Another successful VIT weekend is in the books! Teams from across BC and the United States came together for a long weekend of adult social hockey May 18-20 at the Burnaby Lake West Sports Complex. This event had 23 teams competing in the Mixed Social, Women’s Social and Women’s Masters divisions. The tournament also featured a thrilling demonstration of walking hockey on Sunday afternoon, enjoyed by many of our tournament participants!
In the Women’s Masters Division, the Furious Tango placed 1st after the round robin, giving them an automatic berth in the finals. The Seattle Masters and the Masters Reunion faced off to see who would meet the Furious Tango in the final match. After Seattle took a 1-0 lead, the Masters Reunion came back and tied the game, sending it to penalty strokes. The Masters Reunion won in strokes and went on to defeat the Furious Tango for first place in the Women’s Masters Division.
The Mixed Social Division saw a similar play-in take place between the Mutineers and Team PNW. Team PNW went ahead 1-0, but the Mutineers fought back and tied the game, sending it to penalty strokes. The Mutineers came out on top in the penalty stroke competition and went on to face Team Spoons in the Mixed Social final. The Spoons defeated the Mutineers in the final to take first place Mixed Social Division.
The Women’s Social Division was played in round robin format. Team #Island went undefeated throughout the tournament, winning first place in the Women’s Social Division. Team Mom & Me finished in second and the Tri-City Eagles followed in third place.
Field Hockey BC would like to thank all teams, umpires and volunteers who helped make this weekend a success! We’re excited to see you all again next year!
The U18 Boys and Girls Club Championships took place May 10 – 12, 2019 at Tamanawis Park and Cloverdale Athletic Park in Surrey, BC. The tournament saw 20 teams compete across three divisions (one boys, two girls) for the Club Championship title!
On the Girls side, the Polar Bears took the Tier 1 gold medal after a hard fought battle with WVFHC, who claimed silver. The Tri-City Venom took home bronze with a win over Surrey Elite. In Tier 2, the round robin format tournament ended with the Richmond Herons taking gold, Polar Bears 2 with the silver and Victoria earning bronze.
In the Boys division, Gobind Sarvar went undefeated to take the gold, while the Surinder Lions followed with the silver and the Surrey Panthers claimed bronze. For photos of the tournament medallists, visit the U18 Club Championship Page.
We would like to say a huge thank you and congratulations to all athletes and teams who took part in the tournament. We would also like to thank India Field Hockey Club for their support as the host club and all of our umpires, coaches and technical staff who gave their time to ensure the tournament ran smoothly. We will be back with more Club Championship action as the U13 and U15 divisions go forward in June!
Want to try a fun new activity this May long weekend? Step into a new sport and come play Walking Hockey!
On Sunday, May 19 during the Vancouver International Tournament, Field Hockey BC will be hosting a Walking Hockey demonstration at 12pm at the Burnaby Lake Sports Complex West, Pitch 4. This event is open to everyone – all ages and abilities are invited to come try this fun and accessible sport!
What is Walking Hockey?
Walking Hockey is exactly what it sounds like – field hockey that is played walking! The sport originated in the UK in 2016, designed to make the sport of field hockey more accessible. Walking Hockey is a great way for people of all ages to remain active in field hockey without having to worry about the physical demands of playing a high impact sport. Whether you are worried about injury, have physical limitations, or just want to play sport at a different pace, there is a room for everyone in this sport. To learn all about the background of Walking Hockey, visit the Walking Hockey World website.
With clubs popping up across the UK, Europe and Australia, Field Hockey BC is excited to give this sport a shot and see how the community responds. We encourage anyone who is interested in this developing sport to put their best foot forward on Sunday, May 19th and come give Walking Hockey a try!
We have an exciting weekend of field hockey ahead of us as the U18 Boys and Girls Club Championships will take place May 10-12, 2019 at Tamanawis Park and Cloverdale Athletic Park in Surrey, BC.
There will be a total of 20 teams representing 13 clubs across BC competing in this tournament, hosted by India Field Hockey Club. For a full weekend schedule and more tournament details, visit the Club Championships page.
We will see you this weekend in Surrey for some sunny weather and great hockey!
Thank you to everyone who submitted to the Field Hockey BC Spring League Instagram Contest! We are pleased to announce the contest winner: Hope Scheibal, of the U16 Tri-City Mavericks! Hope is the winner of an FHBC “Field Hockey is Life” t-shirt.
Did you miss your chance to submit your photos? Great news: We loved your submissions so much that we’re re-opening the contest! See contest details below:
How to Enter:
Take a photo or video with your Spring League team, post it on Instagram and tag @fieldhockeybc.
E-mail your photo/video to info@fieldhockeybc.com or send it to us via Direct Message on Instagram. Please include your name, contact information and club.
The next deadline for submission is Monday, June 3rd. Winner will be announced Wednesday, June 5th.
Rules:
Photos and videos can be on or off field, individual or team photos. Submissions must contain one or more players in their club uniform to be considered. Individuals may submit up to three entries. By entering the contest, you consent that Field Hockey BC has to right to publish and re-distribute your photo or video.
Prizes:
One contest winner will be selected per submission window. The contest winner will receive a free “Field Hockey is Life” t-shirt from Field Hockey BC
Field Hockey BC is excited to launch the 2019 Learn 2 Win Provincial Program for U23 male and female athletes. Selected athletes will participate in a 10 hour training program in June and will compete in the U23 National Championships from June 29 – July 1. Interested athletes can register for the trial free of charge!
Trials:
Men: Saturday, May 25 from 6 – 9 pm at Tamanawis Park, Surrey
Women: Sunday, May 26 from 4:30 – 7:30 pm at Eric Hamber, Vancouver
Trials are open to all BC athletes eligible by birth year. Registration will remain open until Wednesday, May 22nd at 12 pm. Click here for more information on the U23 Learn 2 Win Provincial Program. If you have any questions related to the Learn 2 Win Program, please contact Athlete Program Manager, Melody Haddow.
The Festival will host 11 boys and girls teams from across BC, as well as a team from Alberta in the girls division. This event will be the selection point for the U15 BC boys and girls teams that will represent our province at the 2019 National Championships July 24-28 in Calgary, Alberta.
With so much young talent on display, we want to share all the action with our field hockey community! For those who can’t make it out to the Festival, live scores and results will be available through AltiusRT. You can find lots more tournament content by following @fieldhockeybc on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter!
Each time
Nora Struchtrup stepped onto the pitch at the 2019 Train 2 Compete Regional Championship
she was fully focused, ready to make an impact for her Island Stingrays team. That
doesn’t mean you won’t catch her smiling away on the pitch as a result of her genuine
love for the game.
The 16 year-old Victoria native played a huge role in the victory of the Island Stingrays at the Train 2 Compete Tournament. Her first quarter goal in the gold medal game led the Stingrays to a 1-0 win over the Northwest Jellyfish. As a natural forward with her speed and skill on display, Struchtrup’s standout performance has landed her a spot on the U18 BC Stags.
Nora Struchtrup (back row, middle) with the Island Stingrays, 2019 T2C Regional Champions. Photo: Chris Wilson
Struchtrup first played field hockey when she was 11 years old with the Victoria Rising Stars program and despite trying many other sports, nothing was ever quite the same.
“I’m a passionate
player, I really love what I do,” explained Struchtrup. “I’m aggressive and I
have fun while I play which I think is a good blend. I love the running and
tipping, trying to beat other people’s speed. As soon as I tried field hockey I
was stuck, there’s something about it I just love it.”
Her first
experience with Field Hockey BC was in the Learn 2 Train program and she has
continued with the high performance program ever since.
“It’s a lot
of like-minded girls, we all work hard and push ourselves,” said Struchtrup. “It’s
such a great program, it really brings the extra intensity that I love and I
think it has played a huge role in my development and continued love for the game.”
Nora Struchtrup (right) in action during the gold medal game at the 2019 Regional Championships. Photo: Chris Wilson
In her first
year of Train 2 Train, Struchtrup was selected to the reserve pool for Team BC
and one week before the National Championships, she got the call inviting her
up to the BC White team. She has since played for the U15 BC Stags and last
summer, the U18 BC Lions. Her team turned some heads at the 2018 National Championships
in Toronto where they came in and defeated one of the favourites in Ontario
West on the first night of the tournament.
“That was a
crazy game,” reflected Struchtrup. “Normally I remember most of the game, I do
not remember a single thing that happened in that Ontario West game. I was so
in the zone, we were all super intense and supporting each other, it was such a
cool experience.”
After last
year’s fourth place finish at Nationals and going into her fourth National
Championships this coming summer, she sees the National Championships as a huge
motivator to continue to improve and push for the next level.
Nora Struchtrup in action with the U18 Lions at the 2018 National Championships.
“The
Regional program is already a huge step up and then the Provincial program is
amazing, it pushes you physically and mentally, you get to make some new
friends and it’s just so much fun,” explained Struchtrup. “I just want to keep
coming back and keep playing.”
Struchtrup
will be taking another step in her field hockey development this summer, as she
will have her first opportunity to play with the Field Hockey Canada NexGen Squad.
She was recently invited to the U17 tour in Belgium and the Netherlands which
will take place prior to her participation in the National Championships. This opportunity
is extra special for Struchtrup as her extended family lives in Germany and
will be traveling to the Netherlands to watch her play.
Beyond this
summer, Struchtrup has her sight set on making the Canadian National team one
day. She also aspires to go to UBC or the University of Victoria to study and
play field hockey and with her German heritage, maybe even attend school there
and play field hockey for a German club team.
“I think it’s
going to be an exciting year coming up and seeing where these opportunities
take me.”
The future
certainly looks bright for this young athlete from Victoria and we can’t wait
to follow her progress at the National Championships and beyond!
This four day tournament will include two boys teams and eight girls teams from across British Columbia. We are thrilled to welcome the U18 Girls Team Alberta, who will be participating in the FHBC Regional Tournament for the first time ever this year!
The FHBC Train 2 Compete athletes have been training hard over the past six months in preparation for the Regional Tournament. This competition will be the selection point for the U18 BC Teams that will compete at the National Championships in Surrey, BC from July 3-8, 2019.
With a diverse range of athletes from the Lower Mainland, Vancouver Island, Interior and Alberta, this tournament is sure to bring out a fantastic weekend of field hockey. Make sure to check out https://fieldhockeybc.altiusrt.com/ for live game statistics and follow @fieldhockeybc on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter for more tournament content!
On March 9, 2019, the day that John McBryde turns 80 years old, he will be out on the pitch playing for his men’s league Vancouver Hawks team. As one of Field Hockey BC’s longest active members, it seems fitting that his 80th will be spent playing the sport to which he has dedicated so much of his life!
John McBryde, still in action at 80 years old!
John was born in Maryborough, Australia and was the captain of the first Australian National Field Hockey team to win an Olympic medal when they took bronze in Tokyo, 1964. In the late 1960’s, John came to Canada and became the Head Coach of the Canadian Men’s Field Hockey team. He also served 25 years on the FIH Equipment Committee and currently acts as an Advisor on the Canadian Masters Hockey Steering Committee.
John has dedicated himself to the growth and development of field hockey for over 60 years and throughout that time, he has never stopped playing. Field Hockey BC would like to invite our community to come out to John’s game on his 80th birthday in celebration of everything he has contributed to our sport. John’s Vancouver Hawks team plays at 3 pm at UBC Wright Field on Saturday March 9, 2019. We hope to see you all out there supporting one of Field Hockey BC’s most iconic players!
John McBryde (left) and Don Paterson at the 2016 Grand Masters World Cup.
Information and images contributed by Don Paterson
