HOCKEY SA zone identification camps are being held in Mount Gambier currently for Under 18 boys and girls.
Based on their performances at last October’s zone tournament, around 30 Limestone Coast athletes have been selected for the camps, with the first sessions held last weekend.
This weekend will see the final sessions held, with the potential of eventual state selection for those who impress.
The South East already has a few names in the mix to play in national championships, with Mercedes Theobald for instance recently selected in the South Australian women’s Under 21 team.
Another promising youngster in Clare Hopgood was last week selected in the Under 15 state side, which will travel to Darwin in April for nationals.
To make that team Hopgood went through the pathways program, travelling to Naracoorte, Berri, Adelaide and Port Pirie along the way.
She will now undertake seven weeks of training in Adelaide in the lead up to the tournament.
Her achievement caps off an impressive 12 months.
Hopgood won league best and fairest for the Lower South East Hockey Association Under 15’s, while also ranking in the top five for the Division 2 women’s medal count.
She also hit goals in the grand finals for both those teams and is a member of the Limestone Coast Regional Sports Academy for hockey.
Another Mount Gambier athlete Eliza Beck made the reserve for this side, while Naracoorte’s Will Ellis made the boys team.
