I started playing hockey at school when I was 15. Now 26 years later I’m watching my 14-year-old daughter have her first experience of the sport.
There is a chasm of difference between our experiences.
Hockey was a novelty for teenagers when I first had a casual hit during a sport session at school (described here).
It’s very sophisticated today in comparison. For starters, here in Mount Gambier (and previously at Kalgoorlie) there are synthetic pitches.
I like the astroturf here. It’s obviously a water hog and not suitable for arid areas, but it’s much softer on the legs.
The skills of the teenagers are fantastic, streets ahead of us at that age. Playing on a synthetic pitch gives them much more confidence, but it’s also apparent they’ve had good coaching.
Kathleen has a lot to learn. She’s progressing well though and improving with each game.
Hockey is the toughest team sport women can play, I believe. The tackles are quite physical and there is always a risk of injury from the ball or a stick.
I quite like watching the game, but it’s probably an acquired taste like rugby.
Twitter: delmerw
says:
I suspected this might not be Ice Hockey, but I wasn’t sure.
When I was little NOBODY played soccer — we’d have a week of it in gym class some years. I recall driving by the park when I was home from college break and seeing a few teams playing. Now it’s all over the place.
Twitter: mgorey
says:
Field hockey Delmer, played on “astroturf” these days, not grass so much.
I never played soccer when I was at school. It was mainly played by Italians, Yugoslavs and Greeks but times have changed.
As for field hockey, women play it in the US I believe, but not men. Here it’s a major men’s sport as well and Australia is hoping to win a gold medal in Beijing.
It’s good to watch if you know the sport.