News

South African national player, Dirkie talks about the current lockdown in Europe.

I have tried to make the best of this crazy time we find ourselves in. Sometimes it’s times like these that bring out the best in us because it drives us out of our comfort zones. I have had some good time to self reflect and work on areas on my life that needed attention. I was lucky enough to start up my own online fitness coaching business called DC Coaching (@fitnesswithdc). With this launch I was approached by an online fitness company called Jeff Life (www.jeff.fitness) where I am one of the fitness instructors giving weekly classes online on Facebook Live. Its is an incredible platform which includes nutrition, guided runs, healthy cooking tips, nutritious recipes and yoga sessions. I am grateful and blessed that I can work in an environment that I love and doing what I have always wanted to do!

I also got given the opportunity to play hockey in the best league in the world again. When the pandemic hit the world a lot of leagues got cancelled and this brought with it opportunities for players like me to turn negatives into positives and doubts into hopes. With the postponement of the Olympic games it brought an opportunity for me to join HGC this season, a hockey club in Holland. I really wanted to place myself in the best environment leading up to the Tokyo Olympic games and this decision has payed off greatly. It was a great new challenge playing at HGC, as one of the more experienced players, I wanted to bring experience to youngsters and grow together with this team in reaching our goals. I have really enjoyed the season here so far and been able to make a difference in an environment that constantly asks the best of me. As a striker there is also pressure of scoring and I get the chance to drag flick at short corners, having my JDH concave has really been the best because I absolutely love how this stick complements my skills, style of play and drag flicks. Knowing that I am taking the field every game with the best stick & gear gives me so much confidence. I could not have asked for better support and love from Jamie and the JDH family!

Looking back on the last few months and where I am now, I can be proud of what I have achieved during a time where it could have been easy to fall into a negative mindset. I am really happy with where I am at and super excited about where I am going. The future is bright and even when days look gloomy always remember its all about how you approach a situation and your perspective. Stay positive and smash your goals!

Dirkie Chamberlain

If you are in Perth you can come and watch the Australian Intra squad matches and see the athletes battle it out for Olympic Selection. These games are very high quality and you can watch them for free if you are in Perth. For more information about the games and the times of the games pleases check link below. 

https://www.hockeywa.org.au/news/free-entry-to-hockeyroos-and-kookaburras-intra-squad-matches/

We wish the athletes all the best in these matches, play hard and always try to be your best! 

Lola and Seffie are extremely popular on Instagram, with more than 11,000 followers. They make cool films, work with sponsors and bring the hockey sport into the picture.

Lola and Seffie, you are each other's hockey buddies, how did you get to know each other?

Seffie: We got to know each other via Instagram because we both posted trick hockey videos. That's why we started to befriend each other and that's how I discovered that Lola, like me, also went through the NK shootouts on HC Pijnacker. That was the first time we saw each other. After that, it clicked well between us and we started to meet more often, to train and to make videos. We even participated in Holland's Got Talent together!

Lola: Yes, indeed, I saw Seffie for the first time on Instagram and I liked the videos she made so I started doing it myself. We then made a lot of calls. That was really about everything and so we found out that we both were through to the NK shootout in Pijnacker. We even sat together in the group (of course I won from Seffie, haha). Then we also started making short films together and we usually stay together during the holidays.

Lola plays at Berkel & Rodenrijs and Seffie, you play at Hoekse Waard. Do you play against each other in the competition?

Lola: No until now unfortunately not. I would like it but we are not in the same class. Hope that it will happen later or even better, together in the team, but Seffie lives in Verweggistan 

Seffie: No we are not together in the group or competition because Lola plays sub-top and I play 1st class. Too bad for now, but someday we will come together in the Dutch team (at least we hope we will). I play less high than I would like because the distance to all clubs that play in a higher class (such as HCR, HCDB, AHBC, etc.) are more than an hour's drive for me. But that will change soon

How did you start with the hockey movies and how did you find JD Hockey (Jamie Dwyer) willing to sponsor you?

Seffie: I started making videos when I was not playing hockey. First I was swimming at a high level, but I had to stop because of an injury. I found that very unfortunate, but when I saw the videos of Team Streethockey I thought “I want to be able to do this too!” So then I took a very old stick from my grandfather and I started practicing. After a while I really got the hang of it and I registered at a club with me on the island, HC Goeree Overflakkee. I had a great time there and I really learned to play hockey! I started a really serious hockey account at the beginning, which was not such a success at the beginning, but after a while ran out to 11,000 followers (with help from accounts like @teamstreethockey, @hockeyfilm and of course the coolest. @Hockeystylmagazine, because the videos were reposted). When I posted videos for a while and already tested several brands I suddenly got a dm from JDH (Jamie Dwyer Hockey) with the question if I wanted to tell something about myself and if I was interested in their brand. At first I doubted it but then I did a video with JDH in the sea and now I never want to go back, it is a really great brand and we have already experienced a lot of great things such as: recording with Jamie Dwyer, being reposted, etc. We are very grateful for that!

Lola: I liked it and tricks are always fun, but when I saw Seffie I also created an account. First I was sponsored by Solo hockey. Many people did not know it, but they were fine sticks. After a while, someone I did not know through Insta asked what I thought about JDH and if I did not like JDH sticks much better than Solo. He sent me a link with an application form for a JDH sponsorship which I then filled out. And then it turned out that JDH wanted to sponsor me.

You can also often be seen through Team Streethockey. How did you get in touch with them and what do you think of the streethockey initiative?

Seffie: I came into contact with Team Streethockey because they posted very nice videos and I reacted to them. After a while they also started to follow me and also responded to me. After a few months they have edited a video of small fragments of my best tricks and have posted them. That has really become a fat movie! We also keep in touch because we are in a large group app with multiple skillers. They have also put the street hockey on the map and made it even bigger. That is of course super cool because with freestyling you have no rules and you can do endless tricks, it never gets boring. And I think that even more children should try it!

Lola: Team Streethockey was always my big example, so I also tagged them regularly. After the video that I placed on the beach in Scheveningen they contacted me. They wanted to reproduce the video. For me that answer was not very difficult: I was very happy when they asked. Now we also have a group app on Instagram with a few others where we use our videos. We miss nothing and can give each other lots of tips. I find Streethockey very cool because you can do it everywhere, you get a much better technique and there are always new tricks to practice. And if you can do a new trick, it just feels so good.

What do you think should continue to happen to get even more people to hockey?

Lola: Streethockey matches and even more hockey accounts on Instagram!

Seffie: To get more people to play hockey it is useful to advertise the sport and also to show a different side of hockey like urban and freestyle hockey: there are so many tricks that can impress people and them get excited to practice it too! Because you never get enough of hockey.

Another idea could be to give even more women an important position in the sport, as coach, trainer, referee, chairman and so on.

You are the future, how do you see that for you when you are grown up?

Lola: I hope that we are still one of the best in the world with the Dutch team and that the women in the sport will become even more.

Seffie: As for the future, I hope for a nice hockey career, but of course you have to work hard for that, step by step. So my goal for now is Dutch girls B or A and then move on to the Dutch national team! I also hope that, in the future, if I have met the Dutch team, there is a family that supports me. Because my mother is chronically ill and tired quickly. For example, watching a hockey game from me is too heavy, then she will be in bed for a week to recover. I just hope that she will one day experience me playing a game for Orange and that she will be able to see that I not only always work hard for my dreams but also that I have realized them! And without my parents I would not have gone as far as now: they take me everywhere and sometimes shoot for 2 hours, until a movie is finally succeeded. They support me and know that I will pursue my dreams. And if the Dutch team would not succeed, then I also see myself as a national coach or sports physiotherapist of the Dutch team! But suppose that if the Dutch team does succeed, then I also have to do something and that would be my own physio practice or working somewhere on the emergency room.

Which insta accounts do you like to follow?

Seffie: The accounts I follow are mainly hockey accounts of Dutch national team players, @teamstreethockey, @hockeyfilmpje, @hockeystylemagazine, etc.

Lola: @hockeystylemagazine, @teamstreethockey, @hockeyfilmpje, @selfpass, @ seffiebakker04, @ sebastian.hockeytricks, @jeroenthertzberger (especially on YouTube)

Which music do you prefer to stream?

Lola: I actually listen very little to music, when I listen it is usually during cycling or during homework and I just turn on the Top40.

Seffie: I am not a fan of music myself. I almost never listen to music but if it then I have to go for a bit of busy music to stay active!

What is your favourite food?

Seffie: My favorite food is risotto (but of course made by my mother). 

Lola: Spinach with egg and aromat and pizza.

Lola, what is your ultimate hockey dream and what is your top tip for other hockey kids?

Lola: My dream is to get 100K followers, to get into the Dutch national team and to make the streethockey big. My top tip is to look very well at other movies (in slomo) and NEVER give up!

Seffie, what is your ultimate hockey dream and what is your top tip for other hockey kids?

Seffie: As you can already see, my hockey dream is to be in the Dutch team, get an even bigger following on my Instagram and just make people happy with my movies. Just do what you like because you will not get far without having fun. A thought that I always have with me is "without a goal you can not score" without a goal you do not achieve anything, and what you want to achieve, you have to work hard for that!

Last year was a jam packed year of hockey. 2018 saw us competing at the Commonwealth Games in Australia, the World Cup in London and still juggling club hockey for Holcombe Hockey Club in England.

Many players look forward to the winter break, to pack away your hockey equipment for a couple of months. For many of us that is not the case. Winter break is everything but time to relax. The intensity in your workouts drop slightly and there is a decrease in actual match play but don't be fooled, this is all balanced out by a lot of sprints, road running and gym circuits.

In search of much needed sun and warmth I decided to go back to South Africa and also spend time with my family during the most recent winter break. It was great to be able to see the people I love and spend the festive season with them. They always support my training schedule and understand how important it is which makes it easier.

It is nice to be able to train outside in the sun, run on the beach, go for hikes or mountain biking. It is good to stay active doing different types of activities and use other muscle groups that we don't always use in hockey. It keeps me energised and excited about training and also feeds my inner adrenaline junky.

I guess everyone is different but I love staying active and an ‘off season’ would not be the norm for me. I can get grumpy and anxious when I don't train or engage in some type of physical activity on a regular basis.

I get told many times to slow down because recovery is also very important for performance. Luckily I have a good balance and when I do the training I do because I love it then it always feels less stressful on the body and mind. I must admit warm weather always makes me train with a smile. This the best way to get my body ready to go full out again for the next part of my hockey season.

Dirkie Chamberlain

My name is Izzy Petter, I’m 18 and I started playing hockey at the age of 5 at a small hockey academy called SJB run by Olympic Gold Medalist Steve Batchelor.

I am currently playing at Surbiton and I joined the club when I was 14. During my time in the Colts section we won 4 National Titles at U14, U16 and U18 level. My favourite memory of playing in the Colts is at the 2016 national finals where we won and I scored 16 goals overall. It was such a good feeling and I’ve never scored that many goals since! Playing for the first team was quite surreal as I was training with Olympic Gold Medalists who I had watched on TV and looked up to. Training at such a high level during the week really enabled me to improve and learn from other more experienced players. 

I also had a lot of fun playing my school hockey at Cranleigh where we won four National Titles. I really enjoyed hockey at school as it was a time where I could relax and be more free to play how I wanted to. Cranleigh was very supportive of my club hockey and enabled me to go out of school to train and also leave early on a Saturday to get to games which has ultimately enabled me to play at a higher level and become a better rounded player. 

I was selected at 14 to play for the England U16 team and I’m now involved in the GB EDP (Elite Development Programme) and England U21 programmes. I recently got a call up to the Senior Squad to play in a game against Ireland.  This was an amazing experience and came as a complete shock to me as I didn’t expect it at all. I really enjoyed the experience and felt that the EDP programme had really prepared me well for the step up. Also I have recently gone to China and Belgium with the GB EDP squad, I really enjoyed these trips as it allowed me to travel and see different parts of the world as I had never been to Asia before, it was quite an experience! Probably my favourite moment since playing for England has to be winning the bronze medal at the U18 Europeans in July 2018. We were up against Germany in the third fourth playoff who we hadn’t beaten as an U18 programme for 7 years, we were down two players due to illness which included one of our captains so even before the start of the match it wasn’t looking good. We were down 1-0 until the last quarter until we managed to snatch 2 goals and come away with the bronze medal. The feeling when the last whistle went is something I’ll never forget and is one of the reasons I play hockey as I believe you can never really get that feeling in any other walk of life.

JDH: Hello Teresa, you moved from Düsseldorf to Hamburg last summer and now you are playing for UHC Hamburg. Did you settle in well in your new home? What were the reasons for your change to Hamburg?

Teresa: I settled in very well and quickly and I feel very comfortable in Hamburg and especially at the UHC. There are of course several reasons for my change to Hamburg. I completed my bachelors degree in psychology in Düsseldorf last summer and thus I had the chance to start my master degree in a new city with a new environment. Another reason was that I had the feeling that my personal development was not as good as I expected when i moved from my home club Uhlenhorst Mülheim to Düsseldorf

JDH: You were awarded as best player at the Indoor Final 4 in Stuttgart at the beginning of 2018 but then later you didn’t get into the German squad for the World Cup in London. What is it in your opinion that contributed to you not making this squad?

Teresa: Unfortunately, I have to say that this year was not optimal for me. Of course it has started well when I became European Championship in Prague and received the personal award in Stuttgart at the German Indoor Championships, but after that i was set out of action for 6-8 weeks because of bronchitis and sinusitis, which also led me to completely missing the first two training camps with the national team. It was possible to participate regular at the Bundesliga season, but at the exact time of the next training camp I pulled my hamstring so I could not participate again. In the end I was only able to play the last training camp before the world cup selection was published, where I was satisfied with my performance, but it was not enough to fly to London.

 JDH: Do you prefer indoor hockey or outdoor hockey? What is so special about indoor hockey in Germany? And are there differences in the way you played indoor hockey in Düsseldorf compared to the way you are playing with your new club UHC?

Teresa: I enjoy both, but especially the speed and the skills to perform in the smallest of spaces are the reasons why I love indoor hockey. In addition to this, especially at the Final Four, the emotions and the crowd, who create an incredible atmosphere, is much more noticeable in comparison to a Final Four on the field. I would say in Düsseldorf we played more defensively and focused on our counters, which was not unsuccessful. At the UHC we press earlier, which makes the games much more open. 

JDH: In Japan, where the German National Team had a trainings camp in November, you were part of the team again. How satisfied are you with your national team career so far?

What are your goals and aspirations for the future?

Teresa: Overall, I am very satisfied. In my first year (2017) I got the chance to play all three tournaments and to complete nearly all international matches. It was an incredible value for me to gain experience at the highest international level. Now and in the future it is my goal to establish myself in the squad, to play as many games as possible, including the Hockey Pro League and to play the European Championship in Antwerp in August. And in 2020 the Olympic Games take place in Tokyo, which are an absolute dream for me and it would be a great honor to wear the DANAS jersey and to represent Germany there.

JDH: Teresa, thanks a lot for this interview. We wish you all the best for your career and for your future.