European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - August 26, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse Real men also play Field hockey new York times n the United slates most people think of Field hockey As a game played by High school girls. And the country s greatest Success in the sport came when the . Women s team won the Bronze medal at the 1984 olympics in los Angeles. But american men playing the game they do even if Only their friends and families know it. It was a major Surprise when i got Here and found out there was t a structured program for developing a National team said Ric Purser an australian who has been coaching the american men s Field hockey team since 1985. They sort of collected a team and trained them in a part time Way whenever a major event was coming up but that did t work at american men have had virtually no Success on the sport s International level. Thai s partly because it has been hard to attract lop male athletes to the National team program. Marq Mellor of mount Vernon n.y., a 21-year-old toward on the National learn said when i was in High school people used to come up to me and say hockey was a Sissy sport they used to ask me if i wore a skirt when i played. But once they saw me play a game without any equipment they realized hockey was t a Sissy changing the sport s image is a priority for the men s team and a Good performance in the fourth intercontinental cup could go a Long Way in helping. The intercontinental cup a two week tournament Field hockey Sheds its image in America a a High school girls sport As the National men s held hockey team gears up Tor a shot at the 1992 Barcelona olympics. Held recently at Drew University in Madison n.j., determined 5 of the 12 teams for the 1990 world cup Field hockey s championship held every four years. Hockey is perceived As a girls game Here said Purser who is from a country where men s Field hockey ranks second to soccer in popularity. But the men s version is a totally different for both sexes the game at the International level is played on artificial turf making in a High Speed Contact sport with elbows and Sticks flying High. But the men place More emphasis on physical play. Field hockey is a Cross Between soccer and ice hockey. Each team uses 11 players on a Field 100 Yards Long and 60 Yards wide almost identical to a soccer Field. The players Man Euver the Ball which is the size of a baseball with curved Sticks that Are about half the length of ice hockey Sticks. The goalkeeper is heavily padded. Edwin Cliatt executive director of the Field hockey association of America which administers the men s game. Said. You have to understand the game to appreciate the skill it takes to one of the biggest things we have to do is educate people about the sport Cliatt said. The greatest Way to do that is to expose them to actual Cliatt also Hopes to expand a feeder system increasing the Pool of players competing for spots on the National team. The team now has a Camp in Colorado Springs where the players can practice and develop rapport. Hasmuk Sanjee Canada s coach said the United Stales is facing the same problems Canada encountered when it began promoting the men s game nearly 30 years ago. The us. Is 20 years behind Canada Sanjee said but we also face a lot of the same problems they do because they Don t have hockey for boys in the schools. To have about 260 players to compete for our National team but teams like Holland and Germany have thousands of players to choose to help increase its player base the United states has established a program for players under 21 the Junior team will play in the Junior world cup in Malaysia this summer but the main goal of the . Men s team. Purser said is to play in the 1992 olympics in Barcelona. Spain. The men did not qualify Tor the summer games last year in Seoul South Korea. Rawley Cox a 28-year old midfielder from Brooklyn who started playing about 10 years ago. Said it is difficult to enter a tournament knowing it will take a Small Miracle to win. We go into tournaments looking to win but realistically we realize it would be great just to finish in the top five said Cox a computer Programmer. Mellor said he intended to play until the . Men make their first olympic appearance. I m optimistic about the olympics in 92. But if we Don t make it i la be Here in 96," Mellor said. I never want to be a person who has to say i could be done this or that thai s Why i want to stick with golfers drive toward fitness associated Pressa common perception of the golfer is the one we be got from television a Beefy Man or thick Thig hed woman barely it enough to Light a cigarette certain to convulse should no Caddy be available to carry the dubs. Perception yes. Reality not any More. Today s top golfers Are leaner fitter and better prepared. Only rarely Are they overweight and even then they Are Strong and surprisingly flexible there s definitely a trend among the younger golfers to says Stephen Carroll manager of education for the Canadian professional golfers association. The tour is so competitive now that you need every Edge you can and experts say just As the modern professional player treats fitness As a component of the game so should the recreational golfer whether to Avert injury shave strokes off the game or prevent next Day aches and pains. A round of Golf pulling not driving a cart is about As strenuous As a five mite run. It involves about six Miles of walking stooping to pull the cart crouching to Fine up the putt bending to pick up the Ball and the 45 to 75 full swings that tax several muscle groups. Chip Beck who went from ninth to second among Golf s Money winners on the professional Golf association tour last year said recently the biggest reason for his continual improvement has been his exercise program. A Good stretching and strengthening program for flexibility posture and Power will allow a golfer to retain late round form rather than getting weaker and More rigid. Loss of strength and flexibility will alter technique. Saturday August 26, 1989 says Gary Wiren director of research at the pea in his Book super Power Coll contemporary books. When your hands and forearms lose strength or suppleness and your straight Ball turns into a slice you automatically Start to make adjustments in your aim. Grip and swing path Wiren observed. What you should be doing is conditioning your older golfers often find chronic pain in the hips Back and hands All these problems could be minimized and in Many cases eliminated altogether with a reasonable program of the Cpgar advises in a Book on pre season exercises. And nutritional needs should t be overlooked either. The Days Are Long gone when pros eat piles of Bacon and eggs and drink loads of Coffee before heading out Lor the game Carroll says. They re very conscious of Good food for Energy and the stars and stripes Page 17
