Maddie Hunter won’t have to look far for inspiration in both her Canadian international and University of Victoria Vikes field hockey careers. Mom Deb Whitten was the goaltender for sa国际传媒 at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, two World Cups and silver and bronze medallist at the 1991 Havana and 1995 Mar del Plata Pan Am Games and also won four sa国际传媒 West and two U Sports national championships with the University of Victoria Vikes.
Hunter has been named to the Canadian team for a U-18 Test series against host France this month and will join the four-time defending champion UVic Vikes in the fall following graduation from Grade 12 at Oak Bay, which was also her mother’s high school.
“I loved listening to, and grew up on, stories of my mom’s experiences at UVic and for sa国际传媒 in international play,” said Hunter.
But Hunter, a forward, did not follow her mom into the crease.
“That was not for me … I flinch if the ball is fired in my direction,” she quipped.
“I like to play up front and annoy opposing defenders by being fast and dynamic.”
Also named to the sa国际传媒 U-18 team with Hunter for the France tour are fellow Victoria players Amanda Adams, Rebecca Stone and Anais Chace. All four will join the UVic Vikes dynasty in the fall as sa国际传媒 West and U Sports rookies following Grade 12 seasons in which Stone and Adams led St. Michaels University School to the sa国际传媒 Double-A high school championship and Hunter and goalkeeper Chace to the sa国际传媒 Triple-A championship game after winning the provincial high school title in Grade 11.
“This will be my first time playing in Europe and I’m really excited about that,” said Hunter.
She was also on the sa国际传媒 U-16 team last year for a series against the U.S. in Pennsylvania.
“International play is faster and more technical,” said Hunter.
The U-18 games against France are about getting this Canadian team of tomorrow ready for the road to Los Angeles 2028 and Brisbane 2032.
“The game is faster and more demanding than the level junior athletes are typically exposed to domestically. The players are fitter, they make better decisions, they make less errors, and more is required tactically,” Canadian U-18 head coach Chris Tyrrell said in a statement.
“Experiencing this firsthand is an invaluable lesson that there really is no substitute for. “[These tours] give a small window into what it might be like to be a senior international player. Not everything is the same, of course, but we want the players on these junior teams to aspire to one day be representing Team sa国际传媒 on the biggest stage. That’s a big dream and these junior tours can give athletes a feel for what the practicalities of living that dream might be.”
