League of amazing talent, vets and freshers

Indervir Grewal

Tribune News Service

Bhubaneswar, December 8

Victor Wegnez chopped the air with his right hand, the gesture meant to express his drive to succeed as a hockey player. “Just want to play, play, play,” said the expressive young man, grinning from ear to ear as he got excited about the idea. 

The 21-year-old Belgian’s excitement was infectious. Youngsters, especially debutants, always generate a lot of excitement, among fans and coaches alike. Australia’s Lachlan Sharp made his debut at the tournament and team coach Colin Batch said he was enthusiastic about watching the 20-year-old play. 

Apart from giving a peek into the future of a sport, juniors bring a mix of youthful exuberance, unrestrained vigour and single-minded focus.

Wegnez and Sharp are two of the many future stars who have come to the Hockey World League Final, eager to make a mark on the senior circuit.

Wegnez is among the six players who were captains of their national teams at last year’s Junior World Cup. The others are England’s James Gall, Germany’s Constantin Staib, Netherlands’ Lars Balk, Argentina’s Maico Casella and Spain’s Enrique Gonzalez. India have six players who were part of the event in Lucknow. 

For these youngsters, it is all about the game right now. Their motivation is unambiguous, joys small and simple, and targets concrete and short-term. 

Mental fatigue

As Wegnez spoke about becoming a top-level hockey player being his only motivation, a few feet away, his idol, Belgium’s John-John Dohmen, was also busy giving interviews. The 29-year-old is making a return to international hockey after a one-year break.

“It was mainly because of my studies that I took the break,” said Dohmen, who was playing for his club during the break. But the 2016 FIH world player of the year didn’t deny that he needed a break from hockey, mentally. “I played for 12 years. The break was good, mentally,” he said, admitting that it helped him regain his hunger for the game.

The grind of modern hockey is becoming increasingly tough on the players, physically and mentally. There is no off season anymore, just small breaks, said Barry Middleton, England’s senior-most player at the tournament.

Rupinder Pal Singh was forced into a six-month layoff after a fatigue-related groin injury. Two years back, Australia’s Simon Orchard had revealed that the daily grind of professional sport and the pressure to perform affected his mental health.

After a 12-year international career, Britain’s all-time top-scorer Ashley Jackson quit hockey last year. The 29-year-old, who played in three Olympics, couldn’t motivate himself to play anymore. 

Balance in life

In an interview with The Guardian, Jackson said how the game had changed from when he first started playing — from seeing senior players smoking out the window of the changing rooms back then to the astonishing level of training nowadays.

Jackson said he again wanted to feel happy while playing, like when he was a child. Which is why Jackson started pursuing his first love — ice hockey. 

Last season, he played with his local team, scoring 26 times. This season, he has moved up to a semi-professional team. But Jackson hasn’t given up hockey totally. He still coaches, and hasn’t completely shut the door on a comeback.

Told about Jackson’s rediscovered passion, Dohmen’s eyes lit up. “That is good for Ashley Jackson,” said the Belgian. 

During his own break, Dohmen also followed his “second passion” — cycling. This year, he even participated in L’Etape du Tour, a mass participation event that allows amateur cyclists to race over the same route as a Tour de France stage. He completed a 181km long stage after training with a professional cyclist.

As he gets older, Dohmen said he “realises the need for balance in life”. “Sometimes, I need to do something else than hockey, so, I cycle, study, spend time with my family,” said Dohmen.

Going on and on

While Dohmen and Jackson have their own ways of rediscovering their hunger, there are some who haven’t lost their motivation even after playing for years. At 38, Argentina’s goalkeeper Juan Vivaldi is the oldest player in the tournament. Australia’s captain Mark Knowles, 33, is the “oldest player in the team by a margin”, but even after 305 international caps, he still loves “to train everyday”. 

Middleton, 33, made his 400th international appearance, and still loves playing hockey. But he has also understood the importance of prioritising. “I am married now,” he joked. “It’s good to sometimes step outside, it gives you another perspective. You tend to get into a bubble, training every day or playing,” he said. 

But Middleton’s younger teammate Gall, 21, doesn’t need any distractions right now. He has just got a taste of the rigours of top-level hockey, and he is enjoying “his professional life in hockey”. 

Gall is blown away by Middleton’s number, but can’t see that far ahead into his own future. “I can’t even imagine reaching 400,” Gall said.

And Wegnez — who got excited just talking about the change in rhythm (faster speed) of the senior level — “can’t even imagine” he would ever need a break from hockey. He knows he needs to pursue his studies because hockey is an amateur sport. 

Following in the footsteps of Dohmen, who finished a course in osteopathy this year, Wegnez is aiming to become a nutritionist. “But for the next three years, I will focus only on hockey, on the World Cup and the Olympics,” said Wegnez.