Canadian Olympic team heads to Vancouver Island for training and clinics

As part of its final stages preparation for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, Canada’s men’s field hockey team is spending a few days on Vancouver Island starting Tuesday.

The men will be staying and training at Shawnigan Lake School Tuesday and Wednesday, before hosting a camp and clinic for young field hockey players in the area on Wednesday evening. The clinic is free to attend.

The men will then hold another camp and clinic at the Uvic Field Hockey Turf on Thursday evening. The suggested donation for Thursday’s camp is $20.

It’s a rare visit to the Island for the Canadian men, who are based in Vancouver on the mainland, where many of the National Team athletes are from, where field hockey facilities are plenty, and where Field Hockey Canada’s offices are situated.

“Getting that feeling of being away and being together and though it’s not going to be a super intense period for us, to be able to work on things, hang out together in a relaxed environment is probably going to be good for us,” says Canadian captain Scott Tupper.

“On the other side, we can reconnect with some of the Island hockey community, which – though its not far away –  if you’re not playing or travelling there, it’s easy for kids that are growing to maybe not be attached to the National Team.”

But that’s not to say the Island does not have a deep-seeded field hockey tradition.

In 2008, ahead of the Beijing Olympics the Canadians spent the better part of a week on the south of Vancouver Island in Victoria and the Cowichan Valley.

Tupper and Mark Perason, who were on the 2008 Olympic Team, and goalkeeper David Carter who was a reserve, were on that Island trip, along with a handful of Canadian junior men, including current National Team member and Olympian to be Ben Martin.

“Back then it was just a good opportunity to get away and centralize somewhere close to home and there are good facilities there,” says Pearson.

“Obviously as a personal connection, I lived in Victoria when I was a kid for 6 or 7 years, and started my field hockey there. So it was kind of a full circle moment for me.”

In addition to Pearson, the Island has helped produced Olympians, like two-time Olympians and Field Hockey Canada Hall of Fame inductee Nancy Mollenhauer, and boasts a strong University field hockey program at the University of Victoria.

Commuting from the mainland of British Columbia to Vancouver Island is not out of the ordinary for Men’s National Team midfielder Brenden Bissett. The New Westminster native has spent the last five years playing for the University of Victoria Vikes.

“Being the one guy on the team from Victoria, travelling and commuting back and forth form UVic to Vancouver, I definitely feel a bit of pride,” he says.

“I am looking forward to going back there.”

Bissett is one of three members of the 2016 Canadian Olympic field hockey team who has ties to the Vikes. The others are Matthew Sarmento and Keegan Pereira.