UCT-Ikeys are taking the lessons they learned in the Varsity Hockey tournament and using it to assist with the improvement of their game as they look forward to the rest of the season.
The Cape side came away without a victory in their eight matches to finish with the wooden spoon and have refused to see it as a disappointment, instead, goalkeeper Tayla Karstens believes the experience was more of enlightenment.
“You will be forgiven for looking at the results and thinking we are disappointed in ourselves. Yes, the results never went our way but we are using the lessons we learnt in each of those matches as a way to help us improve our standards.
“Regardless of the way things went in the matches or what the end result was, our entire squad kept our heads high and remained positive throughout the tournament. We all learned a lot, especially about the standard of the game and where we need to be if we want to compete and the only way you will learn these type of lessons is to play against better opposition,” she told varsitysportssa.com.
Karstens was happy with UCT’s overall performance and feels they improved in each match, despite the various scorelines suggesting otherwise.
“After each game, we had a look at the video and analysed our game to see which areas we needed to improve on. So with every new game, we had specific objectives we were aiming to achieve and we did that. We just wanted to keep improving throughout the tournament, regardless of what the scoreboards said at the end of the match,” she added.
The shot stopper managed to claim numerous Mugg & Bean Star Saver of the Match awards and was taken by surprise by the atmosphere of the event – her first taste of Varsity Hockey.
“I absolutely loved every minute of it. It was my first experience of Varsity Hockey and it is by far, the biggest hockey tournament I have played in. It was a real privilege to have been able to participate in the event.
“The atmosphere in Potchefstroom and Johannesburg was really enjoyable and the exposure we received by playing some games on live TV was incredible. It is nice to know that hockey, as a whole, is finally getting some sort of exposure so that the public can see the game is not as small as they think.
“Hopefully, the viewers were able to see that the game is fast-paced and exciting and deserves more exposure,” she stated.
