Local ball hockey is looking for international acclaim in Europe.
The Cayman Islands Ball Hockey Association is sending a select World Cup team to the ninth World Senior Ball Hockey Championships 19-26 June in Bratislava, Slovakia.
The team, lead by general manager Mark Thompson and head coach Karl Galbraith, is excited about Cayman’s fourth appearance in the World Championships. Training has been rigorous over the past six months with players dedicating themselves to practice three times a week along with various personal training regiments. Thompson states the expectations are high ahead of this year’s event.
“With the addition of eleven new players and 10 returning veterans this year’s team will be the best team we have ever entered into a World Cup competition,” Thompson said. “We are looking to improve on our last finish.”
It will not be an easy journey for team Cayman as they are expecting the toughest competition in the history of the championships in Bratislava. Cayman is in pool B along with Great Britain, Bermuda, Ukraine and Hungary. Both the Ukraine and Hungary are competing for the first time in the World Senior Ball Hockey Championships. Team captain Darryl Hather states Cayman are preparing for a fight.
“We know the competition will be tough but our guys have been working hard to raise their fitness levels,” Hather said. “We feel confident that we can compete at this level.”
Last month team Cayman had the luxury of having Coach George Gortsos visit for a weekend-long intensive training camp in preparation for the World Championships. Coach G, as he is known, is the Canadian Ball Hockey Association Executive Director. In addition he is the High Performance Director for the senior national teams, team Canada’s World Championship squads (1996, 2001, 2003, 2005 and 2007) as well as International Street and Ball Hockey Federation and Ontario Ball Hockey Association Hall of Fame player and coach.
Thompson states his presence helped greatly with Cayman’s preparations.
“The wealth of knowledge that Coach G can bring to our club is incredible which will enable Team Cayman to compete at this world class level.”
At this point the team would like to thank all of the sponsors, family, friends and employers for their support over the past few months.
For tournament information log on to http://www.bratislava2011.com
Related Videos
