PAST: Magee Lions and 麻豆传媒映画Hawks
PRESENT: Eric Hamber Artificial Turf Playing Field
FUTURE: NCAA Div. 1 Albany Great Danes
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From her vantage point in the middle of the pitch, Megan Ma can step in to take control of almost any aspect of the game. When her team has the ball, the centre-fielder can set up and distribute on attack. When defending, she鈥檚 tracking, disrupting and stealing the ball to regain possession.
Rare in a time of sport specialization, the five-foot-three talent has been developing these play-making and play-breaking skills in two games, soccer and field hockey. Ultimately, she chose one over the other and this fall will play in the NCAA for the Div. 1 Albany Great Danes.
鈥淭hat was one of the hardest decisions in my life,鈥� said Ma, 18. 鈥淚n the end, I feel field hockey was the right decision because there are so many opportunities that I felt were leading me there.鈥�
Said the one-time setter, 鈥淨uitting volleyball first was hard enough. My love of sports in general is just absolutely something I can鈥檛 describe.鈥�
Selected to Team B.C. for the past four seasons, Ma made top-tier Blue team in 2012, but before she played a single game she broke her ankle during an Okanagan road game with her high-performance soccer team.
鈥淚 was going in for a tackle and something went wrong. It didn鈥檛 feel good 鈥� I was kind of in shock,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t didn鈥檛 feel horrible at first but I hear that noise, that crunching noise.鈥�
Ma tried to return to the field, but the swelling and pain had become too much. Back in 麻豆传媒映画the next day, she found out it was broken and would need a cast for six weeks.
The timing was terrible. Unable to train with the provincial field hockey team, Ma took herself off the roster. She nonetheless attended practice and joined the team in learning about sport psychology by keeping a performance journal. At the national tournament, held in Surrey at Tamanawis Park, she sat on the bench and kept stats.
鈥淚t was pretty hard, watching on the sidelines and not being able to play,鈥� said the 18-year-old who competed for the Magee Lions and has had the same 麻豆传媒映画Hawks teammates since she was seven, playing at practising at the artificial turf beside Hamber secondary.
The team reached the national final and won. Her teammates and coaches made sure Ma was recognized for her commitment off the field and told to come back on it for the award ceremonies.
鈥淚 got a gold medal, too. The fact they called me over, I was surprised but was very touched,鈥� she said.
The next season she was a reserve player on the U18 provincial team and for the next two years, including this one, she was back on the Blue. In 2014, she won gold at nationals.
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