Canadian Junior hockey team sees silver lining after being stranded in Potch bio-bubble

Making the best of an unexpected and uncertain situation is exactly what the Canadian Junior Women’s Hockey World Cup team did for the past two weeks in Potchefstroom, when they could not get a flight back to Canada due to Covid-19 travel restrictions.

Lockdowns are pretty commonplace in everyone’s vocabulary by now, but having a whole hockey team stranded in a bio-bubble thousands of kilometres from home, with Christmas around the corner, is another experience altogether. Looking on the bright side, team Canada will fly back on Wednesday (8 December) to their homeland via Frankfurt, Germany, after negotiations took place between SA, German and Canadian governments this past week.

“We had no commercial option previously and it took various negotiations for an exemption through Frankfurt, Germany which will not be requiring a third-country PCR test. We are hoping that everyone can be home with their families by the 23rd or 24th of December after going through a quarantine period upon arrival in Canada,” stated the team manager, Nancy Mollenhauer.

Their extended stay in Potch occurred in a Bio-Bubble at the AstroVilla, with training drills and hockey practices forming the core of their day to day experiences. “We we’re so disappointed after hearing the news of the postponement. We also knew that we were stuck here in Potch, but the service with regards to accommodation, Covid-safety protocols, catering and hockey facilities were of a world class standard here in Potch. A massive thank you to the NWU and everyone involved in accommodating us,” emphasised Mollenhauer.

The Canadian team, comprising of 20 athletes and five staff members, were the only international side who arrived in Potch for the 2021 FIH Junior Women’s Hockey World Cup, before travel restrictions and uncertainty regarding the Omicron Covid-variant were enforced on Friday, 26 November.

Photos: Tian du Preez

The Canadians arrived in good spirits on 23 November, having won the Junior Pan American Championship in August this year. Little did they know that their tournament hopes would be postponed in this manner. Any team might have sat and relaxed knowing that there will be no formal hockey action, but the Canadians regrouped from the disappointment and stuck to their training schedules each day, making the most of their time together. “Being here on our own gave us a chance to grow as a team.

We practiced twice a day and also played some games between each other. The experienced has built the team and formed it into a closer group,” mentions NextGen director and junior head coach, Patrick Tshutshani.

Traditionally, ice hockey, is Canada’s number one sport, but recently field hockey has also gained momentum in a country where sport is king. One of the leading players in the Canadian Junior Women’s team, Nora Goddard-Despot, stated that there is definitely an upward surge in the level of interest in field hockey in Canada.

“Winning the Pan-Am tournament was a really big boost for us and showed that we can compete. Field hockey has definitely grown in the past decade and its exciting to be part of a group where we can be a force to be reckoned with at major tournaments,” she stated.

This Canadian team might not have seen Potch in its full glory, but there is no doubt that they will return sooner rather than later for the rescheduled tournament with the added advantage of knowing the Astroturf inside out by now.

“It was a real pleasure to accommodate the Canadian players and staff in difficult and uncertain times due to circumstances beyond our control. They were really professional about the situation and we as the NWU really enjoyed hosting them,” added NWU hockey manager, Shaun Hulley.