This is what they’ve been working toward.

And, considering the large number of graduating players, and the fact the girls field hockey program at Southern Okanagan Secondary School appears in a state of flux, this may be the best opportunity for the local girls to win a provincial title.

The BC School Sports Girls AA Field Hockey Championship gets underway November 2nd.

For three days, the SOSS Hornets will battle their rivals from across the province, with the goal of winning a provincial title.

I caught up with the girls Wednesday in the SOSS small gym.

Even though field hockey is an outdoor game, the team wanted to get in a workout on the hard gymnasium floor – reminiscent of the turf they will play on in Surrey.

“We’ve really been working on trying to adjust to a faster-paced turf. That’s why we are practicing in the gym rather than on the grass – to get used to the speed of the ball,” said Kali Baptiste, 17. “(Artificial turf) changes the game a lot, because, on grass, the length of the grass can determine how fast the ball goes. Turf is artificial grass, so it’s meant to be a faster game.”

And some of the fields the Hornets will play on at Provincials will be on turf, which means having proper footwear will also be of importance to players.

“We’re coming inside to get used to the roll of the ball and to play lower. Being in a gym forces the girls to play down here,” added head coach Lesley Magnus, getting into a field hockey stance, knees bent, stick lower to the ground to provide maximum control of the ball. “Right now, we need the predictability of a smooth, flat surface. Even if grass is rolled and cut, it’s still got bounces in it. So, this forces them to really trust that the ball is going to come where they expect it to come. When you’re unsure of what the ball is going to do you stay up on your toes. When you know the ball’s going to do something, you get low and strong. That’s why we’re in the gym.”

For the most part, this is a veteran team. The girls have played together for several years, and know this is their final shot at winning a BC title.

“From the beginning of the season we’ve really come together as a team and focussed more on our skills,” said Kenzie Harrington, also 17. “Before going to Valley’s, we came together and realized what we wanted to achieve, and that was go to Provincials, because it’s my last year, and same for Kali. We came together as a team and really learned what each other wanted.”

Baptiste and Harrington are part of a large group of Grade 12 players in their final season.

Harrington remembers what it was like the first time she attended Provincials, as a Grade 9 student, and will do what she can to prepare some of the younger players.

“It’s been really intense some years. I know for my Grade 9 year, I was pretty unsure of how to go into it,” added Harrington. “It’s a crazy week and it’s a fast week. But it’s a lot of fun and you learn about your team and you learn a lot about yourself and what you’re capable of.”

Baptiste knows that for the Hornets to win it all, the team would have to beat powerhouses such as Crofton and Collingwood, and some of the academy teams which spend much more time and money on their field hockey program.

“They’ve been playing for years,” offered Harrington. “They practice year-round, and have been playing since they were really young.”

However…

“If there’s any year that we have a medal opportunity, it’s this year,” said Magnus, who guided the squad to a 10th place finish last year. “I don’t know about coming in first. I can see us being anywhere from third to 12th, depending on which team shows up to play.”

But Magnus knows how tough it is to assess how the team will play, and how strong its opponents will be – because there is so much disparity in the sport given the size of student populations in other schools and close ties to a game some students play year round.

Still, the Hornets believe in themselves and their abilities.

“This group is really committed and really good. We have quite an emotional Grade 12 group which is wildly up-and-down. That’s a double-edged sword. Because, if you have that emotion channelled in the right direction, you can do amazing things,” summarized Magnus, who knows the field hockey program’s future may be in jeopardy given the impending start-up of a volleyball program at SOSS. “I think we’ve matured. And there’s the fact we can do what we can do considering we are the second-smallest school in the province playing field hockey. The fact we’re doing this and earning the right to play with these private schools who have access to the resources they have is amazing. And we just don’t play with them – we compete with them.”

Along with graduating players Harrington and Baptiste, the SOSS Hornets roster also includes Grade 12 players Tatum Brogan, Hannah Byron, Alicia Schutz, and Teija Anderson, Grade 11 players Madelyn Bjornson, Ishika Gill, Marlysse Trampff, Anya Nazaroff, Neha Chahal, Loveleen Gill, Megan Murray, and Katelyn Wiens, and Grade 9 players Madison Boen-Shekula, Makayla Marcy, Lauren Bjornson, and Riah Podmorow.

The Southern Okanagan Secondary School Hornets take part in the Provincial Championships from Nov. 2-4 in Surrey. The event will be hosted by JL Crowe High School, and will be played at Tamanawis Field and Cloverdale Athletic Park.

SOSS is in a pool with Crofton, BCS and GW Graham.

ODN will keep you up to date on all the results.

-Dale Cory