Monthly Archives: January 2020

2020 FHBC Annual General Meeting: Notice of Motions

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Dear Field Hockey BC Member,

Ahead of the 2020 FHBC Annual General Meeting, please find below the Notice of Motions.

This document can also be download as a PDF file here or in the “Documents” page, under Annual General Meeting Documents.

Field Hockey BC Annual General Meeting
Monday 10 February 2020
Notice of Motions
Non-Bylaw Motions

 

The following motions were approved by the Field Hockey BC Board of Directors on Monday 27 January 2020:

 

Motion 1 – That the Audited Financial Statement to August 31, 2019 be received

Rationale: AGM Motion required under Field Hockey BC bylaw 3.1.1 (b)

Proposed: Joanna Mukai, Finance Director
Seconded: Megan Robertson, Umpiring Director

 

Motion 2 – That the Auditors for Field Hockey BC for 2019-2020 be Burgess Kilpatrick Chartered Professional Accountants

Rationale: AGM Motion required under Field Hockey BC bylaw 3.1.1 (d)

Proposed: Joanna Mukai, Finance Director
Seconded: Margaret Johnson, Vice-President

 

Motion 3 – That there be no change to the Field Hockey BC Membership Fee schedule for the membership year 2020-2021

Rationale: AGM Motion required under Field Hockey BC bylaw 3.1.1 (e)

Proposed: Brian Groos, Marketing Director
Seconded: Margaret Johnson, Vice-President

 

The following motions were presented by the Field Hockey BC membership on Monday 27 January 2020:

 

Motion 4 – That Field Hockey BC immediately amend its Selection Process to no longer require participation in its Train to Train (U15) and Train to Compete (U18) Regional Programs as a condition of selection for the corresponding Provincial Programs, that it provide equal opportunity for all eligible athletes to be selected to its Provincial Programs, and that it clearly communicate this policy change to all eligible athletes.

Rationale: The current Field Hockey BC selection policy effectively requires athletes to become year-round field hockey players if they wish to compete in the Provincial Programs. This excludes multi-sport athletes who choose to compete in other sports through the fall and winter, and encourages early specialization. This runs directly counter to Field Hockey Canada’s Long-Term Athlete Development (LTAD) pathway, which “actively discourages early specialization since premature specialization contributes to imbalanced physical development, overuse injuries, early burnout, and inadequate development of movement and sports skills.” 1

While the Regional Program may still remain the preferred player development pathway, the Field Hockey BC selection policy should provide an equal opportunity for all athletes with the skills and desire to compete for this province, regardless of whether or not they participate in the Regional Program.

1 Source: http://lthd.fieldhockey.ca/en/whatisltad

Proposed: Taylor Curran, West Vancouver Field Hockey Club
Seconded: Ranbir Kahlon (Elite FHC), Gary Sangha (India Club), Jasbir Singh Saran (Surinder Lions Field Hockey), Andrew Dewberry (Vancouver Hawks)

 

Motion 5 – That Field Hockey BC immediately amend its Athlete Attendance Policy to require all athletes to prioritize club hockey during Spring League and to attend their club commitments in the event of any conflicts with Field Hockey BC programs during this period. This motion is to be implemented and take effect before Field Hockey BC’s 2020 Provincial Programs but should not apply to the 2020 Regional Tournaments.

Rationale: The current Field Hockey BC Athlete Attendance Policy has resulted in a high level of game forfeitures and cancellations, reduced registration numbers, and a diminished Spring League experience that does not support the development and growth of the sport. The effects extend beyond the players that are directly participating in Regional and Provincial Programs to impact coaches, umpires, other players, and clubs across the region:

  • Regional and Provincial Program players are unable to compete for their clubs and play with their friends.
  • Games are cancelled or forfeit because of conflicts with Regional and Provincial Programs.
  • Teams are left to compete without many of their best players.
  • Coaches and administrators are scrambling to try to reschedule games or find enough players to field a team.
  • Umpires are frustrated and inconvenienced by frequent game cancellations and forfeitures.
  • Players are opting to train with the Regional and Provincial Programs rather than participate in Spring League.

The clubs of the GVJFHL are prepared to work collaboratively with Field Hockey BC to reduce conflicts between its Regional and Provincial Programs and Spring League. These efforts notwithstanding, because of the short duration of Spring League and its central importance to field hockey in this province, we believe that participation in Spring League must take precedent over all other field hockey commitments for its duration.

Proposed: Jasbir Singh Saran, Surinder Lions Field Hockey
Seconded: Gary Sangha (India Club) Andrew Dewberry (Vancouver Hawks), Mark Vaughan (West Vancouver Field Hockey Club), Ranbir Kahlon (Elite FHC)

 

Motion 6 – That, beginning with the 2020-2021 season, Field Hockey BC schedule all Regional Tournaments before the start of April to eliminate conflicts with Spring League.

Rationale: Over the past few seasons, the practice of scheduling Regional Tournaments during the Spring League season, like the Field Hockey BC Athlete Attendance Policy discussed in Motion 5 above, has resulted in a high level of game forfeitures and cancellations, reduced registration numbers, and a poorer Spring League experience that has impacted players, coaches, umpires, and clubs across the province.

Spring League is an extremely short season that is fundamental to the growth and development of field hockey in BC. To prevent it from being disrupted and diminished, Field Hockey BC should schedule all Regional Tournaments before Spring League. In support of this motion, the clubs of the GVJFHL are prepared to work with Field Hockey BC to provide it with the field bookings necessary to run its regional tournaments during this period.

Proposed: Andrew Dewberry, Vancouver Hawks
Seconded: Brian Bryson (West Vancouver Field Hockey Club), Ranbir Kahlon (Elite FHC), Gary Sangha (India Club), Jasbir Singh Saran (Surinder Lions Field Hockey)

 

Motion 7 – That Field Hockey BC, beginning with the 2019-2020 season, in conjunction with host clubs, organize annual Club Championships in the U12, U14, U16, and U18 age divisions and schedule them for the final four weekends of the Spring League season.

Rationale: We believe that Club Championships should be the capstone of the Spring League season and a celebration of field hockey in BC.

Holding Club Championships during the final weeks of the short Spring League season will provide sufficient time for players to develop technical skills, tactical knowledge, and team camaraderie. This is particularly important for the many players who are new to the sport or only play field hockey during Spring League, and for the many teams who only play together during Spring League.

Furthermore, aligning the Club Championships age divisions with the GVJFHL age divisions will better allow teams that play together in Spring League to compete together at Club Championships, particularly on the boys’ side. It will also reduce the severe disruption and large number of Spring League forfeitures that occur as clubs pull players from two Spring League age divisions to field a single Club Championships team.

In support of this motion and our vision for Club Championships, the clubs of the GVJFHL are prepared to provide additional support to Field Hockey BC in hosting these events.

Proposed: Gary Sangha, India Club
Seconded: Andrew Dewberry (Vancouver Hawks), Margi Spooner (West Vancouver Field Hockey Club), Ranbir Kahlon (Elite FHC), Jasbir Singh Saran (Surinder Lions Field Hockey)

2020 FHBC Annual General Meeting: Elections to the Board Of Directors – Election Slate

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Dear Field Hockey BC Member,

Ahead of the 2020 FHBC Annual General Meeting, please find below the Election Slate regarding the elections of the Board of Directors.

This document can also be download as a PDF file here or from our “Documents” page, under Annual General Meeting Documents.

Field Hockey BC Annual General Meeting
Monday 10 February 2020
Election of Officers to the Field Hockey BC Board of Directors
Election Slate

The following nominees returned the required nomination form by the deadline date of January 27th, 2020. Prior to the official posting of the full election slate, each nominee was invited to submit a supporting bio by Noon on January 31st, 2020.

The election slate below reflects the information provided to date and should nominees wish to alter or submit bio information in the lead up to the AGM, then this document will be updated and re-posted accordingly.

The positions up for election to the Field Hockey BC Board of Directors at the 2020 FHBC AGM are: President, Finance Director, Coaching Director, Umpiring Director, and Business Development Director.

 

Position: President

Nominees:

Alan Waterman

I welcome the opportunity to represent you as the President of FHBC, striving to principally enrich and protect our grassroots, athletes and officials development while pushing our entire hockey community’s needs and initiatives forward to FHC, other sports organizations, and the Provincial Government.

Here is a little of my background.

Experience: More than 50 years in the sport as a player, World Cup & Olympic Umpire, local umpiring mentor and facilitator, league administrator, International Umpires Manager, FIH Committee member, and FHC Committee member. This experience has recently been recognized as a 2020 FHC Hall of Fame Inductee.

Qualifications: Although only on the FHBC Board for four years, two as President, I have a long hockey career bringing together and guiding groups of diverse individuals to form cohesive teams, quickly tackling both immediate circumstances and long term issues. The same can be said for my professional career in television news, heading teams in rapid response situations throughout the continent and the world.

Reason for Standing: There is still much to be done in terms of the collaboration, communication, and implementation of a BC hockey strategy while keeping the association on stable footing and unified with common goals for all members.

What I hope to bring to the role: My approach has always been one of a facilitator, bringing out the best in the people involved and coordinating their efforts. That involves solicitating views and ideas from all levels of the sport, with equal gender representation, and all regions of the province.

I very much appreciate your consideration of my nomination for President.

Andrew Dewberry

I am the current president of the Vancouver Hawks Field hockey Club, if elected I will step down from that role. Though I have only a short history with Field Hockey, begun when my boys and I played in the same team together, I do have a history of working with and running not for profit organisations going back 30 years. My working background is in design, project management and manufacturing; I am architecturally trained and work as a self-employed inventor. It is the nature of my work to seek out the best approach to any issue and bring it forward.

I agreed to be a candidate for president of FHBC because from the position of president of the Hawks I see problems that are not being addressed that are causing increasing challenges to providing good field hockey opportunities to British Columbians. I do not claim to have clear cut answers and I might honestly suggest that there are likely issues that I don’t even know of. What I do know is that we must, as a community, come together to air the problems we face and drive forward solutions that work for us all, collaboratively.

It has been my experience that FHBC has not embraced a role of collaborative development and though it is very successful in what it now offers, the benefits of that success is not being felt at club level. This needs to change. I hope that you can support my candidature so that we can plan the future path of field hockey development together.

 

Position: Finance Director

Nominees:

Joanna Mukai

Experience

I have served as the Finance Director at FHBC for the last seven years. I currently work as the Executive Director, Finance at Destination Canada, the federal crown corporation that markets Canada internationally to drive tourism business to Canada. In my capacity as Executive Director, Finance I prepare financial briefing materials for senior management and stakeholders, and present these materials for discussion at the board of directors meetings. During periods of leadership transition, I have also served as Interim Chief Financial Officer.

Qualifications

I am a Chartered Professional Accountant, Chartered Accountant (CPA, CA), and I graduated with honours from Princeton University. I started my career at Deloitte auditing a wide variety of large private and public corporations in a diverse array of industries, and have gained industry experience at a global vertically integrated retailer and a mid-sized pharmaceutical company before moving into the tourism marketing industry in my current role.

Reason for Standing

I want to give back to the sport that changed the course of my life. I would have never thought to apply to Princeton if I had not been recruited to play on their varsity field hockey team. I would have never been recruited had I not gone through the high performance programs offered through FHBC. I had the opportunity to serve as the captain for three National Championship gold medal winning BC teams through my participation the sport. I probably would not have been selected through only the club championship process, which is why I am choosing to stand again for this role as Director of Finance. I am standing so that FHBC can continue to provide opportunities to play, improve, and follow the athlete development programs offered to people like me, whose parents were not familiar with the sport before I became involved.

What I hope to bring to the role

I bring the perspective of a seasoned finance executive who is passionate about the difference participating in sports, and especially team sports like field hockey where the financial barriers to entry are lower than other popular sports, offers young people. Field hockey helped me build confidence as an introverted, shy kid, and provided opportunities to travel throughout BC and Western Canada to national tournaments. I hope you will consider my nomination and thank-you for your support!

Jasbir Tatla

No additional information provided at the time of posting – January 31, 2020.

 

Position: Coaching Director

Nominees:

Gurjit Sidhu

No additional information provided at the time of posting – January 31, 2020.

Ronald Prins

Born and raised in the Netherlands and started playing field hockey at young age until we as a family of 5 moved to Vancouver in 2006. Since then I have played a few years in the Men’s league and coached my 3 kids in the Spring league and currently in the junior and women’s league.

Four years ago I started SEA to SKY FHC together with other field hockey enthusiasts because we saw the potential for young field hockey athletes that was not yet uncovered and developed. As a start-up club we combined our personal local insights and international experiences to bring our vision “year round field hockey” to life. In order to do that we reached out and received help from our extensive international network in field hockey from The Netherlands, Ireland, South Africa, Australia and our own Canadian national team players. We are working together with top field hockey organizations, clubs and coaches to gather ideas and concepts which we mold into a model that supports and develops our local athletes. Our model is based on the principles of “Shaping not Drilling” and “Show and Go” with dynamic practice plans to mimic game situations not cone-to-cone drills.

Here are some of our ideas we have developed and implemented to provide year round hockey. Most of our young athletes practise twice a week and coached by pro-coaches who are managed by our TD Andrea Gibson. Our teams currently are playing in:

  • Women’s League,
  • Spring League,
  • Premier Field Hockey League is a junior fall league (U7-U13) founded by Polar Bears, Vancouver Hawks, Burnaby Bears and SEAtoSKY FHC
  • Annual 4-day Junior Summer Camp in cooperation with Dutch Elite Coaches.

What I would like to bring to the table is creating an open and positive dialogue with the FH community in assessing the needs for the clubs. Also being a resource for the clubs and help them developing the sport further. Most clubs struggle with access to good coaches and resources for coaching and program development.

 

Position: Umpiring Director

Nominees:

Megan Robertson

I have held executive positions with the BC Women’s Field Hockey Federation (BCWFHF), Field Hockey BC (FHBC), and Burnaby Lake Field Hockey Club. I have brought my professional experience as a project manager, facilitator, and educator to these roles and to my work with philanthropic organizations that emphasize how sport can be a conduit for social change.

In my past term as Director of Umpiring, my focus has been on developing the online Community course for FHBC and moving it from pilot project to operational release across Canada. I have worked closely with FHBC staff to offer advice and support for tournaments and umpiring programming. In consultation with FHBC and Field Hockey Canada (FHC), I have also worked to clarify and articulate the pathway for equivalency assessment for officials with credentials from outside of Canada.

I have participated in FHBC, and prior to FHBC – BCWFHF, events for over two decades, represented BC at FHC events as an umpire and umpire manager, and attended Pan American Hockey Federation and FIH events as an umpire. I am currently on the FIH Advancement Panel. In these different roles I’ve officiated, assessed, mentored, coached, participated in disciplinary hearings, and worked with a wide range of individuals to allow athletes to showcase their skills on the field.

I currently serve on the newly formed FHC Umpiring Education subcommittee and the FHC Domestic Appointments subcommittee.

What I hope to bring to the role.

FHBC is well-positioned to positively contribute to FHC’s revitalization and growth. Building on the Community online course and with the introduction of the Sport Development Manager role, the opportunity to make more courses and resources more accessible to more officials across the province will be a key focus. Ongoing updates to the Community course and software upgrades in Spring 2020 will help to keep the course relevant and engaging. Prioritizing communication and information sharing with leagues and associations throughout BC, by streamlining contacts and documentation, offers the potential for collaboration that will support the development and retention of umpires. By working closely with the FHC Umpiring Committee and Subcommittees, I will be able to speak directly to the development of National Sport Organization (NSO) learning outcomes and assessments for officials. Details on three key areas that I will support are included below:

Enhance communication

  • Review and update communication lists and channels to share information with umpires
    • Ensure club and league contacts are included umpire distribution lists
    • Develop messaging for targeted distribution:
      • Clearly state expectations for umpires and umpire managers at FHBC events
      • Encourage clubs to identify and support umpires
  • Identify measures to effective document and access information for individual umpiring development and assessment
    • Liaise with Field Hockey Victoria to consider ways of scaling up assessment tracking and information sharing between assessors

Collaborate with leagues

  • Work in conjunction with Events and Officials Coordinator and Sport Development Manager to share information with junior and senior leagues across the province
  • Support league and club identified priorities including:
    • Offering courses and educational opportunities
    • Mentorship and retention
    • Encourage cross-league communication and share adoption of rules and interpretations

Support development

  • Contribute to revision and updating of FHC course material as part of FHC Umpiring Education Subcommittee
  • Identify and recommend FHBC umpires for domestic competitions as part of FHC Domestic Appointment Subcommittee

Narinder Sangha

No additional information provided at the time of posting – January 31, 2020.

 

Position: Business Development Director

Nominee:

Mark Vaughan

Mark Vaughan is the current president of the West Vancouver Field Hockey Club, a position he is in his second term of. Previous to that he was the vice-president of WVFHC for 2 years. Mark Vaughan has served as the facilities chair of WVFHC for 5 years and has also served on the North Shore Field Hockey Facilities Club for that same period of time. In the time that he has been on these boards, West Vancouver Field Hockey Club has transitioned from a volunteer only club to one that is supported by full time staff. Additionally, we have successfully replaced Rutledge Field turf, hosted the World Cup 3 Women’s Qualifiers, the Men’s Olympic Qualifiers and co-hosted the Golden Oldies.

Outside of the Field Hockey Community, Mark Vaughan is a practicing landscape architect and has been one for about 20 years. Before that time he was a video game developer and programmer. Over the years, he sat on many boards, including being both the president, and registrar of his professional organization governing body, the British Columbia Society of Landscape Architects. He was a Member of the Council of Landscape Architect Registration Boards, an international organization that provides professional certification for Landscape Architects. Additionally, Mark Vaughan served on the West Vancouver Citizens for Good Government board for over 10 years and the West Vancouver Ice Allocation Committee. In addition, Mark Vaughan has owned and run his own business for over 10 years.

Mark Vaughan currently plays in the Men’s Recreation League for the West Vancouver D team. As well, he is playing on the Men’s Masters World Cup Training Team. He coaches 2 teams in the Spring League and assistant coaches the West Van 4 team with William Phillips in the Women’s League. Both of his daughters have gone through the spring league program with his youngest currently in her last year. As well, one of his daughters was in both the West Vancouver High School Academy program and the Field Hockey BC high performance program, playing in the National Tournament in Calgary when she was 15.

Mark Vaughan’s passion and interest in the Field Hockey BC board is to create a stronger relationship of communication with members and clubs and to increase membership for our sport as a whole while servicing our existing members more effectively. There are many areas of opportunity to grow our sport throughout BC. I am a huge supporter of sport for life and want to see a field hockey future that embraces fun, community and excellence and I don’t think we have to compromise any one of those values for the others.

Field Hockey represented amongst the finalists of Sport BC’s Athlete of the Year Awards

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Field Hockey BC would like to congratulate Scott Tupper and Anna Mollenhauer for being finalists of the 54th Annual Sport BC Athlete of the Year Awards. Tupper is a finalist in the Senior Male Athlete of The Year category and Mollenhauer is a contender in the University Athlete of The Year category.

From Victoria, BC, Anna Mollenhauer is the daughter of Nancy Mollenhauer – two time field hockey Olympian for Canada – and was a constant presence in FHBC’s High Performance programs over the years. Currently, she is displaying her talent at the University of Victoria.

Last year, Mollenhauer debuted with the Senior Women’s National Team and was selected as Junior Player of the Tournament for Team Canada, in the FIH Hockey Series Finals played in Valencia, Spain. She also collected quite a few honours at Uvic, winning gold medals at both the Canada West Championship and U SPORT Nationals. Anna made the Canada West All-Star team and was named a U SPORT First-Team All-Canadian. Plus, she was the U SPORTS Championship MVP. Not bad at all!

The Vancouver-born Scott Tupper has been playing with the national team since 2005, with more than 300 games for Canada under his belt. In 2019, as captain of the Men’s National Team, Tupper showed tremendous leadership and was fundamental for Canada’s Olympic berth in Tokyo 2020. He scored the last-second goal that took the Olympic qualifier against Ireland to the penalty shootout.

The Men’s National Team also won the 2019 FIH Series Finals in Malaysia and brought home a silver medal from the Pan American Games in Lima, Peru. Scott was the flag bearer for Team Canada in the Pan Ams’ Opening Ceremony.

The upcoming 54th Annual Athlete of the Year Awards will take place on Thursday, March 12, 2020 at the Vancouver Convention Centre East. Access http://sportbc.com/athlete-of-the-year-awards-2/ for more information on the event and to purchase tickets.

Register for the 2020-21 FHBC/NVSD Academy program

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Registration is now open for the 2020-2021 North Vancouver Field Hockey Academy program. North Vancouver School District applicants apply online at sd44.schoolcashonline.com/. Out of District applicants may contact academies@sd44.ca to receive the application link. Returning students must complete the online application.

Application deadline: February 24, 2020

The North Vancouver School District in partnership with the Field Hockey BC (FHBC) offers the Field Hockey Academy at Sutherland Secondary School. This Academy provides programming for all students male and female, regardless of their field hockey experience.

For more information on the program, visit this link. To download the 2020/21 Field Hockey Academy flyer, click here.

 

 

Letter to FHBC Members from the FHBC Board of Directors

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Dear Field Hockey BC Members,

Please find below a letter from the desk of the FHBC President, sent to the FHBC Membership on behalf of the FHBC Board of Directors. You may also download the letter as a PDF file here. Should you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact me at waterman@vjview.com.

Thank you in advance for the time taken in consideration.

Alan Waterman
President
Field Hockey BC 

Hello fellow FHBC Member,

I write to you on behalf of the Board of Field Hockey BC to address issues of urgent concern to many members as we approach the Annual General Meeting scheduled for February 10th.

These concerns have been documented by member clubs of the Greater Vancouver Junior Field Hockey League, and most revolve around conflicts between junior leagues and High Performance sessions. The FHBC Board has been working collaboratively with the GVJFHL for several months, and continues with further meetings scheduled even this month, in an on-going effort to alleviate the points raised. Those points can be found in this public club posting: http://www.vancouverhawks.com/members/.

To address the points individually, the collaborative meetings with the GVJFHL have already produced results in:

  • Working together to reduce/eliminate scheduling conflicts
  • Working toward greater emphasis on Club Championships
  • Discussing best methods to select and train athletes for provincial teams that would also be inclusive for those outside the Greater Vancouver region

In a nutshell, the FHBC Board has heard loud and clear that some aspects of High Performance programming have been detrimental to league play and club activity. And we are determined to work toward beneficial solutions that alleviate the situation while still developing our players and our sport to the highest level for all ages, all abilities, in all regions of the province.

Also circulating is a document from GVJFHL clubs entitled, Pathway to Change: http://www.vancouverhawks.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2024/2020/01/Pathway-to-Change-1-1-2.pdf.

The Board feels the articles in this document need to be addressed to bring clarity and understanding for our members to the nuances of working under provincial and national sport circumstances.

Programming: The model envisioned would work well for clubs with a large core group of members and infrastructure. The danger is that many clubs would see their junior players gravitate to larger clubs resulting in the creation of super-clubs, with the smallest clubs potentially disappearing or reduced to seniors-only. Outside the Lower Mainland a strong level of success is not envisioned for this model.

Competition: There are misconceptions within this article. While most leagues are sanctioned by FHBC for insurance purposes, they are otherwise independent entities. To relinquish control to FHBC would require a dissolution of each league by league membership vote. FHBC cannot dictate this outcome. For FHBC to take over the running of leagues, a cost analysis has shown the requirement of an additional three full-time positions at an estimate of <$150,000/year. These calculations come from the current weekly hours of paid league administrators and volunteers. There would also be the need for an additional online platform with substantial capital costs. In all, this budgetary item would be roughly the equivalent of total FHBC membership fees. In essence, it would be doable if members approved a doubling of fees or severe cuts to programming (such as coaching, umpiring, and technical official education/certification).

Development: This is largely addressed in the comments under Programming. It should be noted that frameworks, pathways and curricula already exist for athletes, coaches and officials (see Governance below).

Strategy: The FHBC Board agrees that consultation and communication to members and member clubs can and should be improved.

Governance: Sections on guidelines, governance and certification are available online at fieldhockeybc.com Coaching standards are set nationally by the NCCP (coaching) and FHC (coaches, umpires and technical officials). Additionally, FHBC created the Provincial Coach Education Pathway and Courses to specifically target community-level, grassroots coaches.

Marketing & Advocacy: The Board also agrees that we can always do better in marketing our sport. This past year has seen a greater emphasis on social media posts that are not necessarily focused on elite athletes but everyday members, with an eye to driving more people to the main website and all aspects of field hockey in BC. When it comes to lobbying for resources, FHBC is in constant contact with, and under constant scrutiny by the provincial government. Their own auditing processes deem we are punching above of our weight and consequently funded better than the vast majority of sports our size. There is a concern, though, that should self-funding High Performance programs be removed from our overall budget then FHBC would drop below the threshold for our current provincial grants, resulting in cuts to other programs.

Much of the discussion in this letter has revolved around junior athletes and, for more than a decade, FHBC’s approach to the development of our juniors has resulted in greater numbers of well-trained BC athletes at the elite level, an alignment with Field Hockey Canada’s NextGen Program and National Championships, and now emulation by other provinces. All of this is a synergy we would hate to lose and one that, with collaboration and mutual goodwill, we can all continue to nurture.

To be clear, this letter is not about my position or any other Board Member’s position in the upcoming AGM. I very much welcome the engagement of more people in the governance of our sport and the infusion of fresh ideas.

With that in mind, please take some time to reflect on the future of field hockey across this province, then gather your proxy votes for representatives attending the AGM so that what you feel is right for you and for hockey is expressed at this meeting.

Proxies can be as simple as a written or electronic document that contains your name, email address, and FHBC membership number. Junior members under the age of 18 must designate a senior member in good standing, who must be over 18 years of age, to vote on their behalf. More details on voting procedures at the AGM can be found at https://fieldhockeybc.com/about/constitution-bylaws/.

If you have any further questions about the above points or any other issue, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Thank you,

Alan Waterman
President, Field Hockey BC
waterman@vjview.com

Wildcats crowned champions at the Uvic Indoor Field Hockey Tournament

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Photo Credit: Armando Tura

The Annual UVic Indoor Field Hockey Tournament took place on January 18-19 in the McKinnon gym in Victoria and was won by the Island Wildcats’ Black team, who defeated the UVic White team 5-1. The indoor tournament saw the Wildcats name on the trophy for the first time since 2013, following six-straight victories by the Vikes.

The Wildcats went undefeated in pool play scoring 19 goals in round-robin alone to top Pool A that included UVic White, UBC and the Rebels. Pool B was a grid lock with West Vancouver, Duncan and Wildcats White pushing for the Top 2 in their pool based on goal differential. West Vancouver ended up topping their pool, while Duncan took second by one goal. Duncan defeated West Vancouver in the third-place game, while Wildcats White defeated UBC for 5th and UVic Royal defeated Rebels for 7th.

There was a lot of experience on the floor as stalwart keeper Burgundy Biletski backstopped the 8th-placed Rebels, while the UBC Thunderbirds looked for their leadership through defender Hannah Eborall. On the UVic team, the back-to-back U SPORTS National champions split their outdoor side into two teams and had leadership from Judy Cristante on the UVic Royal team and Mel Robertson and Emily Wong on the UVic White team.

Duncan had an impressive return of athletes, all back on the team in honour of former coach and Cowichan contributor Les Mann, including Caitlin Erickson (Evans), Miranda Mann, Mary Nielsen and Crystal Poland. The Duncan team got a boost from mainland talents Anna Kozniuk, from West Vancouver, and Poonam Sandhu, from Vancouver.

The visiting West Van team was hosted by Georgia McGillivray and alongside her was a talented line up including former indoor national team member Kri Shier, as well as the skills of Paige Norris and Kaela Barker and the talented Sam Lyzun in goal.

The Wildcats also had their outdoor team split into two. The 5th-placed Wildcats White team featured the defensive experience of Kyla Kirby and Heather Wheatley, as well as the speed of Kira Starr in the middle. The Wildcats black team totalled over 30 goals in the tournament thanks to the teamwork of sisters Chloe and Stefanie Langkammer, while defensive anchors Ali Baggott, Meggan Oliver, Jenna Goodman and Birkley Anderson helped to minimize the efforts for keeper Theresa Kennedy who was outstanding in her first appearance on the hard wood.

Up next, most of the teams will regroup for the BC Senior Indoor Tournament, Feb. 1-2, in Duncan.

Final standings:
1. Wildcats Black
2. UVic White
3. Duncan
4. West Vancouver
5. Wildcats White
6. UBC
7. UVic Royal
8. Rebels

Two players representing BC on the Women’s Indoor National Squad

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Field Hockey BC would like to congratulate Kathleen Leahy and Elise Wong. They were selected for the Women’s Indoor National Squad and, along with 12 other players from different provinces, are heading to Minsk, Belarus, for a Training Tour week, between January 16 and January 24.

Here is the full squad list:

  • Alison Lee – Mississauga, ON
  • Angela Lancaster – Burlington, ON
  • Elise Wong – Vancouver, BC
  • Emily Ziraldo – Etobicoke, ON
  • Hilary Ziraldo – Etobicoke, ON
  • Kathleen Leahy – Victoria, BC
  • Katie Lynes – Oakville, ON
  • Krissy Wishart – Hamiltin, ON
  • KJ Williams – GK – Burlington, ON
  • Madison Babineau – Milton, ON
  • Madison Thompson – Waterloo, ON
  • Marica Laplantem- GK – Waasis, New Brunswick
  • Sam McCrory – Waterloo, ON
  • Shannon Pereira – Scarborough, ON

Coaches
Louis Mendonca – Markham, ON
Shank Premakanthan – Scarborough, ON

Staff
Manager – Shoba Lobo – Richmond Hill, ON
Therapist – Justine Branco – Mississauga, ON

Field Hockey BC AGM Notice

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The Society’s Board of Directors is pleased to announce that the 2020 Field Hockey BC Annual General Meeting will take place on February 10th, 2020. A weekday evening has been chosen following requests at the 2019 AGM to allocate a time outside of weekend playing commitments for members. The 2020 AGM will be hosted at Fortius Sport and Health in Burnaby, BC and will convene at 6.30 pm. All pertinent AGM documentation will be posted in advance of the AGM in the documents section of the Field Hockey BC website at the following link: https://fieldhockeybc.com/documents/.