U.S. WOMEN’S HOCKEY TEAM

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32678, 6 August 1971, Page 5

U.S. WOMEN’S HOCKEY TEAM

It is not often in a sport where both me. and women are participants that the fair sex has an advantage of numbers. But this is the case with hockey in the United States.

Miss Marilyn O’Neill, manager of the United States team to compete in the international women’s hockey tournament at Auckland, said on her arrival in Christchurch yesterday that there were about 300 clubs in the country. Most of these were in the eastern states, particularly Pennsylvania, and did not include schools or colleges. But there were even fewer men players, she said. “We play in the fall, this clashes with football—and you know what Americans are like about football,” she said. Hockey, said Miss O’Neill, is probably the major team sport in the United States for women and girls. “The only alternatives are lacrosse and basketball, and hockey probably attracts more than them.”

New Zealanders often consider themselves isolated in the sporting world. But so is the United States, at least as regards women’s hockey. Miss O’Neill said. “Until these last few years, we have just not had the opportunities to play international matches. Now we meet Canada—at home one year, up there the next—but a lot of our players have only had one international.

“The only other opportunity our girls get to play another country is if someone passes through, or if a country makes a tour.”

The American hockey season is short—only the three months from mid-August to mid-November and Miss O’Neill is quite frank about the standard of the game in the United States. “We’re mediocre. I’m sorry to say it, but there it is. Our record is poor. At the last tournament, in West Germany, our record was under 50, per cent.”

Reminded that she was lapsing into baseball terminology

Miss O’Neill laughed. “Well, we won much fewer than hall our matches.”

She was disappointed, said Miss O’Neill, that South Africa was not participating. "It was a shame they dropped out, because they are one of the big guns, and it’s always fun to go after them.”

The average age of. the United States team is only 24. Only the captain, V. Gros, has a lot of experience. The right back, she has been on eight tours, and competed in four international conference tournaments.

En route to New Zealand, the United States team met Scotland in Ceylon. There were also two matches in South Australia, against the state’s second team (the first was playing in the Australian championships) and two matches in Tasmania. The United States team has a fortnight in the South Island, playing various provinces.