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"Field Hockey is an eleven aside game played on a pitch 100 yards by 60 yards with a ball which has a 23cm circumference. Each player has a stick with a rounded head to play the ball with and the objective is to score goals by putting the ball in the opposing team’s goal. Sticks are anywhere between 28 inches and 39 inches long and weigh between 340g and 790g. Protective equipment is worn in the form of full body armour, pads, gloves, kickers and a helmet for the goal keepers and shin guards and mouth guards for outfield players."
Above from Field Hockey BC
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While Vancouver is the acknowledged birthplace of Canada's first field hockey club, field hockey has been played in the Cowichan Valley since the early 1900's. In fact, the December 26, 1912 issue of The Cowichan Leader states: "The advantages of the Cowichan district as a social center are many. Within a circle of miles of Duncan there are to be found clubs for the encouragement of every kind of sport. In the summer months, cricket, tennis, polo, boating and fishing are gone in for by many people, while in the winter, to make the time pass pleasantly, there are Football clubs - both Rugby and Association, a golf club, a Ladies' Hockey Club, and a badminton club at Shawnigan Lake." World War I put an end to many of the sporting events in the Valley, but following its conclusion, sporting pastimes were once again taken up by local enthusiasts.
Ladies', men's and mixed hockey flourished in the Valley between 1921 and 1939 under the name of the Cowichan Cricket and Sports Club. In 1927 the Staples Cup was presented for mixed field hockey competition by Mr. Noel R. Staples, a former Irish national player and the owner of Staples' Jack Pot, the local sporting goods store in Duncan on Station Street (presently the location of Wing On Food Market). All home grass hockey games and Staples Cup matches were played on the Cowichan Cricket and Sports Club grounds, now known as McAdam Park. The last Staples Cup tournament was played in 1938.
In 1936, the Australian women's field hockey team visited British Columbia on its way to the International Tournament in Philadelphia and played matches against the Vancouver All-Stars in Vancouver, and - you guessed it - the Duncan Ladies' Field Hockey Club! Although the Australians defeated the Vancouver All-Stars 10-1 and the Duncan team 15-1, the matches were historic as they marked the first international field hockey games in Canada!
World War II marked the end of a number of organized sports in the Cowichan Valley, including grass hockey. Club members were lost to the war effort and enlistment of the young men and women into the various armed forces. Grass hockey survived in Duncan, however, primarily because it was a compulsory activity at Queen Margaret's School. During that same time period, Duncan High School and Duncan Public School had grass hockey teams at intermittent times. The Bridgman Cup was introduced in 1938 to promote girls' hockey. Between 1938 and 1966, QMS girls won this Cup 19 times.
During the 1961-1962 season, the Cowichan Ladies' Grass Hockey Club was once again revived after an interlude of almost twenty years. For some reason the revival of the club failed a few years later and the game continued to be played energetically at schools in the area, notably Cowichan Secondary, Queen Margaret's, George Bonner Junior Secondary and Quamichan Junior Secondary Schools. In 1973 the Cowichan Secondary School team won the BC Senior Girls' Grass Hockey Championship, repeating this feat again in 1992, 1994 ,1995 and 1997.
In September, 1975 the Cowichan Ladies' Field Hockey Club took on its third, and hopefully final, revival. It changed its name in October, 1989 to The Cowichan Field Hockey Association when it incorporated under the BC Societies Act and took under its wing the promotion of youth hockey in the area.
The year 1995 was of double significance - a 20th anniversary of the current club in the Valley and a 100th anniversary of the sport in Canada! As a project to commemorate field hockey's centenary in Canada, the Association revived the annual Staples Cup Mixed Field Hockey Tournament. A new cup, the Staples Memorial Cup was first presented on that occasion. Today, the Cowichan Field Hockey Association boasts 70 members on 4 ladies' senior teams and over 500 children in its spring youth program.
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September, 1974 Revival of the Cowichan Ladies' Grass Hockey Club, with
two teams, Cowichan I and Cowichan II in the Vancouver
Island Ladies' Field Hockey Association (VILFHA) league
September, 1983 Cowichan I renamed the Cowichan Flickers, after the bird common
to North America, for the club's first division entry in the VILFHA
league
Cowichan II renamed the Cowichan Cardinals, after the bird common to North America, for the club's second division entry in
the VILFHA league
September, 1986 Third team added to club's roster and named the
Cowichan Marmots, after the animal common to Vancouver
Island, for the club's third division entry in the VILFHA league
August, 1988 The Cowichan Classics, the Masters' aged members of the club,
competed in the Canadian Women's Master's Championships in
Ottawa, Ontario
September, 1988 Cowichan Marmots renamed the Cowichan Kestrels, after
the bird common to North America, and to keep consistency
in utilizing North American bird names for the club's teams
August, 1989 The Cowichan Classics competed in the Canadian Women's Master's Championships in Charlottetown, PEI
October, 1989 Cowichan Ladies' Grass Hockey Club renamed The Cowichan Field
Hockey Association
October, 1991 The Cowichan Classics competed in the International Golden
Oldies' Field Hockey Festival in Lautoka, Fiji.
September,1993 Fourth team added to club's roster and named the Cowichan Stellar Jays, for the club's second third division entry in the VILFHA league
The Cowichan Classics competed in the International Golden
Oldies' Field Hockey Festival in Hong Kong.
September, 1994 Fifth team added to club's roster and named the Cowichan Swifts,
for the club's second division entry in the VILFHA league
March, 1995 The Cowichan Classics competed in the International Golden
Oldies' Field Hockey Festival in Christchurch, New Zealand.
July, 1995 The Staples Cup Mixed Field Hockey Tournament,
revived by the club to commemorate 100 years of the sport
of field hockey in Canada, with a new cup, The Staples Memorial
Cup, presented to the winning team.
Written by Carolyn Prellwitz, 1998
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