Statement to Field Hockey Ontario Members:
Field Hockey Ontario (FHO) has received a notice yesterday, September 8th, from Field Hockey Canada (FHC) regarding a Notice of Suspension of FHO's Membership to FHC until September 25th, 2022.
The suspension is over FHC's concern that FHO has made the decision to not include FHC's membership fee for the Junior and Senior Recreational Membership fees. FHO is working diligently behind the scenes to come up with a resolution to this issue.
With the notice of FHO's suspension, this could impact our attendance and voting at the FHC Annual General Meeting taking place on Saturday, September 10th, 2022.
FHO will continue to update our membership as we move forward in this process.
Shauna Bookal, FHO Executive Director
Field Hockey Ontario (FHO) is announcing the departure of its Executive Director, Shauna Bookal. Shauna will be moving onto a new role with the Ontario University Athletics as the organization’s new Manager of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion (EDI), and Student Experience starting September 19, 2022. Shauna will be assisting the FHO Board with the transition throughout the fall.
Shauna joined FHO in April 2019 and stepped officially into the role of Executive Director in March 2020 (held the role of Interim Executive Director since September 2019). In her time on staff Shauna has helped the organization grow tremendously by:
During the COVID-19 pandemic period, Shauna was instrumental in spearheading safe return to play for our players, coaches, umpires, and officials to get them back onto the field. Shauna’s commitment to giving back to the community and empowering those she works with are just some of the qualities that have benefited FHO over the past few years that will be greatly missed.
In response to the latest news, FHO President, Richard Crowell, says “We are very excited for Shauna and on behalf of the FHO Board we wish Shauna all the best in her new endeavours and thank her for her leadership, contribution, and commitment to field hockey over the past few years for our organization.”
Biography:
What made you decide to continue to play Field Hockey in Post Secondary School?
I decided to continue playing field hockey at a post secondary institution because I had the goal of one day playing in the Olympics and thought that playing in University would be best for my development. I decided to play in the United States because I knew it would be a great experience and opportunity and I was intrigued by the level of hockey they played.
How did playing for Team Ontario help you pursue your Field Hockey career?
What opportunities has Field Hockey brought to you over the years? Have you given back to the sport? Example: Volunteered at Field Hockey events, volunteer, umpire etc.
Field hockey has brought me so many opportunities over the past 8 years. It has allowed me to meet people from all over the world (Canada, USA, South America, Europe, Africa) It has brought me to places in the world that I had never been to before (Guyana, Chile, South Africa). This sport has introduced me to my best friends and my past and current have become a second family to me. This sport has kept me on track and helped me keep my eyes on my ultimate goal of one day playing in the Olympics.
This sport has provided me with so much I am never hesitant to give back to it. I went through the umpiring courses in July 2018 and have been umpiring every opportunity I could get. I umpired for Halton Field Hockey, for Halton High School Field Hockey Association and OFSAA, at May Meltdown and most recently at the 2022 Ontario Summer Games in Mississauga. I also went through the process of becoming an apprentice coach and had the privilege of working with Bernie Bowyer and Ray Lewis and the U15 Ontario West girls team in 2019.
Favourite memory of playing Field Hockey?
Biography:
Background - I started playing field hockey at the age of 7 after I was introduced to the sport by my dad. I played both outdoor and indoor field hockey for Toronto Titans Field Hockey Club. I made my first provincial team in 2013 and have represented Ontario at the National Championships ever since at the U16, U18, and U23 age groups. I was invited to numerous National Talent Identification camps during the outdoor season and finally made it onto the Junior Development Squad at the age of 16 and have been on a couple tours with the Junior National Team to Ireland and USA. I also played in the Junior Pan American Championship in 2021 and Junior World Cup the following year (2022). As for indoor field hockey, I have been a part of the Indoor National Team since 2017 and played in the Indoor Pan American Cup in 2017 and 2021.
What made you decide to continue to play Field Hockey in Post Secondary School?
How did playing for Team Ontario help you pursue your Field Hockey career?
FHO first introduced me to training at the high-performance level. I learned a lot of new tactics and skills having been coached by various coaches and was able to play alongside other super competitive athletes. Over the years, playing with FHO really helped me grow and improve as a player.
What opportunities has Field Hockey brought to you over the years? Have you given back to the sport? Example: Volunteered at Field Hockey events, volunteer, umpire etc.
Favourite memory of playing Field Hockey?
My favourite memory of playing field hockey would be at the National Championships in 2018. I was playing with Team Ontario and we won gold that year. I really liked our team that year and personally, I felt that I had a really good tournament.
Accomplishments
Team Ontario
Team Canada
OUA
Across Ontario, Field Hockey has provided opportunities to everyone through our wide variety of clubs throughout many different locations in Ontario. Each of these clubs are unique and help in the development of young athletes to give them the opportunity to join a team and create friendships and skills that will last a lifetime. On November 29th, 2022 Field Hockey Ontario celebrates Giving Tuesday as it is a time when communities, charities, companies and individuals join together and rally for favourite causes through the use of social media. All of these clubs throughout Ontario are celebrated for all the hard work and dedication they do in order to provide their community with support and opportunity for these young athletes to grow within the sport they all share the love for. Here is a full list of all the clubs in Ontario:
A&C Field Hockey Club, AOS Goderich, Brampton Field Hockey Club, Dolphins Field Hockey Club, Dynamo Field Hockey, GOA Reds Field Hockey Club, Guelph Cobras Field Hockey Club, Halton Field Hockey Club, Hamilton Field Hockey Club, Kingston Field Hockey Club, KW Dragons, Nepean Nighthawks Field Hockey,
Outaouais Field Hockey Club, Waterloo Women's Field Hockey Club, Toronto Titans Field Hockey Club.
Click on the link below for additional information about all our clubs and register today to join a club closest to you!
https://www.fieldhockeyontario.com/clubs
At Field Hockey Ontario we strive for each of our clubs to succeed and to provide an environment that supports and encourages players to develop skills that will empower them to always try their best in the future. We want to create a space where players not only develop their athletic skills but also try new things and develop their social and communication skills!
Field Hockey Ontario holds “Try It Events” where we travel across Ontario to create the perfect opportunity for kids who have never played field hockey before and to learn the game from certified FHO coaches, former and current Canadian National Team players and current high performance athletes! Try It Events are a place for BOYS & GIRLS of ALL ages to get active, learn a new sport and make some friends!
The list below is all the places FHO has gone in the past:
We will be traveling to visit Niagara and Barrie next! Click the link below to find out more information about our Try It Events! We hope to see you at the next one!
https://www.fieldhockeyontario.com/page/show/7278167-try-it-events
The one of the lucky winners of the Jumpstart Giveaway!
Here is The Waterloo Club with family and friends and the sticks that we won. The waterloo club had kids, spouses and parents out to play that day!
Fun Fact: The Waterloo Club has players starting at the age of 13 years old and up.
FHO is Committed
Field Hockey Ontario is an all-volunteer, not-for-profit organization dedicated to “grow the game” of field hockey for girls and boys all over Ontario in each community” Our goal is to bring communities together through the love of the sport and to provide a positive environment and experience for players, coaches, umpires, volunteers and all involved. We want to thank all of our volunteers who are committed to giving back to their community. Your hard work and dedication does not go unnoticed.
Jean Major:
“I currently live in Burlington. I have loved the game of field hockey since grade 9 so any chance I have to give back, I will. My involvement allows me to stay involved with the game, see all the changes over the years and see so many friends that I have coached, played with or volunteered with. Field hockey is a community so you always know someone at a game.
I currently really enjoy volunteering at the tech table for OFSAA each year. As a former high school coach, I enjoy watching the game up close and re- uniting with so many friends”.
Catherine Croucher:
I live in Newmarket, Ontario. Originally I played in Quebec, and then Oakville and Toronto. I taught, coached and umpired in the York Region for over 30 years. I was on the OFSsA sport committee for Field Hockey for over 20 years. After I retired, I was asked to be part of an award committee and thought it would be a great continuation of my involvement in FHO.
My favourite volunteer experiences would be Pan Am games field hockey and the Nationals in Toronto 2019. It was great to reconnect with so many people from across Canada and to watch such high level hockey.
Diane Huneault:
I live in Burlington where the Halton Field Hockey Club is my local club. Since I first encountered field hockey in my late teens, the sport has captivated me. I have volunteered at the Club, Region and Provincial levels over the years as an organizer, coach and official in order to help grow the sport into more of a mainstream sport so that more people will find the enjoyment that I have found from participating. I particularly want to see the sport grow at local levels by increasing recreational and developmental participation. My early volunteering for the Provincial organization was with the Ontario Women’s Field Hockey Association (prior to FHO) where I advocated at the Board level for established Clubs to develop recreational house leagues within their local areas. Sadly, there are still too few local leagues in our province. Starting in the mid-2000s I worked on a committee to organize and run a Provincial Junior Development League. At that time my Club had a well-established and growing house league for U18 players, and a more competitive league to challenge players with the skills and interest to play at a higher level was a step that was needed to provide opportunities for our members. Over the past decade I have served on FHO’s volunteer Board of Directors for 6 years and on FHO committees including the 1985 Fund for Women Committee and the Club Support Committee. It pleases me that FHO has been able to direct substantial resources towards Club support and growing the player base at the local level in the past couple of years. Volunteers are key to developing and sustaining local level sport.
Here at Field Hockey Ontario we believe in the importance of “See it, believe it, and achieve it” and we keep that mindset throughout our organization in order for our members to reach their goals. Three members of FHO, Amy Butler, Laurie Montgomery, and Rachel Spekking are examples of amazing female coaches that grew up playing field hockey in their own respected clubs and have now returned to the sport to coach young athletes and help them develop their own careers in sport. It is important to have women in athletic leadership positions such as coaching and refereeing positions because they are seen as role models to the younger athlete generation. Please read below to see Amy, Laurie and Rachels story of their experience as female role models and coaches within Field Hockey Ontario.
Amy Butler Please describe a brief background of yourself? I grew up in a small town in New Brunswick (Sussex). I am the oldest of five siblings and loved all sports throughout junior high and high school, but I found my true passion in grade 7 when I tried field hockey for the first time. Although I played many different sports throughout junior high and high school, field hockey was my first love. I attended the University of Waterloo and played all five years of my eligibility with the Warriors. I was named the University of Waterloo Rookie of the Year (1995-96) and was named the University of Waterloo Female Athlete of the Year (1999). I was a first team All-Canadian for all five years of my eligibility. I played both indoor and outdoor hockey. I played for the 1997 Canadian women’s national under 21 field hockey team. We participated in the 1997 JWC held in Seoul Korea.
I am now the mother of three daughters who all play field hockey with the KW Dragons and also their high school field hockey teams.
Professionally, I am a CA, CPA and the CFO of a small reinsurance company.
Hometown, where and when did you start to play Field Hockey? Did you play field hockey in College/University? If so, what school? Hometown: Sussex, New Brunswick Started playing field hockey in grade 7. Played provincially for Team NB from grade 8 onwards. I went to the University of Waterloo and played for 5 years under coach Sharon Crewman. We went to Nationals twice while I was a player and we won OUAs in my first year. I was a member of the 1997 Canadian women’s national U21 field hockey team.
What made you decide to come back to the sport to coach, and why is it important for female athletes to be role models to younger girl athletes? I decided to come back to field hockey after many years away because I felt that field hockey and the coaches I had throughout my career had been pivotal factors in my life. As the mother of 3 daughters whose predominant athletic experience was with male coaches, I felt it would be a missed opportunity if I didn’t share my experience in a coaching capacity. Young female athletes being coached and mentored by female coaches instills the idea that girls can be leaders as well. I love the idea that a great coach can help young female athletes with developing character, confidence, and assertiveness while at the same time encouraging them to perform to the best of their ability.
Favorite memory of coaching? My favorite coaching moment has come very recently. The U16 KW Dragons battled hard, got better every time they stepped on the field and translated that effort into a GOLD medal at the 2022 May Meltdown! The KW Dragons turned a lot of heads and made everyone in the stands feel proud to witness the grit and determination of this group of girls. As further proof that field hockey forges friendships that last a lifetime, my teammate from over 20 years ago at UW, has now become my coaching mate :) |
Rachel Spekking:
Please describe a brief background of yourself? My Name is Rachel Spekking, I presently work for a policing agency offering critical incident response support to first responders. My educational background is Bachelor of Arts, major in criminology and psychology as well as a bachelor of business administration. I am looking to complete my masters in counseling psychology.
Hometown, where and when did you start to play Field Hockey? Did you play field hockey in College/University? If so, what school? Burlington, Ontario. I started playing in grade 9 at Aldershot high school. I was always an ice hockey player but fell in love with field hockey the moment I picked up the stick. One of the toughest choices I had to make was to choose my university based on the program and unfortunately it did not have a field hockey team. Out of my four schools, that was the only one at the time that was able to offer me the double major and I had to make a choice for my career over my love of the sport. The good thing about field hockey is no matter what, there is a team you can play on to continue with the camaraderie and be able to stay within the community.
What made you decide to come back to the sport to coach, and why is it important for female athletes to be role models to younger girl athletes? I actually started coaching at 16 years old as my junior house league team did not have a coach. Then I graduated and headed to university and my best friend remained for a victorious year, she was able to continue playing for the regional team, so I came back to be assistant coach at 19 years old to keep being involved in the sport that I missed while at university. My favorite thing about coaching is being able to be a role model for the younger athletes, not only in sport but in life. My motto when it comes to coaching is that I want the athletes to leave better people than when they started, to be able to be successful in life, not just on the field. I am trying to teach the athletes how to be confident in themselves, how to be comfortable losing and how to bounce back from a loss because they are going to come across many struggles in their lives and my goal is to teach them how to be resilient.
Favorite memory of coaching? I have built relationships with many players over the years, my favourite memories all stem from seeing them succeed in both sport and in life. Watching them get into universities, get jobs, build friendships and become confident in themselves. Coaching athletes is so much more than the sport specific skills you can teach them, that is only a small part of what coaching is. An athlete is so much more than just an athlete, they are friends, students, partners and everything in between. When they come to the field, they bring their difficulties and successes and that can impact the way they play, so to only coach sport specific skills is only impacting a small part of who these athletes are as people, each one is unique in their own way. So my favourite memory is watching those athletes succeed, and grow and develop into such amazing people. Laurie Montgomery
Please describe a brief background of yourself? I am a physical education teacher/coach at Laurel Heights Secondary School in Waterloo, ON where I live with my husband and two kids. I have been teaching/coaching in some capacity for over 20 years now at a variety of levels.
Hometown, where and when did you start to play Field Hockey? Did you play field hockey in College/University? If so, what school? I grew up in Waterloo and started playing field hockey in middle school and then continued on in high school. There was not a super strong club system at the time in Kitchener-Waterloo, but after leaving high school and saying goodbye to my softball career, I was fortunate enough to play at the University of Waterloo under the leadership of Sharon Creelman, a three-time Olympian, and alongside some extremely talented teammates that taught me so much about the sport.
What made you decide to come back to the sport to coach, and why is it important for female athletes to be role models to younger girl athletes? Coaching came naturally as a part of my teaching career and also when my daughter was old enough to start playing. I think it is so important for young females to see themselves represented in their sport - whether it be coaching or officiating. I know personally it paved a path for me by having strong female role models to look up to, to learn from, and to try to emulate. Not only were my coaches talented athletes themselves, but they were also good people - I still stay in contact with many of them more than 30 years later!
Favorite memory of coaching? There are so many amazing coaching memories I can reflect on - putting a stick in a 6 year old hands for the first time and watching her learn those beginner skills, growing a high school program at a brand new school and within 6 years finding ourselves as 3-time silver medallists at OFSAA (2010-2012) and then finally capturing OFSAA gold in 2013, or winning gold at May Meltdown this year in our first year with a competitive program within the KW Dragons Club system! Sport is such a powerful tool in so many ways. It is central to so many of my memories growing up, throughout my career and now as a parent. I wish everyone had the opportunity to experience it!
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Field Hockey Ontario is hiring an Admin and Events Coordinator.
Please see the attached document for the roles and responsibilities of the position, requirements and application process.
The deadline to apply is Wednesday, April 20 at 12:00pm.