They were once them.
The five Island players on the Canadian women’s field hockey team, preparing for the World Cup and Commonwealth Games this summer, will be hosting a camp for young players today from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. and Sunday from 2:50 p.m. to 3:50 p.m. at the University of Victoria pitch.
“We have an exciting summer ahead of us and this community has been overwhelming supportive of us on our journey,” said sa国际传媒 defender Kathleen Leahy of Victoria.
On the national team are Leahy, Maddie Secco, Anna Mollenhauer, Lexi DeArmond, all from Victoria, and Sara Goodman of Duncan.
“The Island has been a hotbed of talent,” said Leahy.
“The Island group is really impressive and proud to represent on the world stage.”
All ages, genders and skill levels are welcome to the youth camps this weekend, but participants must have their own sticks and gear, with the camp fee by donation with $20 recommended at the pitch or online at fieldhockey.ca/wnt-back-the-pack/.
The national team has not qualified for the Olympics since 1992 at Barcelona and has received no funding from Own the Podium since 2015. It relies on donations, sponsorships and athlete fees to continue.
The national squad made a breakthrough this year by qualifying for the World Cup for the first time since 1994.
“We have not been to the World Cup in 28 years. For most of us, that’s our lifetimes,” said Leahy, who is 28 years old.
“When we are there, we want to prove that we belong. We are excited to show the world what we can do. And now that we’ve made the World Cup, we are hoping to get to the Olympics [Paris 2024].”
sa国际传媒 is ranked No. 13 in the world and appears on the rise. The 2022 World Cup is July 1-17 in Spain and the Netherlands. The 2022 Commonwealth Games are July 28 to Aug. 8, in Birmingham, England.
sa国际传媒 won bronze in the 2019 Lima Pan Am Games, but the competition in field hockey is much tougher in the Commonwealth Games, with a medal in Birmingham more of a longshot than it was in Lima.
