In 2014 Shelley Russell achieved her 200th Cap for the SA Womens Hockey Team and in so doing cemented her name in the sports history. Her own remarkable history includes two Olympic Games, the Hockey World cup and the Commonwealth games-all this alongside hundreds of international matches. Shelley is an international sportswoman in every sense having lived in South Africa, England, Belgium and the Netherlands.
1) Why hockey?
The game of hockey suits me perfectly. Our family has always been involved in a variety of sports, and I have tried my hand at almost everything that I was able to, but it is the team dynamic of hockey that appeals to me. It is sociable, and I love to travel and be on tour with my team. It is physically challenging, and requires a lot of running which helps me expend the large amount of energy I was born with. The game is always evolving and requires skill which means it is constantly challenging me. I was brought up with a lot of friendly competition in my household, with two sporty brothers keeping me on my toes with garden games and contests.
2) When did you realise your love for hockey?
I took part in every sport that I possibly could in junior school at Auckland Park Preparatory, such as tennis, netball, running, and swimming. However, when I was first introduced to hockey at the age of about 7, I loved it from the start. A few years ago I came across my old school diary, in which I had written down my aspiration of one day playing hockey for the National team. I must have been about 8 years old at the time!
3) If not hockey, then what other sport would you have chosen?
I have always enjoyed taking part in whatever is going on at the time. I don’t have much time available to devote to them, but I really enjoy the odd game of squash or tennis. I enjoy mountain-biking or road cycling whenever I can, and have entered a few races from time to time. I usually drag a few unwilling mates to join me on these occasions, just to make it more interesting! I recently invested in a set of golf clubs, and although just starting out, find it not as easy as hockey!!
4) What will you do when you retire from hockey?
I hope to stay very active and possibly play social hockey in the mixed leagues – I am not sure I would be able to give it up completely. My mother played social Masters Hockey until her mid-forties, until a pinched nerve in her lower back forced her to pack it in, so if I follow her trend, I still have a few years left in me. I will also probably take part in squash and tennis, as they are also sociable sports. It will be lovely to have some of my evenings back to go for dinners with friends, and catch up on some relationships that I have let slip. Before I lose too much of the conditioning and fitness that I have earned, I would like to have a go at setting a Personal Best (PB) at a half-marathon at some time, and see if the road-running bug bites.
5) What’s the worst part of training and why?
The niggles and muscular pain would be the worst. I am not particularly supple, and find that my muscles tighten and frequently go into spasms. It is rare that I can have a full tour or camp with no pain, especially as our bodies get put through intense periods of training in a short space of time, and the recovery time between sessions is not sufficient. Fortunately, we have physios looking out for us, and identifying and treating our various ailments. I also find fitness testing a bane of my existence! Although I invariably do well enough in them, it is mostly a mental thing, and something that I dread every time.
6) Where does South Africa need to improve in order to move into the top 10 in ladies?
The bottom line here, is that we need to be playing more international matches on a regular basis. Obviously this does not come without proper funding. We have had fantastic team sponsors in the past, such as Investec, which has allowed us to prepare for, and compete in various tournaments against the top hockey sides in the world. I believe, though, that we are the only amateur side playing in the top 15 countries in world hockey, so we have done well to hold our own against full-time professionals. It has been a source of great frustration to us as players, to compete regularly against top countries, to see the margins narrow, and pull off some memorable victories against sides ranked in the top 3 in the world, and then the process unravels because of the lack of an ongoing programme, due to lack of funding. If we could have proper, full time programmes in place, and be allowed to put all our focus into the programmes, and not have to divide our time between work and training, then you would see massive improvements. The way we have had to structure our training camps, with much intensity in a short space of time, has been to our detriment, I feel, in that we have often gone into major tournaments “overcooked,” with key players breaking down with injuries just prior to big events, such as our Hockey World Cup in The Hague. A more gradual, sustained build-up over a period of time would have stood us in such good stead, and crucial, marginal games might have gone in our favour.
We have heard with great anticipation from our sports ministry, rumours and rumblings about the establishment of a professional hockey league, but to date nothing further has transpired, and it all comes down to a lack of funding.
7) What’s your greatest asset as a player?
I would say it is my speed and work rate. I was blessed with some fast-twitch muscle fibres, which has aided me in hockey. I find that I am able to accelerate out of tackles and tight situations, hopefully with the ball!!
8) How do you deal with a poor performance from you?
I have learnt to deal with it better as the years went on. I used to be very hard on myself, and it would take a while to get over a bad performance. I do know now that sport is very often unpredictable, and that even the best players can have bad days, or even bad periods (dips in form and performance). This is normal and as long as you always strive for consistency, there is not much else you can do about a bad day, except keep things simple and do the basics well. In hockey we are lucky as there is a rolling substitution system, where players can replace those not performing up to scratch, so you can go off, take a breather, and focus on how to correct certain aspects of your game. The role of the coaching staff can be crucial here. A lot of bad form arises out of one’s confidence levels which can be managed.
9) What drives you to do your best?
The constant need to win, and fulfil a dream I have had for SA Hockey. I have always wanted to stand on a podium at a big tournament, such as a World Cup, Commonwealth or Olympic Games. To be competing with major hockey countries, and winning on a more regular basis is all I want for SA Hockey. I would love hockey to grow and gain popularity amongst the youth and the sporting public, to grow the sport in this county for the future.
10) What’s your worst habit?
I am an insomniac, and my worst habit is to activate/stimulate my mind just before sleeping, by looking at my computer, cell phone and other technologies just before bedtime. The light from a screen is also not conducive for sleeping, and despite all the assistance of my Tempur bed, stimulating my mind when I should be preparing for sleep, is just not clever! I do enjoy looking through social media and catching up on what everyone is busy with, and often this is the only time that I find for it at the end of a busy day. It is a habit that I need to break.
11) Do you eat healthy all the time?
I mostly eat healthily, and take supplements to replace what I have burned up during a day. However, I am human and especially during hard training periods I do believe in rewarding myself with the odd treat, such as a chocolate or an ice-cream. Moderation is the key in everything!
12) What do you do in your spare time?
I love travelling, and hockey has given me the opportunity to see some interesting parts of the world, and get exposed to different cultures and people. Even if it’s locally to a bush camp site a few hours out of Job, new experiences with friends are just my best. I enjoy keeping in contact with friends and acquaintances, by browsing through photos on the web. (E.g. Instagram and Pintrest)
13) What are your fears and why?
I don’t have many fears or phobias, but very often during a particular tournament, or even a scheduled fitness assessment the next day, my insomnia seems to kick in, and I lie awake all night wondering how I am going to cope the next day, on little or no sleep. When this happens several days and nights in a row, I know that I am in trouble …..
14) Who is your favourite player (past or present) and why?
I have never really had role models, or tried to aspire to be like anyone in particular. However, I was always amazed at the incredible skill of the now-retired Argentinian, Luciana Aymar. She was so naturally talented that it was almost amusing to see her glide past player after player with such ease and composure, wearing her pink boots. She has been described as the best women’s hockey player of all time, and after an unprecedented 8 times being nominated as the women’s world hockey player of the year, justifiably so.
15) What advice would you give to youngsters trying to make it into their school first team or their
Provincial team?
Act like a sponge and take in EVERY opportunity that comes your way. Equip yourself to obtain your personal goals. You must make use of every learning opportunity and never take these for granted. Every coach and fellow team mate, no matter how good or bad has something they can teach you. Don’t stop practising when you get it right; keep going until you can’t get it wrong!
Please feel free to follow Shelley on Twitter: @Shells_bells_
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