Four Canadian masters teams bound for Spain this summer
A trip to the Spanish coast in June and July? Doesn’t sound too bad. But these Canadian masters hockey athletes aren’t going for the sun and beaches. They’ll be on the hockey pitches in Terrassa and Barcelona playing in the Masters World Cup competitions. Field Hockey Canada is thrilled to be sending teams in four different divisions to Spain this summer: The Men’s 60+ national team will be playing in the WGM Grandmasters World Cup from June 20-30, 2018 in Barcelona. The Men’s 50+, Women’s 50+ and Women’s 55+ teams will then take the field July 27-August 5th at the IMHA Masters World Cup in Terrassa.
All four teams have spent the better half of a year assembling their rosters, locking in coaches and managers and preparing themselves for competition. Already in 2018, all four squads have had opportunities to practice and compete on the Family Day weekend and on the Easter long weekend. With the summer fast approaching, the teams are gearing up for competition on the world stage.
The women’s teams have acquired two great coaches. Cara Jay is from Victoria, BC where she boasts a 30-year playing and coaching career. A provincial and national level player and a four-time CIS champion with the Vikes, Cara brings a wealth of playing and coaching experience to the table. She is the head coach of the Women’s 50+ masters team this summer. Sarah Moody is a UK transplant. She played youth national, university and club hockey in England and since moving to Canada has focused on coaching. Most recently, Sarah lives in Kelowna and coaches the Okanagan Mission School and assists with the community squad as well. Sarah is locked in as the coach of the Women’s 55+ contingent heading to Terrassa this July.
On the men’s side, the teams have secured long-time community members John Sacre and Don Paterson to lead the two teams to Spain. John will be at the helm for the Men’s 50+ team. He brings with him a wealth of experience at the national level both as a coach and player. He was previously the junior development coach for Field Hockey Canada and has coached at the provincial, national and club level. The only thing left on the list: A Masters World Cup coaching stint! Don Paterson will be acting as coach and manager for the 60+ division squad. Don has an incredible history of coaching, playing and contributing to the Canadian field hockey community. He grew up playing his hockey in Edinburgh, Scotland and has since played in the masters division for both Canada and Scotland. He has served as FHC’s vice president of the board, the men’s high-performance director and was a recipient of the BC President’s Cup for services to hockey. Needless to say, the 60s are in good hands moving towards the WGM World Cup in June in Barcelona.
More information on how to follow the teams’ progress will be available shortly.
