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The Story of Hockey
ON SUNDAY June 11, history was made.
Jamaica’s male field hockey team qualified for the Hockey 5s World Cup, which will be held in Oman in January 2024.
Jamaica scored the first goal, but the tension was ramped up in the second half as the team was reduced to two defenders and the goalkeeper. Despite the pressure, the men maintained their composure and secured a 5-2 victory against Paraguay.
Every great moment in life has a story leading up to it, and this story is partly linked to a partnership that was captured in a Gleaner headline published on July 6, 2018. It read ‘UWI Mona’s Academy of Sport, JHF sign agreement to benefit athletes’.
The article spoke to a memorandum of understanding (MOU) that was signed between the Jamaica Hockey Federation (JHF) and the University of the West Indies Mona Academy of Sport (UWIMAS) on June 25, 2018. The academy is situated within the Faculty of Sport which was launched in 2017.
The signing of the MOU was simply the formalisation of a relationship that began in 2017, shortly after the launch of the Faculty of Sport.
The academy gave a commitment to the JHF to aid with its youth development programme. Between December 2017 to January 2018 our team of sports medicine specialists, consisting of doctors and physical therapists who were either completing, or had already completed their master’s degree in Sports Medicine or Sports and Exercise Medicine at the UWI, completed sports medicals, musculoskeletal evaluations, and fitness evaluations for a total of 50 (25 female, 25 male) junior field hockey players. The sports medicals consisted of an electrocardiogram and a comprehensive examination.
The musculoskeletal evaluations consisted of an examination for bony or muscle abnormalities and special tests to identify presence of pre-existing injuries that may compromise sport performance and training. Fitness testing consisted of a battery of standardised tests for strength, flexibility, endurance, agility, and power. The evaluations provided a baseline for preparing tailored training programmes with elite-level targets.
Following the evaluation, a strength and conditioning programme was tailored and delivered by the academy staff, who worked in close collaboration with the coaches to ensure synchronisation of goals. The sports medicine specialists focused on injuries and fitness and the coaches focused on the game and sport-specific skills. Within six weeks, the first junior squad was selected from the developmental pool to compete at the Youth Pan American Olympic qualifiers in Guadalajara, Mexico, April 2018.
The aim was exposure to high-level competition, not winning. The target for winning was set for four years down the road.
Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the JHF managed to retain some of the athletes from the original developmental squad and work resumed following the lifting of restrictions. In qualifying for the Hockey 5s World Cup, the team delivered on one of the long-term goals set in 2017.
Six of the 10 players that competed in the tournament were members of the junior development group from 2017. The other four members were part of a senior squad, who were exposed to a similar programme to the juniors under the MOU with UWIMAS and JHF.
In 2022, the male team won the qualifiers for the Central America and Caribbean (CAC) Games and a full-size team headed to the Dominican Republic at the end of June to compete in the traditional format of the game.
The successes for the female team have not been as pronounced as that of the males; however, they demonstrated a solid performance on their last day of competition in the World Cup Qualifier, securing 5th place in a 3-1 defeat of Brazil. Like the males, they are also competing at the CAC games.
There are some valuable lessons from this story, which can be used by other sporting organisations. The first step to winning is having a vision and articulating it in a long-term goal. Chart a pathway to get there and be steadfast because there will be naysayers along the way. Seek out appropriate partners. It usually takes a team to create winners, even for individual sports. Apply the science. Our competitors in sport are using sports science to drive their development and maintain an edge. It is essential that we do the same, through partnerships with sports scientists, sports medicine specialists, and coaches. Build a sustainable junior development programme. This is what creates a pool from which winners can be drawn.
Congratulations to the Jamaica Hockey Federation on their successful hosting of the Hockey 5s World Cup Qualifiers and to all those who contributed to the victories secured by both our teams.
You have all shown that hard work, dedication, team spirit and embracing of a scientific approach can lead to success in sport. The Mona Academy of Sport looks forward to continuing this winning partnership with the JHF.
Sport Pulse and Sport Matters are fortnightly columns highlighting advances that impact Sport. We look forward to your continued readership.
