Top coaches at DSG’s hockey camp
THE DSG campus in Grahamstown was a hive of activity last week as 112 girls attended the third annual Eastern Cape hockey camp.
Most of the players were from the Eastern Cape, but there were also girls from Cape Town, Johannesburg, Gaborone and Harare.
The popularity of the camp is growing each year as the quality of training offered is of the highest calibre.
In fact, the camp was over-subscribed and not all applicants were able to attend, but plans will be put in place to accommodate more girls next year.
The lead coaches were ex-SA player and qualified international coach Chris Hibbert, South African players Ignatius Malgraaf and Chad Cairncross, Kingswood director of hockey and SA U16 girls’ coach Bevan Bennett and ex-SA player Shane Viviers.
As well as on-field coaching, participants were exposed to sessions from physiotherapists and strength and conditioning experts.
Sports psychologist Greg Wilmot spoke on coping with the modern pressures of the game.
Hibbert, who is the DSG director of sport, said it was amazing to see the response to the camp.
“The enthusiasm and commitment of the players was outstanding,” he said.
“As hockey is such a rapidly growing sport, there is a need to educate players in new skills and make them into thinking, analytical players who are able to take greater responsibility for themselves.”
The girls were accommodated in the school’s boarding houses, allowing the players to experience how camps are run at national and international level.