Umpire Field Assessment Opportunity – Community and Provincial Umpire Ratings

There will be an opportunity on the weekend of August 27-29, 2021 for both Community and Provincial Umpires to have field assessments conducted towards formal certification or re-certification. This opportunity is in conjunction with the hosting of the India Club Tournament being held at Tamanawis Park in Surrey, BC over these dates. There are multiple male and female divisions at the India Club Tournament enabling both Community and Provincial field assessments to take place.

Any Umpire who has either taken the Community or Provincial Umpires Course or is an existing Community or Provincial Umpire requiring an assessment renewal can take advantage of this opportunity. To put yourself forward for a field assessment, please contact Gary Sangha at juniors@indiaclub.ca and provide your availability to umpire over the August 27-29, 2021 weekend, as well as your required level of assessment.

Kelowna Hosts Interior Girls FHBC Provincial Talent ID Camp

By Ali Baggott and FHBC Staff, for Field Hockey BC

– Kelowna, B.C. – Several camps are under way as part of the Field Hockey BC talent identification process. One of the outcomes of the extensive 2020 provincial athlete pathway review project was to open the pathway up and be more open, transparent, and inclusive. The redesigned provincial athlete program now includes a three-stage model and the result is an initial talent ID camp happening in regions across the Province. A milestone for this process was the hosting of an interior-based ID camp that took place Jul. 17 at Mission Park in Kelowna, B.C.

The camp was led by three coaches including Kelowna-based Ben Fecht, recently retired women’s national team member Dani Hennig, who hails from Kelowna, and Vancouver’s David Keogh.

“It was a long time ago since I was a part of FHBC programs but what I do remember was that it was great to have the opportunity to play field hockey outside of the short high school season,” said Hennig who retired recently with 200 international caps to her name. “Without FHBC programs there aren’t really other opportunities for these athletes to play hockey. It also allows them to train with different athletes and learn from other coaches which I think is very important for a developing athlete.”

Kelowna Secondary School’s Alivia Venning is one of those athletes who values these opportunities.

“It’s been a long year when it comes to a lack of hockey,” said Venning, a midfielder at the U16 age group ahead of the camp. “I’m looking forward to being back on the pitch, training with my teammates, and working with the fantastic coaches.”

Venning is originally from Bermuda and moved to Kelowna in July 2019 but thrusted herself in to what hockey should could access. She worked closely with Ben Fecht to coach an under 14 team and is eager to absorb what she can.

“There are definitely challenges to playing in the Interior compared to Vancouver (or Bermuda, where we played on turf as well),” described Venning of the lack of water-based facility access in the interior. “I hope that I will be able to bring my training from Bermuda, as well as my time on the Kelowna Senior Secondary team, with me to the Talent ID camp. Unfortunately, the heat and smoke haze this week will also add some challenges. We are very fortunate to have a great facility here in Kelowna, as well as great coaches.”

Two male and two female talent ID camps are also happening on the lower mainland in July and August, while an additional camp is planned for Jul. 23-25 on Vancouver Island. All camps feature consistent technical and game play opportunities, with a vigorous, transparent and fair evaluation matrix. Athletes will also be able to receive qualitative and quantitative feedback to help them move forward in their field hockey development. Coaches from other regions are also being utilized at camps to provide neutral perspective and opportunities for athletes to engage with new coaches.

“It’s always refreshing to have a fresh set of eyes and bring a different culture or view of hockey to another region,” said Keogh, a Vancouver-based coach who made the trip to Kelowna for the camp. “It also gives me the opportunity to learn from other coaches. It’s important for coaches to travel to other areas to share their experiences and learn from others. Also, every region has the right to be assessed fairly, regardless of your location. It’s all about what you can offer.”

An important Field Hockey BC guiding principle is to provide for opportunities wherever and whenever possible to help grow the game and give as many young players the chance to love and enjoy the game.

“Field hockey really helped shape who I am today as a person and taught me a lot of lessons and skills that I have taken into my life and career beyond hockey,” acknowledged Hennig. “My hope is that through coaching I can help impart some of those lessons on the next generation and provide them with the opportunity to learn and grow through the sport of field hockey.”

“If athletes want to pursue field hockey at a high level it becomes about so much more than technical skills. While having less training and competition here as well as lack of access to turf may limit the opportunities to develop and refine technical skills, things like physical fitness, tactical understanding, work ethic and positive attitude are all things which are of equal importance and are things athletes can work on and control themselves. To find success they need to make the most of each opportunity that they have, soak up as much knowledge and be diligent in applying what they are learning each time they step on the pitch. There are a number of national team players, including myself, who have come out of Kelowna having grown up playing on grass, who I think are great examples to look to of how one can find success even with certain barriers.”

Hennig among other interior greats such as Thea Culley, Natalie Sourisseau and Abigail Raye are all Field Hockey BC products who overcame a variety of obstacles to become outstanding international players. For many who attended the talent ID camp this past weekend, this could just be the start before their names are added to that list.

“Dani has been an important part of the Interior Regional programme since I joined,” Venning highlighted about having the national team stand out at the field. “She is an inspiration and a role model to all of us in the program. We have been very fortunate to have an accomplished and talented field hockey player such as Dani involved. She is very approachable and is a great coach to all of us.”

Whilst there is no formal Field Hockey BC Provincial Representative Team Program this year due to COVID-19 restrictions, this summers Field Hockey BC Provincial Talent ID Camp Program is an opportunity for BC’s top athletes to be identified and thereafter invited to participate in Field Hockey BC’s new Elite Program. The new Elite Program is designed to assist athlete preparation for participation and/or selection or re-selection to the National NextGen and National Team Program.

For more information on Field Hockey BC’s Provincial Talent ID Camps and Pathways be sure to check out the website. Upcoming camps include the Victoria-based camp on Jul. 23-25, U16 lower mainland girls on Jul. 30-Aug. 2 and two male camps for U21 and U18 happening Aug. 13-15 and U16 boys happening Aug. 20-22.

Photo Credit: Sam Charles

Field Hockey Canada – RTP for Female Masters

The message below comes from Field Hockey Canada

——————-

To Female Masters Players,

FHC are excited to announce an opportunity to Return to Play outdoor hockey this summer for Masters women aged 35+.  Let’s look forward to playing and connecting again!

1. Women’s Masters ‘Return to Play’ Outdoor – BC – Important Registration UPDATE
The Women’s Masters Outdoor Committee can confirm that we have been able to arrange a Return to Play outdoor camp in Duncan, BC for August 21 & 22 at the Cowichan SportsPlex (https://www.cowichansportsplex.com). We are excited to get this Masters outdoor camp underway and encourage you to attend. Please feel welcome to bring a friend – if it has been a while since you picked up a stick! However, as this is self-funded, we request prompt assistance to register and make the Return to Play Camp payment by 5pm PST- Friday 23 July (minimum registrants – 20 participant).

2. The Registration for Return to Play Camp – BC will be completed through F-RED (new FHC event database) – Registering for F-RED is easy and intuitive – just make sure you register as a PARTICIPANT: click here –> https://www.rampregistrations.com/login?v3=7aa122cc 

3. Payment fee for this Camp – will be completed by e-transfer. Cara Jay (cara.jay.71@gmail.com) is the Women’s Age Group Outdoor Coordinator (AGC) for BC. She will be responsible for collecting payment. Details of how to pay, etc. is included when you register in F-RED.

4. PSO membership – a reminder that all Return to Play participants must be a registered member of their Provincial Sports Organization (PSO). Contact your PSO if you need more details.

5. Dates for Return to Play Camps in Alberta and Ontario are still being finalized (due to Covid guidelines) and we will follow up with details once confirmed.

Thank you for your patience and look forward to seeing as many of you in Duncan. Feel free to reach out to Cara Jay or Alana Martin for more information

Regards,

Cara Jay cara.jay.71@gmail.com
Alana Martin abcdmartin@shaw.ca
Women’s Masters Outdoor AGCs

Hailey Yhap (She/Her) | Membership Engagement Coordinator
Phone: 613-305-2488 | Email: events@fieldhockey.ca

Online Community Umpire Course – Summer 2021

The Online Community Umpire Course is now open to all FHBC Members FREE OF CHARGE throughout the summer of 2021. The course consist of a series of lessons and practice questions designed to prepare you for the final quiz. You will need a grade of 75% or higher in order to pass the course.

Course registration for this session closes on October 24, 2021.
Please, contact sportdevelopment@fieldhockeybc.com to obtain the access code.

Registrants will have until October 31, 2021 to complete the course, at which time the current session will expire. Participants who fail to complete the course by the deadline will need to re-register in the following session.

This course is available to those interested in taking the first steps towards being a rated umpire, to umpires that desire a refresher and to umpires with expired certifications. Candidates should be at least 13 years old.

Should you have any questions or concerns, please contact the Field Hockey BC office at 604-737-3146 or sportdevelopment@fieldhockeybc.com. For more information, access our Umpire Education page.

Extension of Umpire Certifications

Due to ongoing Covid-19 restrictions the FHC Officials’ Committee recognizes that umpires may face significant challenges at being assessed or certified for recently completed courses or re-assessed for certification that has expired or is set to expire soon.

For these reasons, the FHC Officials’ Committee has determined the following:

If certification expired in 2019 or earlier, umpires must retake the course and be recertified at their most recently expired level. Please note, if special arrangements were made for recertification in 2020 that was not possible due to Return to Play restrictions, special consideration can be made by the FHC Officials’ Committee.

If certification is set to expire between 2020 and 2023, all current umpires will have two additional years added to their certification allowing more time to complete assessments.

Previous Expiration Date

New Expiration Date

December 31, 2020

December 31, 2022

December 31, 2021

December 31, 2023

December 31, 2022

December 31, 2024

December 31, 2023

December 31, 2025

All umpires who complete certification at a new level (complete course and pass on-field assessments) in 2021 will be certified until Dec 2026. Umpires who complete certification in 2022 and beyond will be certified for the standard 4 years.

At this time, certifications will continue to expire on December 31st.

Go to our Umpire Certification page for more information on the Certification Pathway, expiry and renewal, and maintaining your umpiring level. We also provide the full current Umpire Certification List.