The stage has been set, predictions have been cast and calendars marked as Wits once again look to deliver the goods in the annual Ussa (University Sport South Africa) hockey tournament.
The bumper sporting schedule will see Wits play host to the Ussa hockey event at the Braamfontein East Campus from 28 June to 2 July, and rugby, chess and gymnastics events at the same venue from 3 to 7 July. The university will then welcome 20 of the world’s best men’s and women’s national hockey teams to the Wits Hockey Club for the World Cup 2018 qualifiers from 8 to 23 July.
At last year’s Ussa event, Wits coasted to victory in the men’s hockey B section to earn a wild card placing for A section contention this year, while the women’s side stumbled in their attempts to make a reckoning. An unimpressive showing earned Wits a 6th place finish overall in the women’s A section, following promotion from the second tier in 2015.
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Wits men’s hockey head coach, Rick West, is unfazed by the challenge of competing in the men’s A section and believes his team has a good chance of emulating last year’s feat. “This is the level we believe we should be competing at and we believe we have what it takes to go all the way in this tournament,” he said. “Our programme started in late January and since the very first session, we have been preparing for this week. We have had a good build-up and the team has been expertly conditioned by our conditioning coach. We are as ready as we can be.”
Wits will tackle Maties (Stellenbosch University), Varsity College and UJ (University of Johannesburg) in the pool games of the men’s A section, while the women’s A section sees Wits take on Tuks (University of Pretoria), NMMU Madibaz (Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University) and Maties ahead of the play-offs on 1 and 2 July.
“We find ourselves in the pool of death with three other really good teams. We have worked on many different tactics to overcome any situation they may throw at us,” said West. “The players have a strong will to win and we believe we have a great chance at going all the way.”
Wits hockey sports officer Erika Venter said the tournament was the perfect melting pot for engaging in healthy competition. “In my opinion, this tournament is probably the toughest, and what makes it so unique is that all the players are bona fide students – all under the age of 26,” she said. “So you have a good mix between the experienced players playing in their last Ussa and the young players trying to make a name for themselves.”
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She added that the Ussa tournaments were highly competitive and only the top eight varsities qualified for the prestigious varsity hockey tournament, so the teams really put everything into their preparation and planning.
“There is also the camaraderie [formed between] friends as national, provincial and U21 plays compete for their universities, but still have the same respect for each other on and off the field. It is a very special tournament and Wits is so proud to be hosting it for two years in a row.”
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