This week I have passed the ball (all seven ounces of it) over to Childrens Express reporter Ciaran McFarlane from Belfast. He’s and ardent hockey fan and he finds it irritating when people mock him for playing what they refer to as “girls sport”.
When I first went to my school I had a choice to make about what sports team I would most like to play for. It was either the rugby team or the hockey team. I chose hockey and many people have asked me since why I play a “girls sport”.
The stereotype irritates me and I, for one, can confirm that hockey is very far from a sport that is just for girls. The other annoying thing about that stereotype is that it presupposes that because girls it then it isn’t worthy of serious consideration.
Hockey is just as physically demanding and has as many complexities as any other field sport whether it is played by men or women.
Hockey isn’t as physical as ice hockey or hurling or for that matter football or rugby. I’ll grant you that, but that hardly makes it a girls sport. It is as physically challenging as any sport I have ever played.
The team relies on every player being able to run the length and breadth of the field. Just like in rugby or football. The ability to dribble, to be skillful and to be able to beat a player is much more important than in football. Hockey is faster than football. By comparison football is pedestrian, at best.
Hockey is a sport with much more behind it than simply being a minority sport that is played in schools and by middle class ladies. There is a very long history behind it. Drawings depicting people playing a form of hockey have been discovered in Egypt and they date back 4000 years.
I have played hockey in my school for four years and I am struggling to see the connection with people believing that it is simply a sport for girls. It is harder to play than most people think and it takes years of practice to be able develop a consistent team approach to matches. I challenge any rugby footballer to take a whack on the ankles from a hockey stick and to tell me it doesn’t cause him any pain.
I can compare hockey to any sport that I have played. These include rugby, football, boxing and athletics. I think the physical challenge is equal to that of other sports because you still need to be fit and athletic. You still need to have speed of thought and a tactical awareness. You must be able to accept the highs and lows associated with winning and losing and you should expect to get physically hurt. All of that considered where is the difference in hockey and other field sports ? The demands are the same.
Hockey is a team sport but like many other team sports the individual can make a difference. That’s why I like playing it. A player must have the ability to keep his balance while at the same time have the speed and skill to control the ball with his stick. The player must be able to hit the 7 ounce ball at speeds up to 50 miles per hour and the player who cannot read the game cannot play the game.
The way the team plays together is as important as any individual member. Our team is (admittedly) terrible but we play with a lot of heart and soul and the matches aren’t based solely on ability. In the same way Exeter City FC can play and challenge Manchester United a lesser hockey team can challenge the best of teams. That is the beauty of team sports. So yes, Hockey is for girls but just as importantly it’s for boys as well. Just as football is for boys and , in this day and age, it is for girls too. I rest my case!
About the team
This story was written by Ciaran McFarlane and edited by John Monaghan, 18. It was published by Reach for the Sky website.
