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Archived News

Women's World Cup Qualifier squad named: Field Hockey Canada and head coach Louis Mendonca released on Wednesday the names of 27 players who will form Canada’s national women’s training squad preparing for their FIH World Cup Qualifier in 2010.
: see FHC website for more details

Local Field hockey athlete to be in 2010 Olympic torch relay

Victoria Knapp will be running in the torch relay on January 5, 2010 at 1:02 CST in Steinbach, MB. If you available and in the Steinbach area, please get out there and support her in this once in a lifetime opportunity.

Way to go Victoria

FHC announces Men's Challenge Cup 2009 Roster

Field Hockey Canada and head coach Alan Brahmst released on Thursday the names of the eighteen players, seven staff, and two reserves that will make up Canada’s national men’s team for the FIH Champions Challenge scheduled for December 6th to December 13, 2009 in Salta, Argentina.

see FHC website for more details

Canada narrows Men's Potential World Cup squad

Field Hockey Canada and head coach Alan Brahmst released the names of the 23 potential players for the World Cup squad.

see FHC website for more details

2009 CIS Championships results

UBC defeats Alberta 6 - 0 to win their 12th MsCrae Cup Championships.

Victoria won the bronze medal against Guelph 2 - 1 earlier in the day.

Toronto awarded the 2015 Pan American Games

The City of Toronto has been awarded the right to host the 2015 Pan American Games. The decision was announced Friday afternoon by the Pan American Sports Organization (PASO) in Guadalajara, Mexico. see FHC website for more details

Junior Indoor League starts

A quick reminder that the Junior league starts on Thursday November 12th at Prendergast (906 Cottonwood Road) from 6:00pm to 8:00 pm.

Senior Indoor League starts

The Co-Ed league starts on Saturday November 14, 2009 at 17 Wing Fitness & Recreation Centre (Bldg 90) 680 Whytewold Road from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm. See the attached poster for additional information and advise the FHM office to ensure your spot on a team.

Senior Indoor Hockey season begins

Registration is now open for the Senior Indoor program.

The first indoor field hockey day is Wednesday October 21st.

The Senior program will run every Wednesday from 8:00pm to 10:00pm, at Maples Collegiate 1330 Jefferson Avenue. The cost is $120 / participant. Please note that if you have not yet paid your annual membership fee, it is due at that time.

Information regarding the league will be provided shortly.

Indoor Hockey season begins in October

This year's Junior Indoor Hockey program will consist of 2 weekly sessions. Session 1 will be to practice the technical aspects of the game and starts on October 20th at Westview School. Session 2 will be a league night starting November 12th located at Prendergast. Please click on the junior poster for additional information and advise FHM office.

Information regarding the senior program will be provided shortly.

Field Hockey Canada (FHC) and Head-Coach Alan Brahmst announced on Sunday the names of the players who will represent Canada in the seven-game test series against India, scheduled from October 9 to 24 in Victoria and Surrey, British Columbia. details

Field Hockey Canada - What's up for September 2009

Click on attachment for more information

Scholarship opportunity

Applicants for the Princess Royal Pan Am Scholarship must be enrolled in a post secondary institution in Manitoba. The award of $ 3,000 will be given to one male and one female student. Application deadline is November 2, 2009. Application

Suzanne Nicholson retires

After many years of dedicated service, Suzzanne Nicholson will be retiring from Field Hockey Canada (FHC) on Friday, September 25, 2009. Suzzanne has been an employee at FHC since May 1983, when she began her career as the Technical Director and was later promoted to the Executive Director position. During her 27-year tenure at FHC, she has seen many changes not only to FHC but to the Canadian sport system. She has worked with 9 presidents, 15 national team head coaches, sport ministers, sport consultants, Board members and volunteers… too many to count. read more

Fundraiser to Support 2010 Commonwealth Games Athletes

On Thursday, September 24, 2009, Commonwealth Games Canada (CGC) will join Avtar Bains, Monika Deol, Global Television sportscaster Squire Barnes and some of Canada’s top athletes to fundraise for Canada’s Commonwealth Games team headed to Delhi, India to compete in the XIX Commonwealth Games from October 3 to 14, 2010. read more

Darthfish Training for Coaches

Darthfish is a Biomechanical Analysis Program designed to provide high performance coaches in Manitoba with the opportunity to access state of the art video recording equipment, software and computer programming. The next training opportunity is Sunday October 18th, 2009. See flyer for more details

Four Day Identification Camp for Men

Canada will play 11 test matches over 23 days from October 9th to November 1st in three different venues on Canada's West coast. The first seven of these matches are against India in the highly anticipated 7 Test Super Series to be played in Victoria and Surrey, British Columbia. This will be followed by four matches versus the United States at Wright Field on the University of British Columbia campus. click here for details

Outdoor League Finals

The semi- finals and finals were played on Sunday September 20, 2009. The results are:

Semi-final games

Field 1 Green (6) v Maroon (1)

Field 2 Blue (3) v Purple (7)

Field 1 Gold medal game Green (13) v Purple (2)

Field 2 Bronze medal game Blue (6) v Maroon (7)

FHBC announces Pan Am Youth Training Squad

Field Hockey BC has released the names of the players who have been selected to the training squads for the 2010 Men’s and Women’s Youth Pan American Cups to be held respectively in Mexico and Uruguay. details

Game for the Cure raises in excess of $30,000

The game was played on September 13th at UBC's Wright field featuring Team Canada versus UBC Tournament All Stars. The goal was to raises $20,000. read more

FHC announces sites of 2010 Nationals

Field Hockey Canada today announced the hosts of the 2010 Field Hockey National Championships. Victoria, British Columbia, Mississauga, Ontario, and Winnipeg, Manitoba were each selected to host the country’s best field hockey talent next year in both indoor and outdoor hockey. read more

Manitoba will be hosting the Senior Indoor Nationals

Canada to host India for Test Super Series

Field Hockey Canada (FHC) announced the hosting of the Seven Test Super Series against the Men’s National Team of India, to be played between October 9 and 24 in Victoria and Surrey, British Columbia. more details

Alan Brahmst named as Men's National Coach

Field Hockey Canada (FHC) has confirmed Alan Brahmst (Toronto, Ontario) as the Men’s National Team Coach for the 2010 World Cup to be held in New Delhi, India. This appointment is in line with FHC’s commitment to develop the sport by leveraging and building on existing resources in Canada. more

Bingo Notice; Sunday November 22, 2009 - 9:00 ~ 11:45pm at McPhillips Street Station Casino; Monday December 14, 2009 - 4:30pm ~ 6:45pm at McPhillips Street Station Casino
: Mission Staff Opportunity for Team Winnipeg

Sport Manitoba – Winnipeg Region is now recruiting for Mission Staff for the upcoming 2010 Power Smart Manitoba Winter Games, being held in Portage la Prairie, MB, March 7^th to 13^th, 2010.

Mission Staff work in partnership with the Chef de Mission and the Winnipeg Regional Manager in ensuring the successful preparation, staging and operation of the Winnipeg Team. The main function of the Mission Staff is one of communication with and liaison between the Winnipeg teams and the Portage La Prairie Host Society. Collectively, Mission Staff serve as the administrative and management body for the Winnipeg team at the games. roles and responsibilities application

Field Hockey Canada - What's up for August 2009

See attachment for details

All Star Game
Thanks to all the high school students that came out to the All Star game on . A summary is available to all who missed it.: High School Results
The end results of the high school league are now available.

Jean MacDonald Tournament

The results of the High School tournament held at Jean MacDonald on May 30th have been posted.

Annual General Meeting

FHM's AGM will be held on Tuesday June 23rd, 2009 at the Sports Manitoba Building (200 Main Street) in Room 231 at 6:30pm.

At this time FHM would like to invite nominations for the various positions up for election (please see attached 2009 agenda).

The 2009 duties for FHM Officers are attached for your perusal.

Copy of proposed Constitution changes attached

Please ensure that before nominating an individual's name that they have agreed to let their name stand for a possible position on FHM's Board and where possible their name and interested position has been forwarded to FHM's office either by e-mail or regular mail prior to the AGM meeting date.

Light refreshments will be available

Bingo Notice

Sunday August 23, 2009 - 12:00pm ~ 3:45pm at Club Regent Casino

Monday September 28, 2009 - 6:00pm ~ 9:45pm at Club Regent Casino

Winnipeg Kangaroo Clinic - Field Hockey Skills Camp

Field Hockey Manitoba has an exciting opportunity on July 23 & 24, 2009 for players to participate in a Kangaroo Clinic - Field Hockey skills camp.

The clinic's Head Coach is David Mike who coaches in the Australian Men & Women Premier Field Hockey League and will be assisted by Field Hockey Manitoba.

Early registration is encouraged as enrolment is limited.

See Brochure for more information

Field Hockey Canada - What's up for April 2009

See attachment for details

Women's High School League - Revised start date of Wednesday May 20th

Field Hockey Manitoba does not have access to the field hockey turf for the High School League until May 20th, thus the High School League will be starting on that date.

Revised schedules will be forwarded to all of the coaches shortly.

Seniors 7 a-side League

The league starts on Wednesday May 20th, 2009 and ending late July.

For those who have already registered, your spot is guaranteed. There are still a few spots still open so Register early to guarantee a spot on a team

The team rosters will be created shortly and the rules and schedules will be distributed. See poster

Scholarships

Deadlines are fast approaching for both the Manitoba Foundation for Sports Scholarship and the Coaching Manitoba Bursary

Click on details for more information

Bingo Cancelled

The bingo scheduled for April 27th at McPhillips Street Station Casino has been cancelled due to a planned entertainment event

Summer Employment Opportunity

FHM is looking for spring / summer support staff to assist with the co-ordination and delivery of youth programs. A requirement of these positions is a clean Criminal Record and Child Abuse Registry check. More details

2009 Junior Indoor results

Brandon defeated Maples 'B' 7-0 to capture the Gold while Winnipeg tied 1-1 with Maples 'A' resulting in both teams receiving the Bronze. More details

2009 Outdoor Field Hockey

Registration is now open for the Junior and Senior programs and is scheduled to commence on Monday, May 4th. Please contact FHM office for more details.

Junior Forms Senior forms

The Junior program runs from 6:15pm to 7:30pm, every Monday and Wednesday at the East Side Eagles turf ending June 29th.

The Prairie Youth Games (PYG) is tentatively scheduled for the weekend of July 10th in Edmonton.

The U16 National Outdoor Championships (men & women) is scheduled for July 30-Aug 3 in Mississauga

The Senior program runs from 7:30pm to 9:00pm, every Monday and Wednesday at the East Side Eagles turf, ending the week of July 19th.

The senior National Championships (men & women) is scheduled for July 21-26 in Calgary

Manitoba captures Bronze

Manitoba U19 Women's team beat Saskatchewan 3-1 in the Bronze medal game at the U19 National Indoor Championships held in Calgary over the March 27-29, 2009 weekend.

With four new players to the indoor game, Manitoba won two and lost two games to earn the opportunity to play in the Bronze medal game.

Manitoba's leading goal scorer was Allison Moore with 4 goals.

Genevieve Collins was named to the tournament six.

Team Members:

Allison Balasko Laura Balasko Genevieve Collins

Savanah Collins Katlin Mallette Jacqueline Mazur

Marissa Milani Sara Milani Allison Moore

Field Hockey Ontario May Meltdown Tournament

FHO is hosting their 2nd Annual May Meltdown Club Tournament on May 29-31, 2009 at Icelands (Mississauga)

Team categories include:

U16 & U21 (men)
U16 & U19 (women)
U12 coed (7 aside including the goal-keeper) (Saturday AM only)

See registration for additional information

Bingo Notice

Monday April 27, 2009 - 4:30pm ~ 6:45pm at McPhillips Street Station Casino: Wednesday May 27, 2009 - 6:00pm ~ 9:45pm at McPhillips Street Station Casino
Friday June 26, 2009 - 4:30pm ~ 6:45pm at McPhillips Street Station Casino

2009 U16 National Championships and 2010 PAHF Youth Championships

The FHC Board of Directors and National Championship Committee announced that the winning provinces of both the Men & Women U16 2009 Championships will be awarded the opportunity to send their team as representatives of Canada to the 2010 PAHF Youth Championships read more

Field Hockey Article by Shiv Jagday

See "Developing a young athlete"

Canada once again champions of the Americas

Canada's road to victory in the 2009 Pan American Cup.. more

Canada defeats USA in final

The Canadian men's team defeated USA 2-1 to win the 2009 Pan American Cup in Chile. This win qualifies Canada for the 2010 World Cup of Hockey. Details

See PAHF link for game results

Job Opportunity - Field Hockey Alberta

Field Hockey Alberta has 2 positions available (High Performance Assistant Coach and Book-keeper / Administration Assistant). For more info read more

2009 Men's Pan American schedules and results

Click on the link to see how Canada is doing: Field Hockey Canada - What's up for February 2009

click on document

Calgary set to host Senior National Indoor Championships

Click on press release from FHC

Scholarships available

There are two scholarship opportunities available

Manitoba Foundation for Sports Scholarship
Coaching Manitoba Bursary

Click on details for more information

FHC Update

FHC has provided an update on what's happening at the National office

2009 Women's Pan American schedules and results

Click link to see how Canada is progressing at the tournament

Field Hockey Canada - What's up for January 2009

click on document

2009 Women's Pan American Team announced

Field Hockey Canada and head coach Louis Mendonca released the roster for the Women's Canadian Team headed for the 2009 Pan American Cup in Bermuda Feb 7-15

Full story

Canadian Women's Test match results versus Ireland

Canada ended with 1 win, 1 tie and 1 loss see results

Senior Outdoor National Championship dates changes

Due to a scheduling conflict with the 2009 Champion Challenge II, the 2009 Canadian Senior Outdoor National Championships in Calgary has been rescheduled to July 21-26, 2009.

Canadian Women's team leaves for Ireland

The Canadian Women's National team will travel to Dublin to participate in five friendly games in preparation for the 2009 Pan American Cup in Bermuda in early February read more

Equipment partnership with Mantis Hockey Ltd

Field Hockey Manitoba is pleased to announce Mantis Hockey Ltd as an equipment partner.

Mantis Hockey Ltd offers special pricing to FHM members, when purchased through FHM's office.

For more information regarding equipment selection, click here

Brahmst named Canadian Men's National Coach

As part of Field Hockey Canada’s (FHC) strategic roadmap and in consideration of achieving the near term objective of winning the Pan American Cup in March, 2008, FHC has appointed Alan Brahmst (Toronto, Ontario)... full story

Mendonca named Women's National Coach

The President, Mary Cicinelli and the Board of Directors of Field Hockey Canada are pleased to announce the hiring of Louis Mendonca as Canada’s Women’s National Team Coach. Louis will join the Canadian team in Vancouver where the team is centralized on Monday, October 6th.

Indoor Hockey season begins in October

Hockey for the senior teams will be played at two venues this year. Tuesday nights at the Radisson School will primarily be used for practice while Sunday afternoons at the Rady Center will be used for games. Please advise the FHM office of your intention to play as teams need to be created. Please click on the senior poster for additional information.

Hockey for the junior teams will be played at two venues this year. Wednesday nights at Park West Community Club and Friday nights at Ecole Margaret Underhill School. Please click on the junior poster for additional information and advise FHM office.

Canada moves up in FIH rankings

The International Hockey Federation released the world rankings this month with the Canadian Men's team advancing two spots to 13th while the Canadian Women's team advanced three spots to 20th. Germany holds 1st spot for the men, while the Netherlands holds 1st spot for the women.

FHC announces 2009 National Championship dates

See FHC and Calendar for the specific dates for the upcoming indoor and outdoor championships

2008 Olympic Men's Field Hockey Coach visits Winnipeg

Louis Mendonca the 2008 Olympic Men’s Field Hockey Coach will be at the Field Hockey Turf on Saturday September 20, 2008 to share his knowledge and experience with FHM coaches on developing a playbook and strategies for developing high performance teams.

You are invited to attend . Click here for additional information.

Job Opportunity - Field Hockey Canada

Field Hockey Canada is accepting applications for the Canadian Men's National Team Head Coach. The application deadline is January 16, 2009 read more

Call to Officials - Indoor 2009
Field Hockey Canada is issuing it's Call to Officials for the 2009 Indoor National Championships. Please see the attached bulletin and availability forms due to FHC no later than December 19th, 2008. Appointments will be made by mid-January 2009.

Bingo Notice

Friday January 16, 2009 - 6:00pm ~ 9:45pm at Club Regent Casino: Saturday March 7, 2009 - 4:30pm ~ 6:45pm at Club Regent Casino

2008 CIS Results

The University of Victoria Vikes edges University of Alberta Pandas 2-1 to win the McCrae Cup. Full story

Men's Junior Pan-Am Championships Results

Argentina beats Chile to win the Gold Medal game while Canada loses to USA in Bronze medal game.

Click on Jnr Pan-Am

Belen Martinez named to NFHCA Senior All-Star Team

Please see attached link for additional information

Sandhu named Men's Interim National Coach

The President, Mary Cicinelli and the Board of Directors of Field Hockey Canada are pleased to announce the hiring of Nick Sandhu as Canada’s Men’s Interim National Team Coach. Nick will join the Canadian team in Vancouver where the team is centralized on Saturday, October 11th.

Women in Transition

Please view the attachment for further information on the seminar.

Scarborough Cup Indoor Field Hockey Tournament

The Toronto Titans Field Hockey Club is hosting the Scarborough Cup Tournament on the weekend of December 13th & 14th. The age group categories are U10, U14, U18 & U23. Please see the registration for additional information

At the 2008 AGM, the new board was elected. The positions have been filled as follows:

Position Held	Name
President	Gurinder Singh
Vice President Administration	Pam Collins
Finance Chair	Michelle Kunzler
Technical Chair	Arnold D'Souza
Junior Development	Angela Romanyshyn
Promotions and Fundraising	Vacant
Provincial Teams (Men)	Vicky Chahal
Provincial Teams (Women)	Kelly Bezemer
Members at Large	Rick Balasko
Tournaments	Surinder Sidhu
Provincial Coach / Executive Director	Geoffrey Govia

Scholarship Reminder

Applicants for the 2007 University of Manitoba Vanier Cup Bison Scholarship must be attending the University of Manitoba as a full time student in the 2008~2009 academic year as a first year student. The award of $ 5,000 will be given to one male and one female student. Application deadline is October 17, 2008. More information is available at Sport Manitoba's website.

Call for Coaches and Managers:

FHM is looking for a few coaches and managers for the upcoming indoor season.

If you are interested, please send an e-mail to FHM indicating your interest and a brief summary of your coaching levels and experience by September 12^th, 2008

FHM’s technical committee will be reviewing all applications and will contact all prospective applicants for future discussions.

The potential teams may include:

· Juniors (boys & girls)

· U19

· Seniors (men & women)

Please click on the following documents for the roles and responsibilities for each position.

Coach Coach and Manager Asst Coach Corporate Values

Please note that every prospective coach / manager is required to complete the Sport Manitoba “Respect in Sports” which is free and is located at:

http://www.sport.mb.ca/respectinsport.php

Bingo Notice

Saturday, October 11 - 4:30pm ~ 6:45pm at McPhillips Street Station Casino

Monday November 10 - 4:30pm ~ 6:45pm at McPhillips Street Station Casino

Friday December 5 - 6:00pm ~ 9:45pm at McPhillips Street Station Casino

Annual General Meeting

FHM's AGM will be held on Tuesday September 30, 2008 at the Sports Manitoba Building (200 Main Street) in Room 227 at 6:30pm.

At this time FHM would like to invite nominations for the various positions up for election (please see attached agenda).

The duties of the FHM Officers are attached for your perusal.

Light refreshments will be available

Thank you

A thank you letter from FHM to recognize the efforts and commitment by all Coaches and Mangers for the 2007 indoor and 2008 outdoor programs

Message from Interim Women's National Coach; Shiaz Virjee will be attending the Senior Championships in Calgary as well as the u19 Tournament in Winnipeg to identify talented athletes and invite them for evaluation in Vancouver. Additionally athletes may be identified throughout the year and also invited to join the squad for evaluation and selection

The key elements during evaluation will be the fitness testing where the minimum standard on the Beep Test (as of now) is 11.5. The technical and tactical evaluations will also be conducted to determined if the athlete is at the National Squad level.: Athletes selected must sign an athlete agreement which outlines the program requirements in order to become eligible for the squad and selection to the National Team.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to give Shiaz Virjee a call at (604) 261-8723 or send your questions to shiazvirjee@telus.net: Bingo Notice; Sunday, August 31 - 12:00pm ~ 3:45pm at Club Regent Casino
Tuesday, September 30 - 6:00pm ~ 9:45pm at Club Regent Casino: All Star Game
Thanks to all the high school students that came out to the All Star game on . A summary is available to all who missed it.: High School Results
The end results of the high school league are now available.: Jean MacDonald Tournament
The results of the High School tournament held at Jean MacDonald on May 24th have been posted.: Spring Schedule
The Junior program runs from 6pm to 7:30pm, every Monday and Wednesday at the East Side Eagles turf.: The Senior program runs from 7:30pm to 9:30pm, every Monday and Wednesday at the East Side Eagles turf.
: Scholarship Opportunity
Applicants for the 2007 University of Manitoba Vanier Cup Bison Scholarship must be attending the University of Manitoba as a full time student in the 2008~2009 academic year as a first year student. The award of $ 5,000 will be given to one male and one female student. Application deadline is October 17, 2008. More information is available at Sport Manitoba's website.

U19 Women's Nationals - Call for Volunteers: Field Hockey Manitoba is hosting the Women's U19 National Tournament from July 17-21.
Volunteer help would be greatly appreciated to help organize and run the tournament. Anyone interested should notify the office before March 18th.

High School Schedule
The game schedule for the high school league is available now.: Call for Umpires; High School League will commence from first week of May 2008 throughout to end of June 2008. FHM is looking for umpires with level A certification to officiate the games on Mondays and Wednesdays from 4pm to 6pm. Please contact FHM office for more information. Honorarium will be paid.; Spring League; Registration is now open for Youth league commencing Monday, May 5th. Please contact FHM office for more details. The spring forms can be obtained from here.

Fundraising account statements have been mailed out. Anyone who did not receive a statement in the mail can pick them up at the office during office hours.

The kinks have been worked out of the Junior Program, and it is set to begin on October the 30th at Regent Park School in Transcona from 7:30 - 9:30 p.m. The basic cost is $ 75, and another $ 25 if you want to purchase your own ball and stick. Membership is included for those who have not yet paid.

The registration form can be obtained from here. A mouth guard and shin pads are required.

The end cost of the Senior Indoor Field Hockey will be $ 110. It began on October 14 at 2-4 p.m. at the Rady Jewish Community Centre. Non-members must pay an additional $ 55 for a membership fee. There will be a late fee of $ 25 after October the 21st.

The registration form can be taken from here. A mouth guard and shin pads are required

At the 2007 AGM, the new board was elected. The positions have been filled as follows:

Position Held	Name
President	Gurinder Singh
Vice President Administration	Vacant
Past President	Rick Balasko
Finance Chair	Catherine Chiborak
Technical Chair	Arnold D'Souza
Junior Development	Angela Romanyshyn
Promotions and Fundraising	Thomas Jacob
Provincial Teams (Men)	Vicky Chahal
Provincial Teams (Women)	Vacant
Members at Large	Dean Neubauer
Tournaments	Pam Collins
Provincial Coach / Executive Director	Vacant

Sponsors for the 2007 Prairie Youth Games were:

Beyond Flowers

Corpell Water

Mac's

McDonald's Restaurants

Prairie Central Line Supply

Radisson Hotel

Shaw Cable

Wow! Hospitality

Field Hockey Manitoba would like to thank the following volunteers for all their help during the Prairie Youth Games Tournament, July 13-15th:

K. Asmundson
Balasko Family
Boyd Family
Brigham Family
Brown Family
J. Butcher
Collins Family
Derosiers Family
Desrosiers Family
Epp Family
Fache Family
Farough Family
knapp Family
M. MacDonald
Nicholls Family
Oryniak Family
Perillo Family
K. Plantz
Safioles Family
Shaski Family
Starodub Family
M. Yates
Yurkiw Family
2007 Western Canada Summer Games Squad

Congratulations goes out to the following for completing the Umpire Community level clinic with Tony Stewart!

Allison Balasko Laura Balasko Brock Brown

Kerrie-Anne Currie Jane MacDonald Kim Plantz

Krystalle Ramlakhan Jaskiran Sidhu Kathleen Walsh

Sarah Woods

Paying dues earns Female Coach of the Year honour

JENNA McCULLOUGH has come a long way in the five years since she first started coaching field hockey when she was "just out of high school." McCullough was awarded the 2006 Female Coach of the Year Award by Coaching Manitoba recently and it came with a $500 bursary for education.

"It was a huge honour for me to win the award. I was pretty excited to be in the final three, never mind actually winning it," said McCullough, 23, the head coach of Manitoba's under-18 women's field hockey team, which she is grooming this season to compete as our under-19 team in the 2007 Western Canada Summer Games in Strathcona County, Alta.

Despite her youth, McCullough has paid her dues in the sport, said Peter Manastyrsky, executive director of Field Hockey Manitoba.

"She's put in a number of years as a player, umpire and now as a coach. Last year, she was the assistant provincial coach for the Canada Summer Games in Regina," he added.

"She's actively involved in the winter months working with the junior program. She's a player herself, so she understands a player's needs and emotions. She's been able to adapt her coaching style to coach within different situations. She's very hard-working."

As one stage in the tune-up for 2007 in Alberta, McCullough, a level three certified coach, will be taking her provincial team to the under-18 Western National Tournament in Duncan, B.C., July 20 to 23.

"Most of this team will be going to the Canada Summer Games next year," she said.

This past winter, McCullough, who will be entering her second year in the faculty of education at the University of Manitoba, was head coach of the Prairie Youth Program for players ages seven to 13.

"They have a development tournament this summer with the other Prairie provinces," she said, noting she also coached the women's under-19 indoor team this winter.

To be a good coach, one needs a lot of persistence and dedication, according to McCullough, who has her provincial team practising three evenings a week at the East Side Eagles Field.

"Don't expect rewards right away. It takes months or even years to reach your goals and to have everything come together," she explained.

McCullough's first coaching assignment was with the girls' team at Kildonan East Collegiate.

"Growing up, I played a lot of sports and always appreciated the effort and energy coaches gave. So I wanted to give back to the sport, too. I love being out there with the girls and having a lot of fun with them," she said.

As a player, McCullough was a member of the provincial squad that participated at the 2001 Canada Summer Games and the Western Canada Summer Games in 1999. She also used to play for the now-defunct U of M's women's field hockey team. "After the Western Summer Games next year, I would like to continue in coaching, but, I'm also looking at my teaching career," said McCullough.