Hockey, a sport though captivating fans in Guyana for over two decades, has not attracted the magnitude of attention on the local scene as it did over the last two years mostly because of the talent of the young crop of players. Aliyah Gordon is one of those in the forefront of the sport and is destined to take up the mantle in the female division.
Aliyah Gordon takes control early in her career
Hands down, one of the most important players in the GCC Pizza Hut set up and arguably one of the best young talents around today. Gordon recalled falling in love with the sport at a very young age after seeing almost everyone around her playing and she constantly pleading with her mother for a chance and play with the other girls on the team like her older sister, Brianna Gordon.
“I’ve been around hockey for a long time, when I was first introduced to the game I was too small to play. I spent years begging my mother to ask the coach to let me train but it couldn’t happen,” the former Queen’s College student said.
As a result young Gordon was forced to watch the others play until she was of age and size recalling that her most memorable moments of watching hockey came from the Diamond Mineral Water Indoor Hockey Festivals where teams from the region such as Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, Antigua among others and North America, namely Canada would come and have some thrilling games.
By the age of 12, Gordon was ready for her Diamond Mineral Water Festival debut where she turned out for her club’s ‘B’ team, immediately capturing the attention of all the spectators in the opening season.
However, the young star admitted that she was not as experienced as the others but that did not stop her from bettering herself in every game after the first, noting that while she does not have a favourite player that she can single out, she admires “the teamwork, chemistry and consistency between teams such as Australia, Argentina and Netherlands, to name a few.”
As she grew more and more in the game and gained experience, as she is dubbed a fast learner, Gordon graduated into the senior ladies team.
Already the young lady has attracted high praises from her team captain and been the topic for discussions during opposing teams’ meetings.
The 18-year old added that her diet and training were two aspects of her career that she took extremely serious because in order to run back and forth for the allotted time of the match, it was not something easy and the body had to be in ‘tip-top’ shape if it was going to withstand that among of pressure.
Additionally, Gordon who is currently an ‘A’ Level student at School of the Nations, found it a bit challenging to balance the sport and studies, but nevertheless, found the balance to excel in both aspects.
Looking to the future of Hockey, Gordon related that she wished that “we could attract more teams from other countries. I am hoping we could widen the tournaments and get to face more overseas teams and learn from them.” Gordon stated.
With the determination and discipline this young lady possesses, the sky is definitely not the limit, and with the Guyana Hockey Board President stating that it is the intention of having both male and female teams at the Pan American Indoor Hockey Championships this year, it is a possibility that Gordon has booked her ticket already.
