Another national team is centralizing in Greater Victoria in what is turning into a growth industry.
The Canadian women鈥檚 field hockey team, in their new home, interacted with hundreds of young Island players Sunday in Power to Be and Power to Play events before capping the day with an intra-squad game at the University of Victoria pitch.
鈥淭here is such a great community base of support here in Victoria,鈥� said sa国际传媒 captain Kate Wright.
鈥淎nd the facilities here are awesome. It鈥檚 nice to have this as home base. Everything is in such close proximity [at UVic] from the field to gym to meeting rooms to dining room.鈥�
The national team was formerly centralized at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. Field Hockey sa国际传媒 joins Rowing sa国际传媒, Rugby sa国际传媒, Triathlon sa国际传媒, Cycling sa国际传媒, Athletics sa国际传媒, Swimming sa国际传媒, Tennis sa国际传媒, Golf sa国际传媒 and Surfing sa国际传媒 as organizations that have national training centres located in Greater Victoria.
The national women鈥檚 field hockey team, which has returned from the Commonwealth Games last month in Gold Coast, Australia, is in the midst of a training camp in its new Island home before departing next month for a World League tournament in Mexico, which is the first points qualifier for the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics.
鈥淭okyo is the ultimate goal this cycle,鈥� said Wright, who grew up in a sporting household, as the daughter of former Vancouver Canucks GM Mike Gillis.
鈥淲e were happy, yet not satisfied at the Commonwealth Games, and disappointed not to make the medal round.鈥�
Yet, fifth place was commendable behind field hockey powers New Zealand, Australia, England and India.
World No. 21 sa国际传媒 is co-managed by former Island star players Carrie Trumpy and Nancy Mollenhauer. Mollenhauer is one of the many former Island women鈥檚 field hockey Olympians for sa国际传媒.
sa国际传媒 is coached by South African Giles Bonnet, who built up the current world No. 3 Belgian men鈥檚 team program, and guided the South African women to the 2012 London Olympics.
鈥淸Bonnet] has us training hard, effectively and smart,鈥� said Wright, a native of Kingston, Ont.
鈥淭he practices are harder than the games, and that says something. He has us focusing on playing attacking hockey.鈥�
The move across the strait is a homecoming for Island players Maddie Secco, Kathleen Leahy, Alexis DeArmond, Nancy鈥檚 daughter Anna Mollenhauer and Lindsay Cole of Victoria, Sara Goodman of Duncan, and former UVic Vikes stars Kaitlyn Williams and Danielle Hennig.
鈥淚t鈥檚 exciting to be back at UVic,鈥� said Hennig, a native of Kelowna, who won a national title with the Vikes.
鈥淚t feels like home. I missed out on CARSA when I played here at UVic. It鈥檚 nice to get in on it now.鈥�
The national team veteran says things are on track for the 2019 Pan Am Games in Lima, Peru, which is a direct qualifier into the 2020 Tokyo Olympics for the gold-medallist squad.
鈥淲e鈥檙e building as a team with steady improvement and lots of big things to come. We鈥檝e upped the ante with the number of international games we are playing this year. We鈥檝e been in Victoria a couple of weeks and the intensity in camp is as high as I鈥檝e seen it.鈥�
Island fans can see sa国际传媒 in action when it hosts Scotland for a series of games at UVic in August.
