Black Stick Says Dio Experience Will Help On Tour

For Immediate Release

16 September, 2009

Youngest Black Stick Says Dio Experience Will Help On South African Tour

Diocesan School student Samantha Harrison says her experience captaining her victorious First XI Hockey team should stand her in great stead when she heads to South Africa next month as the youngest member of the Black Sticks.

Harrison, 18, was chosen this month as the Black Sticks’ 19th player for the Champions Challenge tournament being held in Cape Town from October 11 to 18.

Her selection came one day before Diocesan School’s First XI were crowned this year’s national champions with a 2-0 win over St Margaret’s College in the Federation Cup final in Wellington.

The Diocesan First XI also hold the Auckland and Intercity titles and the School’s Second XI are national champions in their grade this year as well as being ranked an impressive sixth in the open grade.

“Playing for Diocesan with my peer group and captaining our team has given me really valuable experience at having to make mature decisions,” says Harrison, who comes from Whangarei and boards at the all-girls, Anglican, independent school in Auckland.

“Being in a leadership role as a captain should help me when I am touring with the older Black Sticks and have to follow others’ leadership.”

Black Sticks coach Mark Hager says as 19th player, Harrison is scheduled to play only practice matches in Cape Town unless other players are injured, but the South African tour will assist in her development.

“We are mindful of how much hockey Samantha has been playing this year and we want to avoid burnout. It is also good for her to enjoy playing within her peer group,” says Hager.

As well as school hockey, Harrison, who plays striker and left inner for the Black Sticks, has played this year for her club Southern Districts, the Auckland Women’s National League Team and the Auckland Under 21 team.

“The idea is to nurture Samantha at this stage to ensure that in three or four years she does not get an injury from overuse,” says Hager. “Hopefully she will be a player of the future for some time.”

Harrison, whose older sister Charlotte is also a Black Stick, says she realises that playing with her peer group now, while she can, is important.

“I was completely surprised to be chosen for Cape Town. I am just really happy to have the experience of going away with the team,” says Harrison, whose games with the Black Sticks against international sides China and Argentina have been in New Zealand.

The Black Sticks leave for South Africa on October 1 for the Champions Challenge in which the world’s 7th to 14th ranked teams compete against each other. The winner then gains direct entry into the Champions Trophy for which the world’s top six teams compete. At school girl hockey level, Harrison, who was named the Federation Cup’s most valuable Player, is regarded as a stand out player.

Diocesan’s director of sport, Chris Wilson, says her form, and that of the school’s two winning teams this year, reflects the concerted effort put into developing the strength of hockey at the school.

“Hockey is one of the key targeted sports at Diocesan. Our results this year are a direct reflection of the input of our coaches over several years,” says Wilson.

“Diocesan has been one of the leading schools in the Federation Cup for the last 15 years. It has been a deliberate policy to recruit and retain good quality people with a long term goal to become the top school and we have achieved that this year.”

Diocesan’s current First XI coach, John Daji, was preceded by Andy McGregor who coached the team for three years until 2008.

Before that Ray Parmenter had a long association with Diocesan, coaching the junior, intermediate and premier levels. He coached the First XI for three years, including in 2003 when the school last won the Intercity Championship.

Wilson said it was a remarkable achievement for Diocesan’s Second XI to be ranked 6th overall this year – behind only the school’s First XI team and those from Rangitoto, St Cuthberts, Epsom Girls Grammar and Kristin School.

ends

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