Hockey over holidays for Busselton athlete

After narrowly missing out on selection in 2017, the South West Strikers player cracked the 2018 Hockey WA State Under 18 team after 12 months of hard work and dedication.

When her family’s trip to Thailand approached, the 17-year-old made a decision to put her sport ambitions first.

“They booked right in the middle of trials, I was able to go and come back but it would have meant that I would have missed a lot of lead up training,” she said.

“I thought ‘what if I got sick, what if something else happened’ and I thought it was bad preparation for something I wanted so badly.

“I felt I had one shot to do something I’m really passionate about, so I was willing to watch my whole family have a great time while I trained.”

Charlotte, who is in Year 12 at Bunbury Cathedral Grammar School, has been part of the South West Academy of Sport for two years.

She is joined in the team by six other current and former South West Academy of Sport players.

South West Academy of Sport hockey head coach Russell Harvie said the selection of seven products of the academy was testament to the hard work the area’s athletes had put in, the pioneering programs on offer and the support the region has received.

Charlotte said she credits the academy for her breaking the State team for the first time.

“The academy is a big part of why I’ve been able to have some success this year, prior to the academy I wasn't aware of anything in Perth or that I could be part of something like this – they’ve really opened up those doors for me,” she said.

“It feels amazing to make the team, I always felt I’d come in to it a bit late by not knowing about the academy but last year I came really close to selection.

“I just have spent the last year training and getting fitter to make it and it has paid off.”

The WA team will be coached by hockey icons Ian Burcher and Kobie McGurk.

The National Championships will be held in Launceston from March 13 to 21.