Local hockey player returns from World Cup
Her passion for the game is twofold – Sharon Vernon appreciates the camaraderie around the team sport as well as the game itself.
HOCKEY has always been a part of Essenwood resident Sharon Vernon’s life, and it was a proud moment when the athlete competed on the South African women’s hockey team at the World Masters Hockey World Cup (50–55 age category), held in Cape Town recently. Vernon was one of four Durban residents who competed on the international field – she was joined by Robyn Wiggett (uMdloti), Wendy Horn (Durban North) and Kerry Ras (Hillcrest).
This week, Berea Mail sat down to chat with Vernon on functional fitness, teamwork and technique on the Masters hockey field, and Vernon was still on a high from the recent tournament.
“The World Cup was so well managed – there was a really high standard of hockey across all the countries that participated, which makes people really want to watch the games. The city of Cape Town and SA Masters Hockey put on a truly professional tournament,” said Vernon.
Vernon’s team placed fifth at the tournament, which saw 44 teams compete – including men and women. There were 10 teams in Vernon’s age group.
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“Being a Masters event, you would never expect to see the same level of spectatorship as a South African senior team would see, but I was impressed by the number of people who came out to support the players – I think a lot of them were family and friends, connected to the players – but it was good to see people supporting and enjoying the hockey,” commented the hockey player.
She explained that hockey players who are aged 35 and over can qualify for the Masters category. At 49, Vernon snuck into the 50-55 age group.
“I’ve been playing Masters hockey for a number of years now and have enjoyed playing in the annual SA Masters Inter-provincial tournament for KZN. In order to play for the SA Masters Hockey team, you need to go through the trial process and be selected to represent your country. In 2018, I was first selected for the 2020 World Cup, but it was postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, so we had to go through the whole selection process again,” said Vernon.
Vernon was again selected to represent her country.
“The first step in the trial process is to be selected into the South African Masters Squad. As a South African Squad, we played in the Africa Cup of Nations in Cape Town in November 2021 and then attended a final camp in Johannesburg at the beginning of this year, where they selected the national teams to attend the Masters 2022 World Cup,” explained Vernon.
The athlete has played for Berea Rovers Hockey Club for the past 25 years.
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“I started playing hockey when I was nine years old. My mother also played for South Africa for a period, and she coached me since I was in junior school. My sister was also a hockey player. We used to play hockey in our garden at home when we were growing up,” recalled Vernon.
Her passion for the game is twofold – Vernon appreciates the camaraderie around the team sport as well as the game itself.
“I love the sport; it’s a great team sport. It’s very much like soccer in the positional play, tactics and strategy, and it is a thinking game. Adding to the skills involved, there is a great sense of team spirit and team building as we work together on the field. Through hockey, I’ve learnt how to work within a team, as a team player and how to lead a team. I’ve put those skills into practise in my job, as well.”
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