If their recent performances are anything to go by, the SPAR National Women’s Hockey team should come out on tops in the upcoming All Africa Games, which also feature top opposition like Ghana and Nigeria.
But the team is not taking anything for granted, and are working flat out to ensure they qualify for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. National Captain, Marsha Marescia, spared gsport five minutes of her time to discuss their progress so far.
Congratulations on your performance in Ireland! How did you rate the tour?
On a scale of 1-10, I would give it a 7. We achieved our goals but we are still capable of playing better hockey
You’re off to the Africa Games in Kenya. What is the importance of this event?
It’s our Olympic qualifier so it’s REALLY important. We need to convincingly win this event to prove that we are worthy of a place at the Beijing Olympics.
How strong are you expecting the competition to be at the Kenya event?
The competition will be fairly tough as teams like Ghana and Nigeria have shown great improvement over the years. I think that it’s exciting knowing that we will have a challenge every game.
Are you happy with the team’s preparations as you vie for a place at the Olympics?
We have been on a really good training program and I believe that we will be at our peak at the Olympic Games.
I’m happy, although it has been tough, and will get tougher, to ensure that we are ready to compete at the Olympics.
What would it mean to you, personally, to qualify for the Olympics?
An Olympic Games is one of the highlights of a sports person’s career. I would be ecstatic when we qualify because it will be a dream come true, not only for me but for all the players in our team.
It will also make the hard work and many sacrifices that we make definitely worthwhile.
How would you rate your team’s performance compared to the standard of play around the world?
For the top teams we have always been tough opposition. If we can play in the final of a four nation’s tournament during our non-peak phase you can only imagine how good we will be when we do peak.
Compared to the rest of the world we are worthy of a top 6 ranking, we just need to achieve the results that our performances prove we are capable of.
How has more international competition impacted on the rest of your life?
Wow, where to begin. The more we compete the better it is for our hockey, however something’s gotta give. It’s tough but we manage. Everything else gets put on hold.
We lose out on income which makes life a lot more difficult when we do get back from tours- paying bills, cramming to write exams, etc. We see less of our loved ones.
Although there are many down points when going away, with regards to the rest of your life; when you put your green and gold kit on it’s all worth it.
Singing the anthem with the rest of the team and just dying out there for each other makes every sacrifice worth it.
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