Field hockey squad on a mission to succeed

The 2008 season of field hockey at McGill featured an enthusiastic, hard-working squad that had a great experience together and displayed significantly more success than in recent years.  

Although the team has been burdened by the lack of a feeder program from the Quebec CEGEP school system, the McGill coaching staff works hard each year to overcome that by encouraging recruits from outside the province, particularly from field hockey hotbeds in Ontario, British Columbia, the United States, and Europe.  

Last season was a banner year for such "imports," who quickly meshed with and were mentored by the strong core of returning players.  

The 2008 campaign also featured an expanded coaching staff.  The depth of experience that they brought to the program allowed them to focus on skills in small groups.  This resulted in the most competitive season in a long time for the squad.  

The prospects for continued improvement are even brighter for the 2009 fall season, as a better structure, combined with a renewed recruitment program, should contribute to propelling the team to the next competitive level.

Potential recruits interested in playing for the McGill women's field hockey team should contact assistant coach Iain Martyn (Iain.Martyn [at] mail.mcgill.ca).

SOURCE: Earl Zukerman Communications Officer Athletics & Recreation McGill University 475 Pine Avenue W., Montreal, QC  H2W 1S4 CANADA 514-398-7012 (Tel.) 514-398-1956 (Fax) www.mcgill.ca/athletics