Welcome to the January 2021 CornerShot Newsletter

Dear Field Hockey BC Member, this issue of CornerShot will cover the the 2021 FHBC Annual General Meeting, the Interior Technical Development Program, an update to our Provincial Program and the Field Hockey Canada 2020 Hall of Fame, and contains an In Memoriam for Joyce Harris.
Field Hockey BC Virtual Annual General Meeting (AGM)
The 2021 FHBC Annual General Meeting (AGM) will take place on February 10th, 2021, at 6:30 p.m. The meeting will be hosted in a VIRTUAL capacity utilizing both video conference and web-based voting technology.

FHBC has created a Annual General Meeting page where members can read all the communiques, access the documents related to the AGM and download the necessary forms to register as an Individual Voter or as a Proxy Holder. These voting forms must be submitted to FHBC by February 3.
Interior Technical Development Program registrations are now open!
Field Hockey BC announced a 6-week Technical Development program for Interior athletes from January 31st to March 7th.

This program is open to athletes of all abilities and is intended to help athletes develop their technical skills, and will primarily focus on acquiring skills for Passing and Receiving, focusing on key elements such as grip, ball position, preparation and execution.

Both age groups will be coached by Ben Fecht & Dani Hennig. The deadline to register is Monday, January 25th.

IMPORTANT: registration is limited to maintain an athlete coach ratio of 8:1 and will be on a first come-first served basis.

Read more here.
FHBC Provincial Program Update
Details of our upcoming Provincial Program were set to be released in early January. Unfortunately, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, we do not feel that we can confidently release trial or program information at this time. It is unclear what restrictions we will be operating under, over the course of the next six months.

Therefore, we will continue to have conversations with both Field Hockey Canada and viaSport BC in an effort to determine what will actually be feasible.

We remain committed to having a clear and transparent trial process, including multiple entry points for athletes. However, our number one priority at this time is to ensure the safety of all involved with our program.

We hope to be able to provide our members with a more detailed update in the coming weeks. Thank you for your patience.
In Memoriam: Joyce Harris
Our field hockey community lost a very dear and important pioneer of our sport when Joyce Harris passed away in October 2020 at the age of 94.

Field Hockey BC would like to extend condolences to her friends and family, and remind everyone of her contributions to Canadian field hockey.

Born in England, Joyce moved to British Columbia in 1957 where she became a stalwart in goal at the Provincial level and in the Vancouver Women’s Field Hockey Association.

Former National team member Moira Colbourne recalls: “Joyce played with me in the Vancouver Women’s league on the Ex Britannia Club as our goalie and was outstanding.”

She was awarded the Watson Trophy in 1960 as the League’s Most Outstanding player - an award she could have won many times had rules allowed. Joyce later became a founding member of the Ramblers Hockey Club.

Joyce Harris in 1969

Moira continues: “Joyce also played on our B.C. Rep teams for many years. She was our Captain for the 1971 Canadian National team, where we travelled to Hong Kong, Australia and New Zealand for the World Tournament.” Joyce was at her best in goal on that tour, leading Canada to a 10th place finish.

In 1973, Joyce was manager of the Canadian Women’s Touring team that travelled to England and Wales. She also served as umpire on that tour, and continued umpiring at the National and International level for a number of years.
Following is an article published in the newsletter for the 1969 Nationals (Courtesy Jenny John):

“Joyce Stands Guard”
by Barbara Hinds

"A goalkeeper is really the first line of attack, not the last line of defense. That is a maxim of one of the best women field hockey goaltenders in the Canadian sport.

She is Joyce Harris of Vancouver, and she is a good reason why the British Columbia team won the gold medal.

Off the pitch, she is casual and slow moving. In the game, she is on her toes and the bouncingist goalkeeper in action.
Joyce Harris as an international umpire in 1975; ex-national umpire Henry Lenaghan (right)

“I’ve never been injured,” she says. “The odd ball in the stomach maybe, but you let your body go back and you can take it.” A goalkeeper needs agility, ability and confidence. “Without confidence, she’s going to be afraid and won’t be as good.”

Her hockey playing started as an 11-year-old in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, England. She later played for the South of England team. In 1957, she went to a friend’s wedding in British Columbia and she is still here.

Since then, she has played for Canada (which meant she had to become a Canadian citizen) in the United States and Europe. Although she is now 37, she hopes to be fit enough to try for the 1970 national team which will tour New Zealand.

Her job is secretary at an 1,800-student Vancouver high school, and after business hours she is writing, as co-author, a book to be called “Field Hockey for Women”.

Joyce retired to Gibsons on the Sunshine Coast, where she played and organized 9 hole golf with members, played Bridge and always entertained. As Jenny John says and those who knew her remember, “Joyce had a wonderful smile and very infectious laugh. Her legacy will be her laughter.”

Rest in peace, Joyce. You will be missed.
British Columbia represented among Field Hockey Canada 2020 Hall of Fame inductees
Field Hockey Canada announced this month its class of 2020 Hall of Fame inductees, and several standout members of the BC field hockey community were honored. The following excerpts were taken from the FHC online article.

In the Athlete Category, David Bisset was remembered. "David established himself early on as a tremendous leader and goal-scorer. A multi-talented player, Bissett went on to lead Team Canada to the Olympic Games and World Cup including recognition as the Closing Ceremonies Flag Bearer for the 1983 Pan American Games."

Both inductees in the Coach Category are from British Columbia:

"Shiaz Virjee is a world-class coach, having led the Men’s National Team to Olympic and World Cup competitions. An FIH coach, he has coached at every level of the game from youth to international over the past 40 years. He continues to give back to the game as a coach and mentor today."

"Shiv Jagday is one of the marquee coaching figures in Canadian hockey history having multiple World Cups and Olympic games under his belt. He is one of the most accomplished and decorated coaches in Canadian history and is a shining example of a hall of famer."

In the Builders Category, three important figures of field hockey in our province were nominated: Barb Hart Harris, Moira Colbourne and Peter Buckland.

"Barb Hart Harris is the ultimate ambassador of the game. She was instrumental in the lead-up and execution of the highly successful 1979 World Championship in Vancouver. She created the 79ers group which continues to this day as a sport, philanthropic and social club."

"Former National team athlete, Moira Colbourne continued to give back to the game after retiring as a player. She did so in many ways as a league president and founder, coach and mentor. Notably, she served as the Commissioner on the Burnaby Parks and Recration board leading the creation of sport artificial turf fields."

"Peter Buckland was an internationally renowned Canadian player before transitioning to administration, where he’s remembered as an important Canadian Field Hockey Association president and known for his contribution to hosting the 1976 Montreal Olympics – the first to be held on an artificial playing surface. Peter was central to this transition from grass to artificial surface and in doing so impacted our sport around the world and permanently changed the game."

Here is the complete list of inductees:

Athletes Category
Jean Major Gourlay
David Bissett

Builder Category
Barb Hart Harris
Judy McCrae
Moira Colbourne
Peter Buckland

Coach Category
Shiaz Virjee
Shiv Jagday

Team Category
1983 Men’s National Team

Congratulations to all the inductees! Read the full article here.
Interested in any of the courses offered by Field Hockey BC?
Field Hockey BC is happy to announce that our registration process has been streamlined for those who want to take any of the courses offered by us.

If you are keen on becoming a coach, umpire or technical official, fill out our Waitlist Form, check the boxes of the courses you are interested in, and we will contact you once these courses are being offered.

Access our Coaches and Officials pages for more information regarding education and opportunities.
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