smurfsey
Feb 10, 2004, 14:54
I play hockey (field not ice). I have since I was in school and now all the way through college too. In Ireland, the big thing is to get chosen to represent your province, in the same way as in rugby. Mine is Leinster. While I was in school, it was very obvious that certain schools dominated the leinster teams for under 16 and under 18. Now that I play club hockey, I have had a chance to view it from the club side.
Before Christmas, I played for my team (the 3rds in the 3rd division) but also had to play a few matches for the 2nds because our 1st's keeper had been called up for International Training and Trials. The 2nds captain thoguth that since I was playing so well to put me in for the trials for the Leinster Junior Trials. Clubs were asked to nominate 2 players from each club to go forward to the trials. Our club put in 5. At the trials, we weren't the only club to put extra players forward. The trials consisted of an hour of skills and then everyone divided into 3 teams and playing 3 matches till the session was over. Of the probably, 35 players there, it was narrowed down to 22. There were 4 keepers, 3 made it into the last 22. I made it. So did all 5 players from my club, all the players from two other big Dublin clubs and one or two usual suspects who I think were on the team last year.
It made me think. I thought that all four of the keepers were pretty much on the same level. Did I make it over the keeper who didn't because of the club I play for? One of the other keepers were last year's and the other was from the second biggest club in Dublin (I'm from the biggest)
So I ask:
Do you find it sad when you see politics interfere with sport? When you see parents and coaches screaming at their kids that they aren't playing well enough? When international or provinical teams are being chosen to compete that the players who come from better backgrounds or the biggest clubs are often the ones who will get chosen? Shouldn't it be based on the players who are the best getting picked? Or is it just easier to assume that if you come from a bigger club that you must be better because it is harder to get to the higher levels?
Before Christmas, I played for my team (the 3rds in the 3rd division) but also had to play a few matches for the 2nds because our 1st's keeper had been called up for International Training and Trials. The 2nds captain thoguth that since I was playing so well to put me in for the trials for the Leinster Junior Trials. Clubs were asked to nominate 2 players from each club to go forward to the trials. Our club put in 5. At the trials, we weren't the only club to put extra players forward. The trials consisted of an hour of skills and then everyone divided into 3 teams and playing 3 matches till the session was over. Of the probably, 35 players there, it was narrowed down to 22. There were 4 keepers, 3 made it into the last 22. I made it. So did all 5 players from my club, all the players from two other big Dublin clubs and one or two usual suspects who I think were on the team last year.
It made me think. I thought that all four of the keepers were pretty much on the same level. Did I make it over the keeper who didn't because of the club I play for? One of the other keepers were last year's and the other was from the second biggest club in Dublin (I'm from the biggest)
So I ask:
Do you find it sad when you see politics interfere with sport? When you see parents and coaches screaming at their kids that they aren't playing well enough? When international or provinical teams are being chosen to compete that the players who come from better backgrounds or the biggest clubs are often the ones who will get chosen? Shouldn't it be based on the players who are the best getting picked? Or is it just easier to assume that if you come from a bigger club that you must be better because it is harder to get to the higher levels?