The seventh International Pan American Indoor Hockey championships will be held in Guyana at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall (CASH) from October 16 to 22 and all odds seem to be in favor of the home sides. However, the onus will be on the players to push for a historic first place finish with a berth at the International Hockey Federation’s (FIH) 2018 World Cup at stake.
There are high expectations from the ladies who are likely to give a good account of themselves
The Guyana Hockey Board (GHB) ahead of this historic event pulled no stops to ensure that the country passed the FIH’s assessment of the venue and playing surface. The board imported the removable plastic tile surface which was installed early August which gave the male and female national teams the much needed opportunity to train in international conditions.
This will be the very first time that the players have been afforded this opportunity and at the recently concluded GTT National Championships the gulf in class was evident as the national teams played against other teams who before that tournament had never played on the surface.
The tile surface is much faster than the floor of the National Gymnasium that local hockey players have been accustomed to competing on; the national sides so far seem as though they have grown accustomed and have even looked completely at home when playing on the new surface. This should be integral to Guyana’s chances at the tournament. In almost all areas of sport the “Land of Many Waters” has proven a formidable competitor, this was proven in 2014 at the last hosting of the tournament in Uruguay where the males finished third; if that same caliber of competitiveness and drive for success is carried into this tournament, then Guyana has their first real shot of qualifying for the world cup in its long international competitive history.
With teams from Argentina, Canada, Mexico, Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados and Uruguay confirmed to participate, the climate will also be an influencing factor on their respective games. In the past, our teams have had to adjust to cold climates which took away from their full potential but this time around it will be a case of the shoe on the other foot for the visitors exclusive of the Caribbean countries.
This current crop of national female hockey players are very good on the offensive but they remain largely untested in the defensive half due to the lack of quality teams that they have faced as a unit. However, the male team is built on a core of young players who were part of the squad that finished third in Uruguay at the 2014 tournament, this mixture of youth and talent is a sure recipe for success.
Sport enthusiasts and patriotic citizens must be heartened by the chances of the locals and as the saying goes, Jack must be given his jacket, the GHB must be congratulated for ensuring that our players have had all the possible help afforded them.
The tournament will begin on Monday October 16 with the opening game between Argentina and Barbados in the women’s competition set for at 10:00h. The men’s and women’s competition will run simultaneously until October 22. Seven teams are participating in the women’s tournament while there are six men’s teams. Those teams are Uruguay, Argentina, Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Mexico, Canada and home side Guyana.
