Last Saturday the SOSS field hockey team defeated Summerland 2-0 and Okanagan Mission 2-0, successfully defending its AA Valley Championship title.
Yes, this is news! No, this isn’t the hundredth time SOSS has won the Valleys (it’s the 12th).
Why should you be interested? Because the journey that these young women make in the four or five years between first picking up a field hockey stick as a Grade 8 student and representing our high school and the Town of Oliver at the provincial championships as a Grade 12 student is pretty amazing.
It takes a courageous Grade 8 student to go out for a sport she’s barely heard of. Then she has to make the stick (you can only use the flat side) connect with the ball, which takes a little practice. And then it takes her four, two-month high school seasons to become canny enough to begin to compete with girls from other parts of BC who play the sport year-round.
By the time she’s in Grade 11 or 12, this young woman has sacrificed many study, work and social hours to hone her abilities in an activity that her family, friends and school know little about. Does she regret it? Nope, because the challenges of being part of a team have built character and she has made unforgettable memories along the way.
This year’s team includes five talented Grade 12 students who have survived the journey from their first dodgy practice in Grade 8: Jenna Bower, Brianna Agostinho, Savanna Rowe, Cheryce Martine and Kalli Marsel.
They have played hard for five years to be ready for their last competition as an SOSS Hornet – the BC AA Provincial Field Hockey Championships at SOSS on November 6-8. Plan to come and support the SOSS girls as they compete against the top AA field hockey teams in the province!
