By JARROD POTTER
THE hockey gene in the Guy family is alive and thriving in their next generation of local hockey talent.
Berwick siblings Rebecca Guy, 17, and Rachael Guy, 15, recently represented Hockey Victoria in the Hockey Australia Indoor National Championships, with Rebecca playing in the under-18 team while Rachael was part of the under-15 line-up.
Played last fortnight in Brisbane, the indoor championships for the under-18 and under-15 age levels proved a fantastic experience for the Guy sisters, even if Victoria couldn’t bring back gold.
Rebecca’s Victorian side was edged into the silver medal against the powerhouse New South Wales side – losing 2-1 in a shootout after finishing 1-1 at the end of regulation time, while Rachael’s side finished fourth after a tough campaign.
Rebecca has battled with injury so far with her hockey, having torn both hip flexors in a prior indoor championships and also suffering a fractured foot last year.
This year she was fighting fit and ready to take on the championships and it was a great improvement for her.
“I felt much better about this year’s tournament because I was previously injured during tournaments,” Rebecca said.
“This time I was able to do everything right… cool down, recover… so it was easier,” Rebecca said.
“We came second, but we drew with New South Wales and then it went to extra time – which was penalty shootouts – and we lost on that.”
Rebecca prefers the pace of indoor hockey and said it translates into outdoor hockey by improving her skill base with better handling and endurance.
“A player can’t really get lost in indoor and everyone gets involved and it’s faster and higher scoring,” Rebecca said.
“The skills need for indoor mean you have to be quicker too.”
Rachael was selected as an under-age player for the under-15 championships and Victoria was knocked out in the semi-finals 1-2 in a tough match against West Australia.
“We got to know everyone a lot more and it was actually really, really fun,” Rachael said.
“We finished second then we played two-versus-three and we lost the semi.”
Having switched in recent years from the local hockey team – the Casey Cannons – to Premier league side Waverley, the sisters are also heavily involved with underage coaching and Rebecca was named Waverley Hockey Club’s junior clubman of the year for her work with the younger players.
The next challenge for the sisters will be outdoor state selection trials, with Rachael aiming to represent the under-15 outdoor team in Hobart this April, while Rebecca will trial for the Melbourne-based under-18 outdoor championships later this year.
The sisters wanted to thank their parents for their love and support.
