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News for 11 November 2020

All the news for Wednesday 11 November 2020


Black Stick Kelsey Smith’s double injury fightback

Suzanne McFadden


Black Sticks scoring star Kelsey Smith is doing her utmost not to let her latest injury stop her from playing hockey again. Kai Schwoerer/Getty Images

Hounded by one injury after another, tenacious Black Sticks striker Kelsey Smith is still determined to play in hockey's new premier league and next year's Tokyo Olympics.

It’s one of the cruellest blows in sport – when you climb back from one career-threatening injury, only to be immediately up-ended by another.

Think Silver Fern Michaela Sokolich-Beatson’s two Achilles tendons, snapping one after the other. New Zealand U21 netballer Ainsleyana Puleiata - her two ACL ruptures separated by only 12 minutes on court. And four-time Olympian Kayla Whitelock’s string of seven hamstring tears early in her career.

Now dynamic Black Sticks striker Kelsey Smith joins the luckless list. But she’s doing her utmost not to let her latest injury stop her from playing hockey again.

The 26-year-old Olympian and Commonwealth Games gold medallist missed most of last year recovering from a knee injury, having ruptured her ACL in a Pro League clash with the United States in March 2019.

After a year-long rehabilitation, Smith returned to the Black Sticks in February during their 2020 Pro League campaign, only for Covid-19 to bring her comeback to a sudden halt.

But the break also made her face up to another injury, this time to her lower back. And it’s become a constant source of irritation.

“My back injury has been a work in progress for a while,” Smith says. “But this season has really taken a toll on it. I have no idea why its this one.”

It’s got to the point where Smith, who’s poised on 95 test caps, is in pain doing simple chores like unpacking the dishwasher.

“It’s been really frustrating coming back from a year-long rehab then getting a really sore back,” says Smith, who’s renowned for her speed, athleticism and grittiness on attack.


Black Sticks striker Kelsey Smith competes with Argentina’s Sofía Toccalino during a match in Christchurch in February. Kai Schwoerer/Getty Images

She thinks it’s a wear and tear injury – “a real hockey back, probably from not doing things properly when I was 17,” she says. But she also has a condition called transitional anatomy, where a lumbar vertebra fuses to the sacrum, and puts pressure on discs in the spine.

The pain eased off during lockdown, when Smith concentrated on upping her fitness – running around the bays of Auckland’s North Shore, sometimes bumping into fellow Black Stick Olivia Merry, and building her core strength with yoga and pilates.

But when Smith returned to the field in June, the pain flared up again.

She was concerned it would stop her from playing for the Central Falcons in the new Premier Hockey League, which starts in Hamilton tomorrow.

“But I saw someone about it who said ‘If you can play through the pain, it’s not going to get any worse’. So I guess that’s what I’ll do,” she says.

The four-week league not only gives the country's top players sorely needed game time, but also serves as a selection for next year's Tokyo Olympics squads. Smith's patience has certainly been tested in the lead-up.

“I would have loved to have done more training, but the pain limits you. Over the last four weeks I’ve seen the [Black Sticks] girls starting to do more game play and have small games. And I get so jealous because I’m just doing my skills on the sideline.”

Smith hopes to ease her way back into competition, with a half game tomorrow against the Southern Alpiners, and a full game on Saturday with the Northern Tridents.

Playing for the “nuggety” Central Falcons – whose territory covers the bottom half of the North Island – is like a homecoming for Smith.

As a kid growing up in Nelson who played a bunch of sports well, she only decided to narrow her focus to hockey after she tore her ACL while playing football. Still at Waimea College, she was chosen in Capital’s U18 and U21 teams – which meant regularly flying across Cook Strait to play in Wellington.

After making the Junior Black Sticks and then the Black Sticks development squad, Smith moved to the capital to further her hockey opportunities, and studied business at the University of Victoria.

Now Smith lives in Auckland as part of the Black Sticks squad training at the National Hockey Centre towards the 2021 Olympics. Intending to be around for a while, she’s just bought her first house in the new Auckland suburb of Hobsonville Point. “Every week you see the rent money going out and none of it’s going to you, so I thought I may as well try to get on the property ladder,” she says.

It’s been a positive in an otherwise turbulent year. Smith’s disappointment at this year’s Olympic postponement is obvious.

“It’s a weird place to be. I had plans. I feel like I’m a year older, and a year closer to doing others thing I want to do in life,” she says. “But I keep telling myself, the Olympics are less than a year away now. So if I can manage my injuries and stay fit, it will be a really cool time – if it does go ahead.”


Kelsey Smith dives for a shot during the gold medal match with Australia at the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games. Ryan Pierse/Getty Images

These would be her second Olympics, having been the bolter in the Black Sticks for the 2016 Rio Games. She scored three goals in that tournament, where New Zealand finished fourth.

Smith had hoped to be living in Europe around now, playing in the German or Belgian competitions.

“But now I’ve got a job, a dog and a house. And a sore back,” she laughs. “And I also want to have a family one day.”

Smith works from home as an insurance claims consultant in between Black Sticks trainings. Her partner, Connor, is sympathetic to the demands on her time. He’s an English club hockey player, who she met when he came to New Zealand on his OE.

“I met him a couple of weeks before I went away to the Olympics, and I didn’t think I’d ever see him again,” Smith says. “Then I came back from Rio and spent 17 days with him, and we’ve been together ever since.”

Now in Hamilton, where all of the Premier Hockey League will be played, Smith has joined her Black Sticks team-mates Megan Hull, Olivia Shannon, Holly Pearson, Kaitlin Cotter, goalkeeper Georgia Barnett and Whitelock in the Central Falcons side.

They’re coached by Black Sticks men’s coach Darren Smith, with Whitelock’s sister, Verity Sharland, an assistant coach, under the Hockey NZ programme to get more women coaching at the top level of the sport.

* All games in the Sentinel Homes Premier Hockey League will be free to air on Sky Sport NEXT.

Stuff



Hall of Fame - Robin Ding (nee Bennett)



Robin Ding was a strong, brilliant and cool under pressure defender who represented WA and Australia for many years.

A feature of her talent was her ability to read the play and anticipate her opposition’s moves, leading to her being reputably the best full back for her era.

The 171st player capped for the Hockeyroos having made her debut on 29 March 1959 against Belgium, Robin went on to play 24 matches and scored 1 goal for her country.

She attended the IFWHA Hockey Conference in Amsterdam in 1959, played in the 1960 test match against New Zealand and was captain of the Australian team that competed in the 1963 IFWHA Tournament in Baltimore where she was voted one of the two most outstanding players of the tournament.

As a testament to her skills and contribution to WA hockey she was one of the 10 inaugural women inductees to the WA Hockey Champions in 1991.

Robin’s induction into the Hockey Australia Hall of Fame was ratified in 2019.

What she said…
“This comes as an unexpected and wonderful surprise at such a crazy time. I feel honoured and humbled to be included in the company of the greats of Australian hockey.” Robin Ding

From those in the know…
“I am delighted that Robin Ding has been inducted into Hockey Australia's Hall of Fame. I first played with Robin in 1960. She was already a veteran left full back in the Australian team.

Robin was a pleasure to have alongside on the back line. Her defence was rock solid and her immaculate 'left dodge' a delight to watch. Robin was always calm in the face of an onslaught which gave great confidence to her fellow defenders. Congratulations Robin!” Ros Noel (former teammate)

Hockey Australia media release



Lilly Holmes, 13, in running for British sportswomen of year award


Lilly Holmes plays for Clifton Robinsons HC

When Lilly Holmes’ mum received an email from the Sunday Times revealing that she had been shortlisted for the prestigious Sportswomen of the Year awards it came as “a complete shock” for the 13-year-old hockey player.

That she was nominated for the Young Inspiration Award was down to her initiative in the UK’s first lockdown when the Redmaids’ High School, Bristol schoolgirl posted daily skills videos – for closing in on 150 successive days. After all, her Twitter profile does read that it’s “Hockey Allday Everyday”.

“It started off as a daily challenge to keep me focused and give me some form of a Covid diary,” the Clifton Robinsons junior tells THP. “I had just found out I had been selected for PC Trials so was keen to keep my hockey up ready for those. I thought it would be for a few weeks or a month I never imagined it would last 135 days but it was good fun and I’m really glad I did it.”

Her skills and drills involved obstacle courses and motivation to better herself at dragflicking, aerials and shooting. Now she is back in lockdown 2.0 with more daily challenges.

She says: “I’ve had so many positive comments from last time it’s only right I do it again. I’m also going to do something with England Hockey for skills to do at home if you have limited space and equipment making it accessible to everyone.”

Lilly says she is lucky to have the garden space but believes there are still plenty of ways to keep active until hopefully hockey can return next month.

“This time it’s going to be hard to keep active as the nights are dark and weather isn’t great so it makes it harder to get outside, but that’s even more reason to try as I find it really helps my wellbeing by keeping active,” she reveals.

“If you don’t have a garden just getting out for a run at the weekend or walking to school all help and you feel much better afterwards. There are lots of hockey skills you can do inside with just a stick and a ball. If you find something you love doing you will find a way!”

Lilly’s mum, Carolyn, said her daughter, who first started playing aged seven, was “unstoppable” during hockey’s first lockdown and it was clear that she was outside practising for hours.

The award category she is up for is testament to that and there is still another week before voting closes on November 16 to help her pick up the award at the Sunday Times virtual ceremony on the 25th.

“I’m truly honored to be in the final four so I’ve already won regardless of the outcome,” she adds.

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The Hockey Paper



Gabriel’s new route to hockey knowledge



Gabriel Tuscher has been delivering sticks and other hockey equipment to West African countries since 2015, transporting the kit which he collects from donating European countries in an old minibus.

When the pandemic struck, it would have been simple for Tuscher to call a halt to all operations for a while. But the Belgian humanitarian and hockey educator/coach had other ideas, as he explains in this interview.

Can you explain the concept behind the digitalised Route du Stick?

Gabriel Tuscher: Given the health and geopolitical situations it has unfortunately been impossible for several months to go by road. We therefore chose to deviate a little from our initial idea and choose another path, that of the internet. Sending material by freight was much too expensive, so we decided to start the programme without the distribution of material. Hockey training and education will be delivered, online, as the FIH Academy has been doing since the beginning of the pandemic. The basic idea of the project is to bring hockey to the four corners of West Africa, which is what we are doing with the new (digital) route of "La route du Stick".

How does it work?

Gabriel Tuscher: As the target audience is French-speaking, I will initially be in charge of delivering the courses. Coaches, umpires and other leaders will be able to register and follow the courses according to the themes covered. Depending on the interest, we will see if I need to be supported or not.

What is the desired outcome of the project?

Gabriel Tuscher: The idea is to enable local coaches to continue to follow the FIH Academy curriculum, but also to share their various experiences in the field and in management. We will also try to respond to their requests concerning certain specific areas, which they consider to be priorities and for which we could organise certain courses.



In the future, do you plan to combine the original Route du Stick with the digital version?

Gabriel Tuscher: The road trip will always remain in the corner of my mind. Going as close as possible to the people, being able to stop in several cities, therefore reaching more clubs, more coaches, more umpires, is a concept I love. One day I will make this journey at the wheel of a van full of equipment. Moreover, I am a lover of human relations, of live exchanges, with no screens in between. Pedagogically too, I think it's different, that face-to-face lessons are super important, the impact is not the same.

But everything depends on the audience too. For a new coach, who has probably never played hockey before, an online course does not allow him to discover and understand the subtleties of the game. On the other hand, for more experienced coaches, the continuation of online courses is a solution with many advantages. It allows coaches from several countries and regions to be grouped together, thus reducing costs. No more need for transport, accommodation or meeting rooms at their own expense or that of their federation.

What is the level of support and interest in the newly imagined Hockey Route?

Gabriel Tuscher: There is a great deal of interest from coaches and leaders on site. As we are in the early stages of the new project we have not made contact with potential colleagues. But it is certain that a lot of people could be interested and join me in this adventure. It would also be interesting to be able to be accompanied by local educators, to accompany them in their first step as a hockey coach trainer. And the day I can finally travel by road I will also be accompanied, by a European colleague who can do the whole trip on board, and in each country by one or more trainers.

For the future, I have thought of a project called: one stick - one Euro.

For the past four years and my participation in various hockey development projects in West Africa, I have been constantly receiving messages asking me if I still need equipment. Whether it is to equip new players or to replace the one distributed in recent years and which is reaching the end of its second life, this equipment is indispensable. Even if the pandemic wasn't the problem, it's still necessary.

You can also find this interview in French here.

FIH site

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