Recorder – Olympics: The ground hockey tournament has a UMass flavor

Sarah Hawkshaw spent much of last year alone on the field.

In his home country of Ireland, national locks prevented people from wandering more than two miles from their house. Hawkshaw, a 2018 UMass graduate, knew the Irish women’s field hockey team had a place at the Tokyo Olympics. He was on the field at DublinsEnergia Park on 13 March 2019, when Ireland reached its first Olympics after a stomachache. They retreated 3-1 before coming together to make it.

We did it in the hardest way possible, Hawkshaw said. Can also make it an opportunity. It wasn’t quite fun when you stood there.

One and a half weeks later, the 2020 Olympics were postponed for a year. At times, the COVID-19 pandemic changed lives around the world. Most sports came to a complete halt. Hawkshaw couldn’t be with his teammates, so he trained alone.

I controlled what I could do. So I was like right, I can be the most suitable person in this field, I can be the most suitable person in all fields, he said. I spent hours on the fields themselves in the first lock. Now when I look back at it, I see how valuable it all was because it really improved my game.

Although shedding was played for the Irish national team for three months at the time, he did not feel safe on the team or some protection went to Tokyo when the Olympics finally took place.

You can only be your last performance, and that makes it so special, Hawkshaw said.

He and his teammates never wavered in believing that the games would continue, that they were the team that made their Irelands Olympics debut. There was no other option for them.

I don’t think we’ve ever believed it can be undone, and I don’t think we can. We definitely had to believe that it was going on this year, last year whenever it was, Hawkshaw said.

Her work and faith were rewarded when she was appointed to Ireland’s first women’s national hockey team in late June.

It was very nervous and sweaty. In top sports, your seat should never be fully set. You’re just as good as your last game, your last tournament, Hawkshaw said. The Irish team really showed up for these Olympics. There were some big names that stayed home. It was quite a shock.

Hawkshaw and Ireland arrived in Japan last week and spent several days in Iwate, a seven-hour drive north of Tokyo. They will open their Olympic schedule at 8:15 a.m. Saturday against South Africa, where current UMass goalkeeper Marlisevan Tonderas is the travel reserve. They are the tenth and ninth women representing their countries at the Olympics.

They have no doubt not only about their talent, but also about their work ethic and aspiration, their passion for the game that encouraged them to achieve whatever they wanted in this sport, UMass coach Barb Weinberg said. I am very proud of them. I’m not surprised. I knew they would be able to achieve their goals based on the nature of their nature.

Weinberg only coached Hawkshaw in his senior year when he joined Minutewomen in 2017, but would have kept him happy for longer if he could.

Unwanted players want you to be able to coach them for 10 years, and there was no eligibility, Weinberg said. He was someone who led the deeds, but also because of his behavior and talent, he was a natural leader and everyone wanted to follow him.

UMass hosted the Atlantic 10 championship game Hawkshaws older year and dropped 2-0 to Saint Josephs in the first hour. Hawkshaw kicked off the rally with the help of Minutewomen forcing overtime. Although UMass fell to the finish line of sudden death, Hawkshaw played almost every second and his legs trembled the last time he walked from the Gladchuk Field Hockey Complex.

His roughness and ability to push even in times of extreme fatigue, even though he’s the kind of athlete, Weinberg said.

He is now starting to show some of the same leadership qualities with Ireland. Hawkshaw, who plays semi-professionally at the Railway Union Club, benefited from an extra year to develop both his stick and his mindset.

It gave me an extra year to get involved in international hockey, to understand international hockey. I need to have a little more impact and get up to speed with it, Hawkshaw said. I can now speak with confidence knowing my role and knowing what we are trying to do and what the goals of the group are.

Ireland is the ninth ranked team in the world and reached the World Cup final in 2018.

We looked at this tournament game on a game-by-game basis. We had a European tournament that we were not completely happy with. We felt left out, Hawkshaw said. It was the first time we were in the tournament again, so I think you understand why things happen. We hope to get out of the big group. Anything could happen in these big tournaments.

It starts against South Africa, which is also in the A-pool with defending world champions Netherlands, India, Britain and Germany. Van Tonder is unlikely to be on the field trying to keep Hawkshaw out of the goal. As a luggage compartment, watch watch standing and not on a bench.

I have tried to embrace the service mentality well, I always try to be service minded in the team, but also now because I focus entirely on serving the team, van Tonder said. I need to be ready to play at any time, so I need to stay involved in team discussions. I always focus on training regardless of my position and making sure the first team has everything they need.

Its a unique role that can seem fulfilling and frustrating at the same time. Fortunately, he was able to rely on Weinberg for advice. Weinberg was a deputy for the 2008 bronze-winning team in Beijing, USA.

Its interesting you’re so excited to be there, but there’s a feeling in your mind that you want more than you train like any other team, Weinberg said. Able to mentor him for that incredibly proud position that comes up, and he should also be incredibly proud of it.

Van Tonder had a long conversation with Weinberg shortly after he was named one of the travel reserves in late May.

I’m really grateful for his support because he knows what it’s like and what you’re going through, van Tonder said.

Weinberg and the rest of the UMass program have been in touch while at home in South Africa during the pandemic. There are FaceTime calls every other week, regular text messages and the team SnapChat.

Removes the glue that holds the team together. He is such a positive person, he is very inclusive. He always comes to practice with his simple face. Our players are thriving on that, Weinberg said. No doubt we missed him this spring and lacked his presence on the field and beyond.

Van Tonder thought he could return to UMass in the spring season, but travel restrictions from South Africa were airtight due to the COVID-19 variant.

I definitely missed my UMass teammates a lot, van Tonder said. It’s nice to stay connected, but it’s not the same as waking up at six and having early morning exercises and a game day routine and all those things.

He has another year of eligibility with UMass and will return to Amherst after the games.

I can be able to bring my experience into this environment surrounded by great people, Van Tonder said. I think this is something valuable to bring to the team.

Kyle Grabowski is available at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @kylegrbwsk.