Picture top Canadian athletes spending a rare day off coaching over 100 aspiring young field hockey players. This past Saturday April 20, Men’s National Team (MNT) athletes did just that, holding a clinic with the Vancouver Hawks Juniors.
The Hawks ‘Day Out’ with Team Canada was a huge success as you can see from the video. Athletes of all ages were treated to world class coaching from Philip Wright, Scott Tupper, Mark Pearson, Richard Hildreth, David Jameson, David Carter, Antoni Kindler, John Smythe, and Brandon Barber.
The focus of these clinics is to keep things fun for the kids. Drills and skills are crucial to development, but kids get discouraged when things are not fun. Luckily, finding this balance is what our MNT guest coaches are best at, as they ended the session with a skills demo and shootout. There are a ton of great photos on the FHC Facebook Page.
Giving back
Volunteering in the community is really important to all our athletes at Field Hockey Canada. As the MNT prepares to host the 2013 Pan American Cup and the 2015 Pan American Games, there’s a huge opportunity to build a positive legacy in communities throughout Canada and internationally.
Our athletes are committed to giving back to the community that once helped them develop and learn to love the sport. Inspiring the next generation of field hockey stars is what truly drives our athletes.
Spearheading this clinic in particular is MNT forward Philip Wright. Phil honed his skills in the Hawks junior program, and thinks about his elders every time he plays for Canada:
“A lot of thoughts go through my mind every time I put on that jersey. I think about the team. I think about all the players that have represented Canada in the years past. There have always been hard times, but every group finds a way to succeed.”
How can you help?
Funding is always a challenge. This year in particular is tricky as the MNT is tasked with qualifying for the Rio Olympic Games on a tight budget.
Getting creative, the MNT launched a BIG PUSH campaign. The goal is to inspire the next generation of players while harnessing the local community to support the MNT.
Where possible, we encourage you to support the MNT through a tax-receipted, charitable donation. Any support goes directly to getting Team Canada back in the Olympic Games.
Through events such as these, we invite you all along as key members of our extended team while we push forward towards Olympic qualification.
All donations are 100% tax-receipted online, and are effortless to complete. Please donate to the BIG PUSH campaign, and we look forward to seeing you at the next ‘DAY OUT’ in June.
