November 3, 2019
“The senior players are easy to talk to and the transition from the junior team becomes easier when someone like Manpreet Singh welcomes you and makes you feel like a part of the team,” Vivek Prasad Prasad, one of the newer entrants to the Indian hockey side had told the Olympic Channel.
The team qualified for the Tokyo Olympics with a comfortable win over Russia last year and began its maiden FIH Pro League campaign in fine fashion, beating Belgium, the Netherlands and Australia while only suffering two close losses in six matches.
While such strong form would have naturally seen high expectations from the Indian hockey team at the Olympic Games, the one-year delay means that they would have to continue coming up with these performances.
But team captain Manpreet Singh, the first Indian to win the FIH Player of the Year awards, has faith in his boys. "One of the things that I like about youngsters in their hunger to improve," he would tell the Olympic Channel in an interview.
"I think that makes my job a bit easy... I know the guys look up to me and want to learn from me.
"Secondly, I try to ensure that the guys are motivated enough even when they are having an off day. It's sports, and you are bound to have a bad day. I try to help the guys in dealing with such situations."
Luckily for them, they have a calm and able leader and a determined individual in Manpreet Singh who will no doubt motivate them to keep doing better and strive to return Indian hockey to glory.
The Olympic Channel
Nunnink makes big move to Den Bosch
Laura Nunnink will switch from Oranje-Rood to Den Bosch next season with the 25-year-old Dutch superstar signing a two-year deal.
“We have already spoken to Laura before the current bizarre time and both parties were enthusiastic,” said Den Bosch’s top hockey board member Vera Vorstenbosch. “It is great that we can bring such positive news in these times.”
Nunnink has been playing her hockey in Eindhoven all her life, starting off with Oranje-Zwart, and so it was a tough decision to make the switch.
She added: “I’ve been thinking about it for a long time. Den Bosch are not used to players thinking about it for so long!
“It has been a very difficult choice for me to leave. I still find it difficult to think about it at all. It will take some getting used to next season. But in the end I realized that this is a fantastic challenge and an opportunity to develop myself further. ”
The 120-time international is hoping the move will help propel her game further in a new environment.
“With better players around me, I have to show myself more, claim balls more often and be able to play my own game. In that regard, I think this move is good for me. I think a new club, a new environment and a new situation will help me to grow my game. “
Euro Hockey League media release
Munmuni Das: The 14-year-old hockey player who fought poverty to live her dreams
Munmuni Das, who comes from a small town in Assam, started playing hockey at the age of 10 after seeing some boys play the sport in her school but she neither had a hockey stick nor a kit to wear to the practice.
Anita Jat
Munmuni Das
Munmuni Das comes from a small town of Tinsukia district in Assam and belonged to the poorest strata of society. Her father was a street hawker and sold fish and could barely make ends meet, leave aside fulfilling her daughter’s dream to play hockey.
But she had found her calling. She knew that it was through the game of hockey that she would be able to live her dreams and so Munmuni rose above poverty to continue living her passion.
She developed interest in hockey at the age of 10 after seeing some boys play the sport in her school. But Munmuni neither had a hockey stick nor a kit to wear to the practice.
“There weren’t any girls so I used to practice with boys. I didn't even have the kit when I started playing. Not even the stick. So during practice, I used to borrow the hockey stick from other boys for 2-5 minutes in their break time.”
“I did not have a kit to play. So a bhaiya near my house gave me his old kit which was wearable, not that bad in condition, so I practiced wearing it.”
Munmuni said her father always supported her as much as he could though there were times when she had to drop out of tournaments due to financial struggles.
Munmuni bought her first hockey stick one and half years after stepping into the game and kept rising through ranks to land at the Naval Tata Hockey Academy, Odisha, where some of the most talented budding hockey players are groomed into professionals.
“I participated in the State Championship from my district and got selected for the trials of Sports Authority of India (SAI). But I had to miss that opportunity because there were financial issues at home.”
“But my coach sir told me that my game was good and called me again. This time my father managed somehow to send me to the trials.”
In 2019, she was inducted in the NTHA and was recommended by Hockey India itself that speaks volumes of her talent. The same year, Munmuni participated in Nehru Cup in New Delhi for NTHA Odisha and was awarded the player of the match in one of the matches during the tournament.
The 14-year-old also participated in the 2020 Khelo India Games in Guwahati and captained Assam and led her team to 4th position.
Munmuni said the Naval Tata Hockey Academy gave an opportunity to her and other girls from backward communities, to carve a place for themselves.
"My parents want me to play for India now. Rani Rampal (India skipper) is my idol among women hockey players. My dream is also to play for India now and represent India at the Olympics."
India Today
Kenyan International Owiti yearns to dribble her way to stardom in France
By Washington Onyango
Lakers Hockey Club striker Alice Owiti in action during a past match. [Washington Onyango, Standard]
When Alice Owiti joined Sinyolo Girls High School in 2014, her dreams were to play football and probably, turn professional later in life.
Unknowingly, she decided to try her hand in hockey while in Form Two.
She went on to guide Sinyolo to winning both the national and East Africa regional hockey titles from 2015, 2016 and 2017.
She was voted the best player both at the national and East Africa games in 2017, a feat that opened new doors as she signed for Lakers Hockey Club from Kisumu.
She was part of Sinyolo’s team that visited France in 2018 for the Centenary Celebration in commemoration of the World War II.
Owiti’s hockey prowess saw her join Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology on a four-year sports scholarship last year.
She made her premier league debut last year, guiding the Kisumu team to a fourth-place finish, where she was voted the league’s Most Promising Player.
She also finished second in the top scorers’ race with six goals, two behind Jacky Mwangi and Jilly Okumu.
In this interview with the Standard Sports, Owiti who made her international debut for the Kenya national women’s hockey team during the 2020 Tokyo Olympic qualifiers in South Africa last year, talks of her expectations in hockey and her dreams of playing in France.
HOW DO YOU BALANCE YOUR COLLEGE WORK AND PLAYING IN THE PREMIER LEAGUE?
During weekdays, I study in Kakamega, while on weekends, it is always hockey time. That is when I travel to Kisumu for weekend training sessions and league matches.
WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR BIGGEST CHALLENGE?
Lack of facilities has been my main undoing. Given my modest background, these facilities have been quite expensive to get. Also, striking the expected balance between schoolwork and playing hockey hasn’t been that easy.
WHAT IS THE BIGGEST MISCONCEPTION OF THIS SPORT?
People assume this is a dangerous sport considering we use sticks to hit a small hard ball. But that is not the case, this sport is enjoyable and fun.
HOW HAVE LAKERS IMPROVED YOU AS A YOUNG PLAYER?
The exposure I have had since joining the club in 2018 is unmatched. Without Lakers, I would not have had the chance to play for Kenya in the Olympic qualifiers in South Africa, last year.
WHAT IS YOUR SECRET TO SUCCESS?
There is no secret to success. It is all about hard work, discipline and putting God first. Your commitment to what you do is what will determine the output in the end.
WHAT IS YOUR BEST MOMENT IN YOUR CAREER?
Leading Sinyolo to be the East Africa secondary school hockey champions in 2017 and having the opportunity to visit France in 2018. The exposure in France was magical and I would love to go back there again.
WHO INSPIRES YOU IN HOCKEY AND WHY?
Strathmore University and national team captain Jilly Okumu. She plays her heart out and she’s vital when it comes to teamwork. She is always free and open to advise us.
WHO IS YOUR CONFIDANT IN THE TEAM?
Vivian Ogweno.
WHO IS YOUR MENTOR?
My high school teacher and coach Aloice Owino. He taught me the basics of hockey. Off the pitch, it’s my mother. She has been my number one supporter.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE MEAL?
Fried fish
WHO IS YOUR FAVOURITE MUSICIAN?
Tanzanian Diamond Platinumz. I enjoy Bongo and some Luo music
WHICH ATHLETE DO YOU CONSIDER THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME?
Kipchoge Keino
WHAT OTHER SPORT WOULD YOU HAVE PLAYED?
I would have played football.
WHERE DO YOU SEE YOURSELF IN THE THE NEXT FIVE YEARS?
To be an international player in Europe, especially France.
WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE IN KENYAN HOCKEY?
I would ensure that Kenya Hockey Union gives financial support to all clubs. Most players are doing almost everything by themselves and without much support.
HOW DO YOU WANT THE WORLD TO REMEMBER YOU IN SPORTS?
I want to be remembered as a sportswoman who impacted positively in other people’s lives by nurturing talents and giving back to the society.
The Standard Digital
England Hockey needs to stop star gazing and rectify club game
The narrowing of top domestic clubs is detrimental to the game
By Todd Williams
Reading’s stock has waned since Europe successes PIC: Worldsportpics
So, let’s get straight to the point: Premier League hockey in England is broken. It is failing clubs, players and coaches all around the country.
There, I’ve said it. But, first, a quick disclaimer. None of what I’ve written here should be taken personally by any player, coach or club official. Nor am I taking a swipe at clubs with money, their recruitment ethics or player movement. Yes, these are problems, but they are only by-products of an inherently flawed model.
I would also add that I’ve been told that England Hockey are proposing significant changes aimed at bolstering clubs at the top levels of the domestic game. Well, that’s certainly good and overdue news.
However, there’s not going to be any improvement unless the first point of action is to grasp the huge nettle growing at Bisham Abbey that gives us the diminishing and lop-sided men’s and women’s competitions that we have today.
Again though, it’s time for another disclaimer. This isn’t a criticism of the national programme, the coaches or players. I’m simply saying that you are never going to have a fair, functional and genuinely national league if you don’t recognise that that all those players living in Marlow didn’t actually grow up there.
Now, I know the enormity of that point and the logistical and scheduling issues it raises. But on the other hand, the current craziness of the top tier of players effectively being limited to playing for clubs no further than 75 miles away from Bisham Abbey has to be fixed before it is too late.
The high-profile relegation of Bowdon in the women’s league shows us yet again how the “Bisham Effect” is sending more of the clubs that have produced, and continue to produce, international players into the wilderness.
Now is the time for England Hockey to concede that international players actually come from schools and clubs all around the country and are not made on some production line at Bisham Abbey. The recent inclusion of Jacob Draper, Rupert Shipperley and Leah Wilkinson into the Tokyo training squads surely proves that point.
The current madness isn’t isolated to the north and there are many important hockey areas around the country that are now treated as distant outposts, while they ironically continue to produce a significant proportion of the current crop of top players.
You only have to look at the league tables from the season I came over here (1998), to see the true extent of what has done to the hockey landscape. Back then, the likes of Cannock, Canterbury, Old Loughtonians and Guildford were household hockey names in the men’s top division, while Ipswich, Olton, Sutton Coldfield and Leicester were women’s powerhouses.
The lure of players to London is nothing new and there’s always been a big proportion of top players coming out of university and moving to the capital as their next step for employment. The “Bisham Effect” has added a whole other level to this which clubs too far away have no chance to counter.
Just suppose that Bowdon had as much cash or even more than the clubs under an hour away from Marlow. How many players from the current national squad would likely fancy the 340-mile round trip to and from training twice a week? And even if you do have the players, as Beeston men did a few years ago, you’ll never see them for training, which completely undermines the investment.
In football the way around that is to recruit from the rest of the world. But that’s easy when you’ve got piles of cash and sympathetic import player regulations.
It’s hardly a fair alternative, though, for clubs not sufficiently close enough to Bisham to have to absorb the cost of flights and accommodation in order to get foreign players good enough to compete with the clubs who can afford the top domestic players that are conveniently made to live on their doorstep.
The net result of all of this is that the two Premier Leagues are dominated by the small pool of players who are either currently training at Bisham or have done.
It can’t be a coincidence that in both leagues it’s the teams with the most of these players at the top and the teams with the fewest are at the bottom.
And again, without anything against any club, coach or player, it’s hardly the sign of a flourishing league when, in the men’s competition, six-time champions Reading are relegated on the final day by Old Georgians who, in their first Premier League season, had seven former Reading players in their line-up.
As ever in our sport, the answer is not an easy one. That said, it’s still no excuse to turn a blind eye to the current situation or palm it off as an unfortunate side-effect of needing to focus on the higher priority of the international game.
So please England Hockey, stop gazing at the stars and start finally recognising that you are biting the many club hands that feed you.
You deserve enormous credit for your portable pitch innovation which can take the international game around the country. But that’s not going to be much good if there aren’t any top clubs and players in those areas to watch it.
This originally featured in a previous Hockey Paper edition. Don’t miss out. Subscribe in print or in digital format.
The Hockey Paper
Stourport relegated, proposed player bans after falsifying match sheets
By The Hockey Paper
The Midland Men’s Hockey League has handed out a stringent sanction on Stourport HC, including demotion from the men’s Premier Division and a points deduction, while proposing a one-year playing ban, after fielding an ineligible non-club member.
According to the league, Stourport 1s twice falsified match sheet returns in Tier 1 Midlands Premier Division matches played in January and February. On both occasions ‘Player A’s’ name did not appear on the official match sheets and a false name was used.
Following a Stourport investigation by its own committee, the decision to use ‘Player A’ was taken by the 1s captain and 1s manager. Subject to regional association approval, the committee proposed personal one-year bans to both from all Midlands league hockey.
In all, Stourport breached four league rulings and will start the new season in Midlands 1 with a -2 points deduction.
In acting upon the penalties, the Midlands league committee also took into consideration the fact that Stourport 2s played ineligible players and falsified the team sheet in 2017, as well as previous penalties on fielding ineligible players on three other local clubs.
The final ruling – which saw Stourport handed relegation and the Stourport player and coach avoid a ban – added that the penalties were imposed to garner “publicity for these breaches on the MRHL website so other clubs can see justice done, and see what happens if they do it.”
It is understood that Stourport HC had the right of appeal of the decision but did not exercise its rights.
The club had finished eighth in the season before the league decided to use a percentage points basis to conclude the season following the coronavirus outbreak.
The Hockey Paper has requested and received comment from Stourport HC.
Help keep independent journalism alive in these uncertain times. Ahead of the new season, please subscribe in print or in digital format.
The Hockey Paper
Clubs must take responsibility to end Ulster Hockey's double figure scorelines, says Parkview coach
By Gareth Hanna
Team talk: Richard Cowan and his Parkview side
The head coach of one of Ulster Hockey's lowest-ranked teams says clubs must show ambition to end the mismatches blighting the province's senior divisions.
The sport's governing body in the province sent out three suggestions for the future of the domestic leagues in January amid concerns at the frequent heavy defeats being dished out.
In the men's top division, Ballynahinch lost all 17 league games they played this season, while in the second tier - the Intermediate League - Parkview were handed double-figure defeats by Antrim, Civil Service and Belfast Harlequins.
Those were the three toughest days of Richard Cowan's first season in charge, the Parkview coach a former international umpire and player with hometown club Banbridge.
As he continues to find his feet on the sidelines, Cowan does not yet know where his side will stand next season.
Ulster Hockey's three suggestions at the start of the year were to: A) continue with the current two-tier senior set-up; B) split the two divisions into three; and C) open the league structure once again to see first teams take on second, third or fourth strings from other clubs.
The final option would open the possibility of having two teams from the same club competing in the same division and would reverse the move taken to separate first teams in 2018.
It was then that Parkview were plucked from Junior Five, where they faced the likes of North Down Fives, South Antrim Fours and Bangor Fives, to be placed in Ulster Hockey's second tier.
While the potential for a full-season IHL2 further muddies the waters, Cowan is warning that reverting to the previous set-up of open leagues could stunt the progress of clubs such as his own.
"I don't think that's appropriate," he said. "We're a first XI, we want to have stature and status within the hockey community. We should be more ambitious. It's about long-term development and trying to close the gap.
"I don't want us to be getting hammered every week. It's about starting from the bottom and working the way up with youth development and player recruitment."
Parkview won two league games this season, both against bottom-of-the-league Saintfield, but also managed to push the likes of third-placed CI in single-goal defeats. It's those signs of early progress that Cowan argues must be given time to take root and flourish.
"From a coach's perspective, I always try to be as positive as I can," he explained.
"If you're getting beaten in five or six games on the trot, players become disillusioned and stop turning up but I keep telling them it's not the end product. We've only been working together for a few months and we're working towards improving. The boys are sensible and they all want to do well.
"We lost 15-0 at Harlequins and a week later went away to Civil Service and lost 4-0. We came off the pitch that day feeling we had done well. We managed to match them for most of the game and that was one of the best sides in the league.
"I'm only there one year but the fact the boys can do that shows some progress. We finished second bottom but, believe it or not, we weren't too far away in many of those games. We weren't camped in our own circle, we were attacking teams and causing a threat.
"Billy Pollock, the chair of Ulster Hockey, umpired some of our games and he would back that up. If we perform, we're pretty close.
"We have to try and close that gap ourselves. We can't sit back and say Ulster Hockey have to sort it out. We have to sort it out ourselves. We have to perform. If we need more players then that's up to the club to find them."
To that end, Parkview have launched a boys' development programme and also set up a three-year development plan in a bid to reinstate the men's defunct Second XI.
"It's about trying to move everything in the right direction," Cowan added. "All our players are here for a reason and they know what they have to do.
"Hopefully we can keep progressing. Then we assess it after three, four or five years and see where we've got to."
Ulster Hockey had been due to host a clubs' seminar in March, although in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic and with the mooted full-season IHL2, the path into the future is uncertain.
Belfast Telegraph
National Volunteer Week – Feature Volunteer Michelle Savich
By Joshua Rey
Field Hockey Canada is celebrating National Volunteer Week from April 19-25. This week, we will feature a few volunteers from across the country. Thank you for the many nominations from your communities. We are thrilled to have such a terrific cast of volunteers and staff from coast-to-coast. Please enjoy our National Volunteer Week series!
Michelle Savich Q and A
Today’s featured volunteer is Michelle Savich from Chilliwack, British Columbia. Savich is a sport-administrator, a volunteer coach, a technical official and a general pitch-side volunteer. She’s invaluable to Chilliwack Field Hockey. She also coaches at the U18, U16, and U13 level with the Chilliwack Pink Panthers.
Field Hockey Canada: In your eyes, why field hockey? What makes this sport so special?
Michelle Savich: The sport was just so different when it was introduced to me, like nothing I had ever seen or played before. The pace, the gamesmanship, the uniqueness of the sport, just adds to the aura of it all. The sport is so special, because of the people, the people I have been able to work with, play with and play against, it is such a unique community. “Those” moments, the relationships, lasting friendships are what makes the sport so special for me.
FHC: What motivates you to volunteer?
MS: Empowerment. Where there is a will, there is a way, where there is motivation there is determination. where there is investment there are rewards. Each and every personal and collective victory our athletes have, that is the motivation. I was so fortunate to have so many amazing volunteer coaches throughout my life, providing me with opportunities I could never imagine, coaching, volunteering, making opportunities happen for others is my way of paying it forward and making the days a whole lot better.
FHC: Do you think more people should volunteer with Field Hockey in Canada and how can more people get involved in a volunteer capacity?
MS: I think more people should volunteer more period. The greatest gift we can give is our time, our expertise and a piece of what we are passionate about. I am passionate about providing opportunity, through service and/or sport, and to leave the world better than how I found it. As for getting more involved, just get out there, be available, be flexible, see a need, go for it.
FHC: What role does volunteering play in your life?
MS: I see a need, I get it done. My volunteering goes well past field hockey. I sponsor a community youth service club out of my school, Builder’s Club, who prides themselves on being kids who help kids. Last year they fund raised asked for donations and together we made 200 individual wash bags for local community organizations for families and kids in need.Last year, I knew I wanted more and stepped forth in the process to become a Technical Official, training in Ipoh Malaysia, and volunteering at every major field hockey event I can, when I am not coaching.
FHC: What is your favourite part about giving back to the field hockey community?
MS: We are such a small community, it is hard to not know everyone, everywhere. Have you ever seen an athlete’s face light up or the look in a parent/guardians’ eyes when they realize, or learn that you are not there for the money, but for the investment in them, as people, as individuals. When they know sport and the involvement in sport is so much more than the name on the back of their jersey but it is the collective of the crest on the front?
Field Hockey Canada media release
USA Field Hockey Partners with TeachAids to Provide Certification for CrashCourse Concussion Education Training
Colorado Springs, CO – USA Field Hockey, the National Governing Body responsible for the sport of field hockey in the United States, announces a partnership with TeachAids, a nonprofit leader in global education innovation. Together, they will work towards improving the safety of the sport for youth athletes and for generations to come.
The innovative CrashCourse video incorporates the most up-to-date medical knowledge and is the product of research from leading medical and industry experts. The curriculum stars collegiate athletes and integrates state-of-the-art technology to appeal specifically to youth growing-up in the digital native generation.
“With my background in public health, I’ve learned how important it is to create health education materials that resonate with their audiences,” explained Dr. George Rutherford, Director of the Prevention and Public Health Group at UCSF. “CrashCourse by TeachAids has done an incredible job distilling important education in a way that is both engaging and interactive for youth.”
One in five high school athletes experience a concussion in their lifetime, and concussions have become one of the most widely discussed issues in sports. USA Field Hockey prides itself in promoting best practices for concussion education amongst its community, and joins a growing cohort of national governing bodies of sport that are distributing the CrashCourse concussion education materials to their members.
The CrashCourse content will be available on the USA Field Hockey website, and athletes will be able to earn a Certificate for completing the education program.
“As a coach, the safety and well-being of my athletes is a top priority,” explained Tara Danielson, Head Coach of Stanford Women’s Field Hockey and Athletic Advisor to CrashCourse by TeachAids. “I’m proud of USA Field Hockey for their efforts to bring compelling education to our youth field hockey players.”
“We are proud to join forces with TeachAids to foster better understanding surrounding concussions amongst our athletes,” said Simon Hoskins, Executive Director of USA Field Hockey.
The CrashCourse curriculum will be instituted throughout USA Field Hockey’s programs nationwide starting today on the website. The program is also available for free by visiting crashcourse.teachaids.org.
About USA Field Hockey
USA Field Hockey is the national governing body for the sport of field hockey in the United States and is based in Colorado Springs, Colo. USA Field Hockey is committed to providing opportunities for the 30,000 members to participate, develop and excel as players, coaches, umpires and administrators. The U.S. Men's and Women's National Teams strive for competitive excellence in Olympic, Pan American Games, World Cup and other international competitions. USA Field Hockey is a proud member of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee and International Hockey Federation. For more information, visit usafieldhockey.com.
About CrashCourse by TeachAids
TeachAids is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit social venture that creates breakthrough software addressing numerous persistent problems in health education around the world. CrashCourse is the second free health education program launched by TeachAids in collaboration with Stanford University, following the global success of its award-winning HIV/AIDS interactive software, which is used in 82 countries around the world. It is backed by Google, Microsoft, Barclays, UNICEF, and others, and partnered with 250+ governments, school systems, and NGOs around the world. TeachAids was recognized as an innovation that would "change the world" by MIT Technology Review and is a global laureate of the Tech Awards for benefiting humanity. For more information on TeachAids visit TeachAids.org or follow us on Twitter @TeachAids, Facebook @TeachAids, YouTube at TeachAids, and Instagram at @teachaids.
USFHA media release
England hockey player Daisy Strange dies after getting cancer
By Charlotte Ikonen
A MUCH-LOVED teacher and former England hockey player has died aged 24.
Daisy Strange was diagnosed with tongue cancer in October last year.
The Seaford College teacher died last weekend, her former club revealed.
Paying tribute to her, East Grinstead Hockey Club said: “Taken so young, she will be a great loss to everyone she met.
“Her infectious smile and bubbly personality brought so much pleasure and happiness.
“Our deepest condolences go to her family and friends.”
Daisy had endured extensive, life-changing surgery.
She had lymph nodes removed, her jaw broken and her tongue removed, replaced with skin from her thigh.
She was undergoing very intensive treatment.
Pupils at Seaford College had been fundraising to raise money for The Royal Marsden Hospital where Daisy was receiving treatment.
They included the college’s DW team, who train for the Devizes to Westminster international canoe race (DW) which Daisy supported.
A JustGiving page they set up has raised nearly £6,000.
An update on the page this week read: “It is with great sadness we reveal Daisy lost her brave battle against this horrendous illness and, during the early hours of this morning, passed away.
“To anyone that met Daisy, this will come as a great loss. At this truly sad moment, the Seaford DW team are thinking of Adrian, Diana and Jack and our thoughts, prayers and love are with them. In true selfless style, Daisy wanted to make a difference to anyone fighting this horrendous disease.
“She wanted any additional monies to go to the Royal Marsden Hospital to raise awareness and enable others to be diagnosed earlier and help more families like Daisy’s with funding clinical trials to help bring about breakthroughs in cancer treatment. Whilst this year’s DW may have been cancelled due to coronavirus, the Seaford DW team is committed to Daisy’s dream... please help us to reach our target.”
The college said: “This remarkable young and talented lady has, in previous years, quietly (and without asking) dedicated her free time to past Seaford DW students.
“This year, however, she is facing her own enormous challenge and biggest commitment and all the Seaford paddlers are focused on returning the favour to help Daisy and her wonderful family raise much needed funds.
“Daisy, a competitive and highly successful sportswoman who has played hockey at national level, started her teaching career at Seaford and has become a respected member of the PE staff and a much-loved tutor in the prep school.”
England Hockey said in a tribute: “We are very sad to hear that Daisy passed away at the weekend.
“Our thoughts are with her family, friends and team-mates at this time.
“Well known for her bubbly personality and superb talent, Daisy featured on numerous occasions for the England women’s 1st XI and helped the club win the U18 Girls’ National Indoor title.
“Daisy had been raising money for The Royal Marsden and you can still donate.”
To donate, visit: https://uk.gofundme.com/f/seaford-college-dw-2020-for-daisy-strange.
The Argus
