Field Hockey Wrap Up

By Bunny Hughes GNS field hockey had a fantastic season! At GNS there are two teams, one competitive and one developmental. This year our whole squad was comprised of more than forty girls, with a record number of Grade 12s playing—11 in total! The development team was coached by GNS alum Simrin Kaloti and captained by Grade 12 player Nancy Huang. They finished third in the city and went undefeated at the Tier 2 Island Championship. We are very grateful for Simrin’s expertise as well as the kind, caring and enthusiastic attitude that she brought to every game and practice! The best thing about our competitive team is that there is such a big mix of grades and abilities, but we come together very easily to play as a team. We are not necessarily a team of field hockey players, but a team of athletes who are keen to learn and try their best. Since there is no A division in BC, we compete in AA, which means we have to face some pretty big schools and tough competition. This year we finished second in the city, fourth on the Island and eleventh at the Provincial Championships with a record of three wins, two losses and one tie. We were captained by Rebecca Vesey and Annie McLeod. At the provincials, our most outstanding player was Brooke Taylor, our center midfielder known for her insanely good defensive skills. Most Valuable Player was Rebecca Vesey, our number-one hitter with impressive stick skills. Top Stick Award went to Annie McLeod for her work on the right D in working the ball up the field. Spirit Award went to Emma Zarzour, our fastest and most determined player. Most Versatile was Julia Newcombe, who could be counted on to step into any position on the field and perform for her team. We were also very lucky to have Carlotta Selter, a Grade 10 international student from Germany. She brought incredible skill and strength on the ball and was the key player in our attack. We also had two brand new goaltenders this year who were both very impressive. With the help of our amazing and helpful coach Andrew Jackson, goalies Antonia Schumacher and Amelia Brown learned very quickly and made some incredible saves throughout the season. Another impressive performance was by Grade 11 student Eliza Baines, who really grew in skill and confidence this season and is an amazing team player! The success of our season can mainly be attributed to the strong leadership of our Grade 12s–those listed above, as well as our all-star forward with a wicked shot Alessandra diFressenato; our starting sweeper with incredibly timed tackles, Emily Thompson; Cassidy Brumby, our grinder who often can be found sprawled out on the turf diving for balls; our left winger and goal scorer Nicole Gonin; our reliable left defender, Siobhan Golonka, who never gives up on the ball, and our fast-winger and space-creator, Sydney Hemphill. They were a fantastic group of athletes to work with, and will be greatly missed by their coaches and teammates next year. Outstanding work, Gryphons!