Vancouver Island celebrates four high school girls field hockey teams qualifying for the upcoming AAA BC Provincial Championships hosted this week, Nov. 9-11, at Tamanawis Fields in Surrey, B.C. Cowichan High, Oak Bay, Frances Kelsey and Mount Doug are all heading to the championships.

The 2015 reigning AAA champions, Cowichan High, return as favourites for the tournament and know the road to a repeat victory will include facing mainland strengths such as Carson Graham and Handsworth. Cowichan will play Kelowna, Charles Best and Eric Hamber in Pool B of the 16-team tournament. The team is led by coaches and former Cowichan players Perri Espeseth and Caitlin Evans, while the team features junior national team members Sara Goodman in midfield and Robin Fleming in goal as well as stand outs Emma Dame and Jillian Wallace.

Also qualifying for the championship is Mount Douglas Secondary who will face South Delta, McMath and Churchill in Pool D. Mount Doug is led by two former Mount Doug grads, coaches Andrea Rushton and Derrick Norton. The Rams are led by a cohort of regional and provincial athletes including Stefanie Sajko, Claire Church, Natalie Boraston, Janet Dawson and Brecken Sales.

Frances Kelsey qualified for the AAA championship after coming second in the Island Championship and they will match up against powerhouse Handsworth, fellow islanders Oak Bay and Penticton, all in Pool A. The Frances Kelsey Breakers are led by head coach Alison Andersen and have strengths in central defender Hannah Craig as well as the offensive power of veteran Kyla Toljander.

Oak Bay qualified for the AAA Championship through a wildcard win over West Vancouver last week and the young team earned their spot thanks to the talents of regional players Reilly Sinclair, Judy Cristante, Cara Butler, Carmen Andiel, Sophia Berk, Nora Strutchup and Lexi Knight. Oak Bay have two former UVic Vikes coaching them in Kolette Cristante and Kira Starr.

Pool A: Handsworth, Frances Kelsey, Oak Bay, Penticton
Pool B: Cowichan, Kelowna, Charles Best, Eric Hamber
Pool C: Carson Graham, Gleneagle, Kitsilano, Sullivan Heights
Pool D: South Delta, McMath, Mt. Douglas, Churchill

For Championship Schedule Click here: http://www.bcschoolsports.ca/sites/default/files/files/attachments/2016%20AAA%20Field%20Hockey%20Championship%20Draw.pdf

For more information click here: http://www.bcschoolsports.ca/championship/field-hockey-girls-aaa

All umpires are invited and encouraged to attend the South Island Field Hockey Umpire’s Association Annual General Meeting next Monday, November 14. We will be adopting of our long-awaited constitution and bylaw as well as other business such as education and development.

The meeting will be held at the Pacific Sport office, which is in the lower part of the Saanich Commonwealth Pool.

If you have any questions, please contact Kevin Burns kjburns@outlook.com or Denise McGeachy denise.mcgeachy@gmail.com

Look forward to seeing you there.

Denise McGeachy
250.588.8948
denise.mcgeachy@gmail.com

See attached agenda.

It was a repeat of 2015 as the University of Victoria Vikes women’s field hockey team were dealt their second-straight national final loss in shootouts today, Nov. 6. The UBC Thunderbirds tied the game up at one with nine minutes left on the clock to hoist their unprecedented sixth-straight McCrae Cup as CIS (USports) national champions.

Despite the loss the Vikes had many takeaways from the season including a pretty grand individual finale for fifth-year defender Annie Walters-Shumka. The Claremont grad and Lynx club member capped her senior year off winning the Canada West and USports Gail Wilson Award for Community Service.

A four-time CIS Academic All-Canadian and a Canada West All-Star in two of her five years with the team, Annie has been an important member of the Vikes team both on and off the field. The Vikes co-captain spends much of her free time volunteering as a medical intern, clinic volunteer, ambulatory care unit volunteer, Active Start program leader with Special Olympics, math and science tutor and field hockey coach.

Walters-Shumka volunteered in Nepal this past summer as an under-graduate medical intern. While in Nepal, she also volunteered in a Diabetes Clinic helping to educate people about the disease.

Last year, she was named a CIS Championship All-Star after helping lead the Vikes to CIS silver on home turf. Despite her multiple commitments on and off the field, she manages an 8.5 GPA (on a 9-point scale) in the faculty of Science.

“Annie is an amazing young woman,” said head coach Lynne Beecroft. “To be honest, it astonishes me that she can do so well at university, do all of this volunteer work and still make such a huge impact on the varsity women’s field hockey team.”

At the 2016 national championship Annie was named a tournament all-star alongside her sister and third-year defender, Kristina Walters-Shumka.

Kristina was also named a Canada West All-Star along side fifth year players Amanda Kurianowicz, Lizzie Yates, Kathleen Leahy and Rosie Beale, the latter three who are all from Vancouver Island. Kurianowicz, Yates and Leahy were also named 2016 USports All-Canadians.

The Vikes finished their 2016 national campaign with a 3-2 win over Guelph, a 1-1 tie against UBC and a 0-0 tie against Toronto in pool play. In the championship game the Vikes led 1-0 on a goal from Kurianowicz. UBC’s Gabby Jayme tied it up in the 61st minute deflecting in a penalty corner shot and ultimately sending the game to shoot outs.

UBC netminder Gabriella Switzer came up big for the T-Birds, stopping all four Vikes she faced, while 2016 U Sports co-player of the year Rachel Donohoe and fourth-year midfielder Sarah Keglowitsch both scored to secure the T-Birds victory. Annie Walters-Shumka was named player of the game for Victoria.

With the closing of the tournament UBC’s Haughn was named Championship MVP for the second-straight year, while Vikes Lindsay Cole and Annie and Kristina Walters-Shumka were named to the Tournament All-Star list.

Island players Sarah Keglowitsch and Sara Lowes are members of the UBC team that won. UBC adds to their national record, claiming their 18th U Sports title in program history, and becomes the only team to have won six consecutive national banners dating back to 1975. The T-Birds improve to 18-6 in 24 national final appearances, while also bettering their head-to-head record over the Vikes to 12-11-7 in U Sports championship history.

“I’m really proud of the transformation that this team has made since the beginning of the season,” said Vikes head coach Lynne Beecroft. “I think everyone stepped up after we lost Kathleen Leahy a couple of weeks ago. It’s going to be sad for me to lose the five players that I lose this year because they are such quality hockey players but more importantly they are such quality people. The winning or losing is what it is but I’m going to really miss those young ladies.”

Though Annie Walters-Shumka is one of the five that Beecroft will lose, her sister, Kristina, still has two more seasons to help the Vikes re-claim the national title, last won in 2008.

2016 CHAMPIONSHIP HONOURS
Championship MVP: Hannah Haughn (North Vancouver, B.C.), UBC
R.W. Pugh Fair Play Award: Guelph Gryphons

2016 Championship All-Stars:
Lindsay Cole (Victoria, B.C.), Victoria
Ciara Condon (London, Ont.), Guelph
Rachel Donohoe (North Vancouver, B.C.), UBC
Hannah Haughn (North Vancouver, B.C.), UBC
Olivia Lane (Guelph, Ont.), Guelph
Alison Lee (Mississauga, Ont.), Toronto
Elizabeth O’Hara (Oakville, Ont.), Toronto
Rebecca Plouffe (Oakville, Ont.), Guelph
Annie Walters-Shumka (Victoria, B.C.), Victoria
Kristina Walters-Shumka (Victoria, B.C.), Victoria
Emma Wingrave (Oakville, Ont.), Toronto

Files from University of Toronto Communications (USports Communications)

Registration is now open! Here is the link to the FHBC website with information -
http://fieldhockeybc.com/Umpires/UmpireEducation/UmpireCoursesOffered/tabid/577/Default.aspx

Direct link to reg: https://www.fieldhockeybc.ca/fhbc/courses.php/

Provincial Courses are 60$ for FHBC members and 80$ for non-members. Courses are two sessions of 3 hours, including theory and exam. Participants are required to attend both sessions to be eligible to write the exam. Candidates must be a minimum of 13 years by the end of the calendar year to register.

VICTORIA – November 2016
Dates: November 21 & 24, 2016 (last day to register: Wednesday November 9, 2016)
Time: Two sessions from 6:30pm – 9:30pm on each of Monday November 21 and Thursday November 24, 2016
Venue: Room 329A, PISE Building (4371 Interurban Road, Victoria)
Course Conductor: Denise McGeachy
Registration link can be found here!

REMINDER Regional Courses:
Regional Courses are 80$ for FHBC members. Courses are open to umpires who have a CURRENT Provincial Umpire rating, and are interested in the first steps towards fulfilling the Regional certification requirements. Regional Courses are two sessions of 3 hours, and participants are required to attend both sessions to be eligible to write the exam. Contact the Field Hockey BC office at (604) 737-3046, or email eventsandofficials@fieldhockeybc.com with any questions.
VICTORIA – November 2016

Dates: Saturday November 5, 2016 (last day to register: Friday October 28)
Time: 10:30am-1:30pm, and 3pm-6pm, Saturday
Venue: Room 155, McKinnon Building, University of Victoria (This course is not offered or sponsored by the University of Victoria, and the University is not responsible for the content)
Instructor: Alan Waterman

University of Victoria Vikes head coach Lynne Beecroft was crowned Canada West Coach of the Year for the second-straight season on Sunday, Oct. 23. The Vikes also picked up two other major awards as former Lynx defender Annie Walters-Shumka was named the Gail Wilson Outstanding Contributor Award winner and first-year Vike and Vancouver native Emily Wong was named Rookie of the Year. In addition, four seniors were named to the Canada West All-Star list (Rosie Beale, Kathleen Leahy, Amanda Kurianowicz and Lizzie Yates) along side Kristina Walters-Shumka.

NEW WESTMINSTER – The Canada West field hockey major awards were anounced on Sunday afternoon and last year’s CIS Coach of the Year Lynne Beecroft was named Canada West Coach of the Year once again.

Rachel Donohoe, named Canada West Player of the Year, and the T-Birds capped off their championship season with a 3-0 win against the Calgary Dinos Sunday afternoon in Vancouver, as UBC put the finishing touches on a 6-0-2 regular season record.

UBC, along with the second-place Victoria Vikes (4-2-2), will now head to the University of Toronto November 3-6 for the national tournament. The Thunderbirds travel to the Ontario capital looking for their sixth consecutive national championship.

Joining Donohoe as an award winner was fellow T-Bird Gabriella Switzer (Goalkeeper of the Year) and Victoria’s Emily Wong (Rookie of the Year), Annie Walters-Shumka (Outstanding Contributor) and Beecroft (Coach of the Year).

Rookie of the Year – Emily Wong
Victoria Vikes, Midfielder, Vancouver, BC
1st-year, Education

Emily Wong started every game for the Vikes women’s field hockey team this season at centre midfield – one of the toughest positions to play on the field. A quick learner, Wong jumped into an important role with the team, finishing the season with one goal while drawing some of toughest matchups in games against UBC and Calgary.

When injuries forced head coach Lynne Beecroft to shuffle her lineup, Wong took to the challenge and showcased her versatility, moving to the backfield and doing an excellent job against a tough squad in the UBC Thunderbirds.

Wong, a three-time member of the BC ‘A’ program that won the national championship this past summer, was also an essential part of the Vikes penalty corner offensive unit in her first year with the team.

“As a first-year athlete, Emily played an integral role for us,” said head coach Lynne Beecroft. “She reads the game well, was always tasked to mark one of the top players on the opposition and was able to score one goal from her centre midfield position this season.”

Outstanding Contributor (Gail Wilson Award nominee) –
Annie Walters-Shumka
Victoria Vikes, Defender, Victoria, BC
5th-year, Science

A four-time CIS Academic All-Canadian and a Canada West All-Star in two of her five years with the team, Walters-Shumka has been an important member of the Vikes team both on and off the field. She gives her all at practice and games, taking time to step in and mentor her teammates, and spends much of her time off the field volunteering as a medical intern, clinic volunteer, ambulatory care unit volunteer, Active Start program leader with Special Olympics, math and science tutor and field hockey coach.

She has coached multiple field hockey teams in Victoria, including in the Victoria Spring League, the Monterey Middle School team and the UVic Rising Stars program. Last year, she was named a CIS Championship All-Star after helping lead the Vikes to CIS silver on home turf. Despite multiple commitments on and off the field, she manages an 8.5 GPA (on a 9-point scale) in the faculty of Science.

“Annie is an amazing young woman who has been chosen by her teammates as their 2016 CW Gail Wilson Award nominee,” said head coach Lynne Beecroft. “To be honest, it astonishes me that she can do so well at university, do all of this volunteer work and still make such a huge impact on the varsity women’s field hockey team.”

Coach of the Year – Lynne Beecroft
Victoria Vikes

In her 33rd year with the team, Lynne Beecroft led the University of Victoria Vikes to a 4-2-2 record, with both losses coming by one goal against UBC. Last year’s CIS Coach of the Year took on six rookies this season and welcomed back four fifth-year players, providing a nice mix between experienced veterans and young players.

Once again Beecroft, along with assistant coaches Krista Thompson and Ali Lee, fielded one of the most competitive university teams in Canada, using her experience to help the Vikes navigate injuries and illness to book a place at nationals in Toronto. Beecroft’s teams have made 31 national championships since she took the helm at Victoria and those teams have won 11 gold, nine silver and seven bronze medals, missing the podium just four times. Her all-time record at the national tournament is 80-31-17.

2016 CANADA WEST ALL-STAR TEAM

POSITION – NAME / UNIVERSITY / ELIGIBILITY / HOMETOWN / PROGRAM
D – Rosie Beale / University of Victoria / 1st / Vancouver, B.C. / Social Sciences
D – Jessica Britton / University of Calgary / 5th / Rossland, B.C. / Medicine
M – Rachel Donohoe / University of British Columbia / 4th / North Van., B.C. / Kinesiology
F/M – Hannah Haughn / University of British Columbia / 5th / North Van., B.C. / Kinesiology
M – Sarah Keglowitsch / University of British Columbia / 4th / Shawinigan Lake, B.C. / Kin.
F – Amanda Kurianowicz / University of Victoria / 5th / Calgary, Alta. / Social Sciences
D/M – Kathleen Leahy / University of Victoria / 5th / Victoria, B.C. / Education
F/M – Stephanie Norlander / University of British Columbia / 4th / North Van., B.C. / Food, nutrition & health
D – Kristina Walters-Shumka / University of Victoria / 3rd / Victoria, B.C. / Science
D/F – Sabrina Wong / University of Calgary / 2nd / West Vancouver, B.C. / Medicine
D – Lizzie Yates / University of Victoria / 4th / Cobble Hill, B.C. / Humanities

About Canada West:

Canada West is the premier athletic conference in the country and is home to champion student-athletes that excel on the field, in the classroom and in their communities. Canada West and its 17 member institutions commit to a student-athlete experience where competitive excellence, scholarship and sportsmanship contribute equally towards moulding outstanding graduates and community leaders.