The Jameson way

Credit: Yan Huckendubler.

Stephanie Jameson in a game for Canada against Trinidad and Tobago hosted in Vancouver in 2011.

By Ali Baggott, for Field Hockey BC

There are very few field hockey members in British Columbia who have gone on through their hockey journey without meeting a Jameson in one way or another. Stephanie Jameson and her siblings Dave Jameson and Katie Jameson have all been inter-twined in provincial, university and/or national team field hockey and the Vancouver-based hockey family’s leaders Morley and Sue Jameson are long-time contributors to the hockey community. Mom Sue was also a member of Canada’s national program, as was brother Dave. Whether you were a teammate, a coach, waving to one of them at the technical table or engaging with them through their many volunteer facets with hockey in B.C. you were always bound to run in to one of them. It’s the Jameson way.

Earlier in April, Field Hockey Canada (FHC) announced the return of Stephanie Jameson to Vancouver, this time in a national role as the men’s national team’s NextGEN director. It’s just another milestone for the long-time women’s national team player now-turned high performance sport professional.

“For the Jameson family, sport is a way of life”, stated Stephanie, who held the women’s national team’s all-time cap record of 168 internationals from 2012 to 2017. “Growing up, my brother, sister and I were very active. We played as many different sports as we possibly could and just loved to play. That comes from both of my parents being great athletes. The other part of it is that from a very young age, both of my parents were heavily involved in volunteering. So, growing up, not only did I love to play but I saw in both my parents how they role modeled, how important it is to give back to the sports that you love and try to be part of shaping the future of those sports.”

Jameson family posting at UBC’s Wright Field.

Lasting connections from B.C.

Previously, Stephanie held two different roles with Field Hockey BC (FHBC), first as an administrative assistant right after university and then years later as a high-performance program assistant. Stephanie’s mom, Sue, works as the FHBC accounts manager, while her sister, Katie, recently joined the team as the FHBC Athlete Program and Sport Development Manager. Brother, Dave, has been involved as an athlete and coach in various programs while dad, Morley, is always contributing including being the long-time organizer and editor of the FHBC Cornershot Annual Newsletter.

2011 Nationals. Photo Credit: Neil Hodge

“Both of those roles solidified for me that I definitely did want to work in sport so that was great,” credited Stephanie about her time working at FHBC. “I really credit working with Dallas Plensky (at FHBC) because she showed me the importance of thinking about the bigger picture and a longer-term system view. I think then in my career I was sucked into the details about teams, tournaments and programs and she was good at considering what policies needed to be in place, so we had a really robust program structure. She made sure FHBC was thinking about what was going to be best for developing our athletes over the short and longer term.”

Since her time working at FHBC, Stephanie gained some critical experience in Northern Ireland before relocating to Toronto to work with the Canadian Sport Institute Ontario (CSIO). Stephanie’s move to Northern Ireland was where she earned her Master of Science from the University of Ulster with a specialization in sport management.

“When I was in Northern Ireland I was able to reconnect with Jo Hopkins who I consider a great friend and mentor,” said Jameson, pointing out yet another B.C. field hockey connection. “I’ve known Jo since I was playing at UBC and then through her many roles with hockey in B.C. Jo was the head of performance planning at the sports institute in Northern Ireland and I had the opportunity to work under her as a performance planning coordinator in conjunction with my Masters. I think a lot of my career since then has been enabled because of the work I did with Jo. She has taught me a lot not only on technical athlete and coach development but also just learning so much more about myself.”

From East to West

After earning some valuable experience in Northern Ireland, Stephanie landed an exciting role managing performance services at the Canadian Sports Institute Ontario working with a variety of sports and programs. Through her time there she found value in growing all sports.

“Sport is sport for the most part,” said Stephanie in response to leading a men’s NextGen program for FHC. “For me, athlete development and sport doesn’t matter what gender. I was looking for a way to get back involved in a particular sport after having spent so much time working in an institute setting working with a variety of sports so it seemed like a perfect opportunity. Obviously, I love field hockey, too, so it is a great fit.”

It’s a sweet return home for Stephanie, who in her nine years away also met her now husband and the couple recently had their first child.

“I am excited to be back in Vancouver,” added the UBC grad. “I have grown a lot, personally and professionally, since I left so I wouldn’t trade those experiences for the world. I’ve certainly been looking forward to coming home though and enjoying all that the west coast has to offer and being close to my family.”

2009 Nationals.

How an athlete career prepares you

There’s so much stigma around what it takes to be a high performance or national team athlete and what you must give up. For Stephanie, who spent 10 years on the Canadian women’s national team it wasn’t all hockey all the time and that paid off.

“While you are still training, competing and focusing on your athletic career, I think it’s really important to find balance in your life,” advised Stephanie. “There can be a lot of pressure for elite athletes to have it be all or nothing and be 100 per cent focused on your athletic career but there is actually a lot of emerging research stating that athletes that are more balanced actually perform better. For me, looking back, I was happiest when I was not only competing but also was either at university or working and I had other interests outside of sport.”

That balance can help you prepare for the next step when you are planning your exit from athlete career and entry to professional career.

“In terms of your athletic career preparing you for a career post-sport, it’s well documented that varsity and elite athletes are strong in time management, organization, can set goals and work hard and achieve those goals but I also think as field hockey players we have the added advantage that we are part of a team sport,” highlighted Stephanie. “There are so many opportunities within a team sport to understand how to work with other people, how to build relationships, how to get along and function well with people you don’t see eye to eye with. For me, I’ve noticed that as a professional now there are a lot of built-in experiences that I had while playing on a team that I can look back on and draw from. It’s really helped me to collaborate with others in my career.”

Stephanie Jameson dawning the captain’s band in a game for team Canada.

Working together to grow hockey

Bringing experience from hockey in Ireland, sport and hockey in Ontario and her long-time involvement in hockey and sport in B.C., Stephanie seems well positioned to bring a unique lens and incredible amount of experience to her new Field Hockey Canada role. There’s no doubt that she has analyzed what that means for B.C. and field hockey across the country.

“B.C. has certainly been a strong hockey contributor in Canada for a long time and that’s obviously due to the volume of players but also the quality of players, coaches, officials and system builders,” credits Stephanie, who came through that system as a player, coach, volunteer and admin. “Something I think about a lot is that there are a lot of layers to field hockey in B.C. and I think we are all at our best when roles and responsibilities across all stakeholders are clear. Also, all stakeholders need to feel they have a meaningful part to play within the system.”

“That’s something that I’m really committed to bringing to my nation-wide role moving forward. I want to make sure everyone within the system understands how they fit in and what value they bring. I think my varied experience over the last number of years has given me better perspective and allows me to look at what we do with Field Hockey Canada through different lenses which will help to strengthen the programming that we put forward.”

Field Hockey BC is proud and excited to welcome Stephanie Jameson back to Vancouver as Field Hockey Canada’s men’s national team NextGEN director. Read the Field Hockey Canada announcement here.

COVID-19 Response: PHO Order Interpretation (May 25th) – Communique #10

You can download the PDF version of this communique here.


Dear Field Hockey BC Members,

I am writing to provide for an important update concerning the intent and expectation of the May 25th, 2021 Provincial Health Office (PHO) order announcement as it relates to the Organized Sport Sector.

Shortly after the PHO order announcement, Field Hockey BC attended a viaSport BC meeting to gain the clarification required in order to provide for this communique to membership. It is important to note, and immediately evident following this afternoon’s viaSport BC meeting, that further clarification regarding PHO Order Interpretation is required.

Field Hockey BC expects viaSport BC to be in a position to provide for such clarity in the days to come. Receipt of such clarification will allow for further community updates from both Field Hockey BC and from viaSport BC on behalf of the Organized Sport Sector.

In advance of further PHO clarification and in an effort to allow for BC Community Clubs to begin to adapt, to plan and to prepare for Restart 2.0, the following guidance is provided following dialogue with viaSport this afternoon:

What does this mean for Field Hockey activity?

  • Both Adult members and Youth members may return to Outdoor field hockey activity.
  • Activity is restricted to a ‘Home Club’ and the associated local outdoor facility(s).
  • Travel is restricted to a ‘Home Club’ and the associated local outdoor facility(s) – noting adherence to the current PHO Regional Travel Restriction still applies.
  • Physical Distancing is no longer required for outdoor field hockey activity.
  • Clarity as to the permitted group size relative to the PHO Gathering and Events Order is pending more information. In the immediate, group size on any single outdoor field facility should be restricted to within the ‘Rule of 50’.
  • There is no need or requirement to form participant cohorts although the maximum number participating on a single field facility at any one time should reflect the ‘Rule of 50’ (until such time as further PHO clarification is received). 
  • With no requirement for cohort modelling, members within a ‘Home Club’ may interact within a training and/or game play environment. 
  • General COVID Safety Plans (e.g. Equipment management and cleaning, personal equipment protocol – non-sharing -, pre-activity health screening, attestation form completion, etc.) must still be in place and adhered to (noting the relaxation of physical distancing and cohort modelling protocols above).
  • Attestation form completion ahead of participant activity is still required.
  • No spectators are permitted at this time.
  • A new PSO Responsible Return to Play Framework aligning to ‘Restart 2.0’ will be developed and disseminated once sufficient guidance and clarity from viaSport BC and the Provincial Government is achieved.

It is important to reiterate that new information is expected to be received by Field Hockey BC in the days to come and that further communiques to the membership will follow as such clarity and interpretation relative to this afternoon’s PHO Order announcement is received. Whilst this is certainly exciting and progressive news for all our members, Field Hockey BC asks for our memberships continued patience in all areas that require further PHO and Provincial Government clarification.

For further detail regarding Field Hockey’s COVID-19 response and to access the Responsible Return to Play Framework documentation, please access this information housed on the Field Hockey BC website at: https://fieldhockeybc.com/covid-19-response/. Further reference material can be found on the viaSport BC website at https://www.viasport.ca/return-sport.

Yours in sport,

Mark Saunders
Executive Director
Field Hockey BC
May 25, 2021

Happy Masters Week: Alison McGillivray

Alison McGillivray

Alison McGillivray, from North Vancouver, plays for the North Van Mariners and is a member of the Canada Masters Field Hockey Committee. She has represented Canada in two Masters World Cups – 2015 Canberra, in Australia, and 2018 Terrassa / Barcelona, in Spain.

Field Hockey BC spoke with Ali about her experiences with the Canadian Masters team, the importance and the role of the Masters Committee and how our field hockey members can join the team!

Alison’s Career

Alison started playing field hockey when she was 23 and was immediately “hooked”. “It was great to have something to do on a Saturday (other than watching my husband play rugby) and I loved the game although it took me a while to get used to it (some might say I have still not figured it out!)”. She then joined the Meralomas, multisport club which offered social activities. Between playing, umpiring and enjoying the atmosphere of Connaught Park, Alison saw field hockey becomes a very large part of her life. “I started a field hockey program at Little Flower Academy and coached there for 25 years as well as doing some coaching in the junior league”. As as Masters player, she had the fortune of participating in two Masters World Cups (Canberra in 2016 and Terrassa in 2018). Currently, she plays for the North Van Mariners and umpire in the women’s and the junior leagues.

The Importance of the Masters Players

“There are so many women participating in the Vancouver Women’s League who are in the 35+ age group. They have a passion for the game, skill (many of them play in the top divisions) and a desire to keep involved in a wonderful sport”. McGillivray also points out that many of the volunteers positions in the leagues across BC are occupied by  by Masters’ athletes who understand the importance of giving back to the community. Additionally, coaches and umpires are often Masters as well. “I see Masters athletes as role models for young players, showing them that field hockey is a game for life and not just up to a certain age.”

“During league play I have difficulty differentiating a ‘Masters’ player from anyone else on the field. It is wonderful that leagues consist of players of all ages”, Alison says. With the growth of the Masters program, those who are older will find even more opportunities to play, “which is always good!”. There is an annual tournament in Victoria and the Vancouver International Tournament has had a masters’ division for several years now. As the pinnacle of a Masters career, there is always the opportunity to compete for Canada at different age levels in the outdoor or indoor World Cups. “One aspect that I really enjoy about Masters competition is it brings players together from different clubs. People that you compete against in usual league play become your teammates.”

The Masters Committee

“The FHC Masters Committee was started by Ian Baggott whose vision sent a women’s over 50 and a men’s over 50 to the Canberra World Cup in 2015. It now is a group of volunteers who meet on a regular basis with Susan Ahrens of FHC to encourage Masters participation on both the domestic and the world stage. Right now, the focus is on the 2022 World Cups, in Nottingham, Cape Town and Tokyo for outdoor competition, and Virginia Beach for indoor hockey.”

“There were many players who fit the category of “Masters” long before it became a popular term. I know that leagues everywhere owe a debt of gratitude to the women who played, organized teams to go to tournaments and spent countless administrative hours making sure that everyone, no matter what age, could enjoy the sport.”

Players 35+ are encouraged to visit the Canada Masters website. This following link will take you to a registration form on the site that will ensure that you receive the latest information the Masters initiatives: https://mastersfieldhockey.ca/masters-hockey-registration.

The FHC Masters Committee is starting to organize for the 2022 Outdoor and Indoor World Cups and more information will be coming out soon about the tournaments. To conclude, Alison simply asks our members to “please, think about participating!”

Indoor World Cup 2022

February 15-20 – Virginia Beach, USA
O40 W & M  /  O45 W & M  /  O50 W & M  /  O55 W & M  /  O60 W & M (added)

Outdoor World Cups 2022

August 12-21 – Nottingham, England
O35 W & M  /  O40 W & M

October 1-10 – Cape Town, South Africa
O45 – O55 M  /  O45 – O65 W  /  O55 M Spirit of Masters  /  O55 – O65 W Spirit of Masters

October 19-29 – Tokyo, Japan
O60 – O80 M  /  O60 – O80 M Spirit of Masters

If you are interested in or have any questions about the Field Hockey Canada Masters program, please don’t hesitate to contact Alison at alimcgillivray1@gmail.com

Happy Masters Week: Heather & Clive Weathley

Clive and Heather carrying the Canadian flag at the 2018 Barcelona World Masters opening ceremony

Heather and Clive Wheatley, from Victoria, are members of the Victoria Rebels and have both represented the Canadian 50+ in the 2018 Barcelona World Masters, being flag barriers at the opening ceremony. Heather also played in the 2019 Hong Kong Indoor Masters over 45’s.

Heather Wheatley

“Representing Team Canada and the opportunity to wear our country’s colours at an international tournament was surreal and a life time event”. Aside from being the flag barrier at the opening ceremonies along with her husband, Clive, Heather also fondly remembers “setting up my sister, Sharon Rajaraman, for our first goal…a tournament I will never forget!”

She played in the 2018 Barcelona World Masters over 50’s, where Canada placed 14th, and the 2019 Hong Kong Indoor Masters over 45’s, where Canada placed 4th. “These international events are very well organized and bring together the hockey communities from around the world… you realize it is a huge hockey family”, she says.

“As we grow our Masters programs, we will have more age categories representing Canada at these events. I encourage others to join from across the country for the upcoming indoor and outdoor teams.

Additionally to playing for the Rebels in Victoria, Heather is also on the Wildcats Premier team. In order to continue to play competitively, she has been working hard and staying fit, which has allowed her to enjoy some special moments and cultivate old and new friendships.

Clive Weathley

Representing Team Canada in the 50s division at the 2018 Barcelona World Masters was a an experience Clive will never forget. “We all recognized it was an honour and privilege to be representing our country and gave it everything we had in the 35 degree heat.”

The tournament, hosted by Club Egara from Terrassa, had 16 countries competing in the 50+ division. “. It was eye-opening to see the quality of international masters hockey.”

Although Clive had higher expectations than the 14th place finish, he enjoyed his time in Spain making new friends and sharing the moment with his wife, Heather. “Carrying the Canadian flag with her at the opening ceremony was the most memorable moment for me.”

Reaching the Canadian Masters team wasn’t an easy task. is a competitive selection process to qualify for the team, requiring players to stay fit a keeping their skills sharp. “I am super motivated to try out for the team again and represent Canada in Cape Town, South Africa – the Masters World Cup, originally scheduled for 2020, was postponed until 2022 –, and encourage anyone to give it a go!”

Provincial Performance Talent Identification Programming (Summer 2021)

Field Hockey BC (FHBC) is pleased to announce information regarding the upcoming FHBC Provincial Performance Talent Identification Program. FHBC Provincial Performance Talent Identification Camps will be hosted this summer to provide an opportunity for athletes to be evaluated and identified as Targeted BC Provincial Athletes. This programming is occurring in lieu of the 2021 FHC National Championships and the FHBC Provincial Athlete Program.

Top athletes in the province will be placed on the FHBC-Canadian Sport Institute (CSI) Provincial Targeted Athlete List which is submitted annually to the Provincial Government and CSI by FHBC. Athletes on this list are eligible to receive support and benefits through Canadian Sport Institute Pacific (CSIP), including free access to select gyms around the province, high performance sport education, discounted products and services, and more. Provincially Targeted Athletes may also be eligible for the FHBC Elite Program.

Targeted athlete evaluation information will be shared with the Field Hockey Canada (FHC) National and NextGen Programs to help FHC plan their talent identification cycle (expected to next take place during the Fall 2021).

 

Camp Information:

Cost: $105

Please note that all nominated athletes will be expected to attend the camp that they are eligible for. Only current FHC NextGen athletes will be exempt from this summer’s Provincial Performance Talent Identification Camps.

The staged trials for the Provincial Program outlined in the Provincial Athlete Pathway Review Project will be implemented in the next Provincial Program Identification cycle, in 2022, when the focus will be on selecting Provincial teams.

 

Athlete Nomination Form Submission & Athlete Registration 

Athletes interested in attending the Provincial Performance Talent Identification Program this summer, MUST be nominated by a coach. Any level of field hockey coach may submit a FHBC Athlete Nomination Form, including but not limited to a Club coach, FHBC program coach, national coach, Academy coach, High School coach or out-of-province Coach. Note that due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, a past field hockey coach may also submit the FHBC Athlete Nomination Form.

Steps to register:

  1. A coach nominates an athlete using the FHBC Athlete Nomination Form: click here.
    FHBC Athlete Nomination Forms will be accepted between May 19 – June 2, 2021.
  2. Following the receipt of a FHBC Athlete Nomination Form, each nominated athlete will receive a formal invitation from FHBC (via email) outlining HOW TO REGISTER online for the appropriate Provincial Performance Talent Identification Camp. Formal invitations to register will be sent within 3-business days of receipt of the nomination. Please check your Junk or SPAM folder for an email from katie@fieldhockeybritishcolumbia.com.
  3. Nominated athletes will be able to register online for the appropriate Provincial Performance Talent Identification Camp between May 26 – June 14, 2021.
  4. Registered athletes will receive specific camp information (including camp schedule, safety information, etc.) in the week leading up to their camp.

Please contact katie@fieldhockeybritishcolumbia.com with any questions.

Happy Masters Week: Gurjit Sidhu

Gurjit Sidhu (right) and Langdon Kitagawa

Gurjit Sidhu (on the right), from Abbotsford, is a Burnaby Lake FHC / Gobind Sarvar member and has represented the Canadian Masters 50+ team in the 2018 Masters World Cup in Terrassa, Spain.

“Putting on the Canadian jersey and scoring goals versus teams like Argentina will be something I’ll never forget. I enjoyed every moment with my fantastic teammates and coaches, friendships that will last a lifetime”. Representing Canada is something only a select few people will ever do. Gurjit enjoyed his opportunity to the fullest, finishing as the teams joint top scorer at the tournament.

“I would tell people to Enjoy the opportunity to represent your country. There is no better feeling. The whole experience was so enjoyable would definitely recommend for those who can and enjoy the sport to make an effort to try competing in such an amazing event.”

Happy Masters Week: Gord Plottel

Gord Plottel (right) playing for the Canadian 60+ team against the USA 60+ in Vancouver, in June of 2019

Gord Plottel (on the right), from Vancouver and a member of the Vancouver Hawks Field Hockey Club, was the captain of the Canadian 60+ team in their first participation on a Masters’ World Cup, in Barcelona 2018.
 
His experience with Masters’ field hockey has allowed him to revive the competitive challenges and also enjoy the social element of the sport, connecting with athletes around the world. “Like the Men’s National Team, we play our hardest on the field, but, unlike them, we get together with the opposition for a beer after the game!”, Gord says. “It’s that combination of competition and camaraderie that makes Masters’ hockey appealing to older players.”
 
According to Plottel, aside from staying involved in the sport, playing Masters’ hockey has provided him a goal for fitness and continued athletic improvement regardless of age. Playing competitively is an incentive to “get out for a run in a rainy morning or learn a new hockey skill”. As Gord points out, “ it provides a valuable opportunity to exemplify the ‘long’ in Long Term Athlete Development”

Apply for the FHBC Foundation Allyn Murison Grassroots Bursary!

FHBC is pleased to announce that we are now accepting applications for the Allyn Murison Grassroots Bursary. The application deadline is May 31st, 2021, and the recipients should be announced in June.

The Allyn Murison Grassroots Bursary is designed to support female athletes under the age of 12 and focuses on assisting with the costs involved in playing field hockey at the club level. Five awards of up to $100 will be made annually. However, if, in any one year, there are candidates requiring greater financial aid, larger amounts may be considered (to a maximum of $250).

This is a legacy fund gift held in perpetuity with the FHBC Foundation following the passing of Allyn Murison who was passionate about getting young female athletes involved in our great game.

Go to www.fhbcfoundation.com for more information and to download the application forms.

Athlete Evaluation Methodology Webinar RECORDING

In cased you missed our Athlete Evaluation Methodology Webinar, which happened on May 13th via Zoom, you can watch the recording HERE. The recording is also posted on our Online Field Hockey Resources page.

The purpose of this webinar is to help our community understand how athletes are evaluated in a high performance talent identification setting. This webinar is targeted at Club Coaching Leads, especially those who may be looking to nominate Club athletes to FHBC’s talent identification program, or any FHBC Member interested in learning more about the evaluation process.

Support for Cowichan field hockey player Kayla Dosen and family

We ask you all to read the message below with care. If you have the chance, please consider assisting Kayla and her family in this fight. Together, we can help Kayla win this!

“Kayla Dosen is a caring, outgoing and spritely 15-year old girl who loves sports (especially field hockey), music and spending time with her friends and family.

Kayla was recently diagnosed with Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia and has now been transported to Children’s Hospital in Vancouver for further testing to determine the next steps for treatment.

Kayla’s parents, Megan and Rob, have travelled with her to Vancouver to be by her side. As you can imagine, this ordeal will be nothing short of a long road ahead with many unexpected expenses. Any support for the family at this time of need is greatly appreciated!”

To donate, access https://www.gofundme.com/f/d7wk7-support-for-kayla-dosen-and-family?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=p_cp%20share-sheet