Barrhead is definitely a hockey town, but is it a field hockey town?
That is the question Field Hockey Alberta asked during their ‘Try It Free’ event at the Barrhead Elementary School on the afternoon of Saturday, April 11.
Although field hockey has similarities with both soccer and ice hockey, it has its own origin that can be traced back thousands of years.
Field hockey is a team game usually played outdoors, where teams of up to 11 per side try to outscore their opponents by putting a hard round ball past the opposing goaltender. Players do this by passing, pushing, dribbling and shooting the ball using a short club like, hooked stick.
Stefanie Sloboda, Field Hockey Alberta Regional Director, said it is a wonderful sport that she has been playing for a good portion her life.
Before joining Field Hockey Alberta, Sloboda played competitively for Field Hockey Manitoba and Field Hockey Alberta, as well as for the University of Alberta Pandas. She also coached the Pandas before the university disbanded the program due to budget cuts.
She said the sport has always been good to her and now through Field Hockey Alberta she is trying to pass on her passion for the sport to a new generation.
“That is what we (Field Hockey Alberta) are trying to do with our Try It Free introductory events,” Sloboda said.
During typical Try It For Free events, children from as young as six are invited to come and see what the sport of field hockey is all about. It starts with an introductory video explaining a bit of the history of the sport, followed by fun learning drills designed to teach newcomers the basic skills. The two-hour event ends with a scrimmage.
Every year Field Hockey Alberta travels to two or three communities to host the introductory Try It For Free Event.
This year Barrhead and Red Deer were selected.
“We wanted to pick one larger city and a small rural community,” Sloboda said, adding that Barrhead was chosen because Field Hockey Alberta had heard there were residents in town with a European and African background.
However, for the Barrhead event she said she was a little bit disappointed in the turn out.
“We still had a good time and we were able to introduce another group of kids to the sport,” Sloboda said, adding that even though the numbers were small (seven) she is hopeful the sport will gain popularity in the area.
“You don’t always need a lot of people to plant the seed. If everyone of these kids that came out today tells one of their friends how much fun they had, we could have a large enough group to have a team,” she said, adding that even if there wasn’t, Field Hockey Alberta would try to accommodate anyone interested in playing the sport on other teams, for example in Edmonton.
For those interested in signing up for field hockey, Sloboda said Field Hockey Alberta is taking registrations until the end of April. For more information or to register contact Sloboda at 780-433-2334 or 780-691-2632 or at [email protected].
