Inliners at work for 2006 World Champs

THE festive season may be well underway but there was no time to relax for 23 inline hockey hopefuls in Swakopmund last weekend.They were working flat out at the second set of trials in a six-month selection process that began in October.

By April, the trials will have produced the team to represent Namibia at the 2006 International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) Inline Hockey World Championships in Budapest. Aged between 16 and 25, the best of Namibia’s inline talent, drawn from clubs in Otjiwarongo, Windhoek and Swakopmund, were put through their paces by national team head coach Philippe Boudreault and his assistant Roman Marx, under the watchful eye of Ben Naobeb for the Namibian Sports Commission.The third trial in the series will take place in Swakopmund from January 6 to 8.Subsequent training camps will be held in Windhoek and at the coast and the world championship squad will have been finalised by April.The demanding training and selection schedule, which has been designed by Boudreault, also incorporates a specialised biokinetics programme.After the trials, team manager Ulrike Rodenwoldt said she was well satisfied by the high standards set by both coach and players.”It was particularly pleasing to see the keen interest taken by Mr Naobeb of the Sports Commission.He attended every day of the trials and said he was most impressed by the way they had been handled.”The Budapest world championships in July will mark Namibia’s second appearance at the prestigious IIHF tournament.Team Namibia’s debut performance in 2005 was good enough to re-qualify for 2006, won the tournament’s Fair Play trophy, and earned international respect for the high standard of inline hockey in Namibia.This year, the team hopes to improve on its 2005 standings.”We can draw on the experience we gained in 2005,” said Boudreault, who was a finalist in this year’s Namibia Sports Awards ‘Coach of the Year’ competition.”Many players from last year’s squad will be in the team again, plus we have some very good new talent.Every year we take part in the World Championships, Namibian inline hockey as a whole will benefit,” he said.Meanwhile, the sport takes a break between seasons.Training in Swakopmund for the Coastal Pirates will start again on Monday January 9 at the SFC Hall, following the third World Championship training camp.Aged between 16 and 25, the best of Namibia’s inline talent, drawn from clubs in Otjiwarongo, Windhoek and Swakopmund, were put through their paces by national team head coach Philippe Boudreault and his assistant Roman Marx, under the watchful eye of Ben Naobeb for the Namibian Sports Commission.The third trial in the series will take place in Swakopmund from January 6 to 8.Subsequent training camps will be held in Windhoek and at the coast and the world championship squad will have been finalised by April.The demanding training and selection schedule, which has been designed by Boudreault, also incorporates a specialised biokinetics programme.After the trials, team manager Ulrike Rodenwoldt said she was well satisfied by the high standards set by both coach and players.”It was particularly pleasing to see the keen interest taken by Mr Naobeb of the Sports Commission.He attended every day of the trials and said he was most impressed by the way they had been handled.”The Budapest world championships in July will mark Namibia’s second appearance at the prestigious IIHF tournament.Team Namibia’s debut performance in 2005 was good enough to re-qualify for 2006, won the tournament’s Fair Play trophy, and earned international respect for the high standard of inline hockey in Namibia.This year, the team hopes to improve on its 2005 standings.”We can draw on the experience we gained in 2005,” said Boudreault, who was a finalist in this year’s Namibia Sports Awards ‘Coach of the Year’ competition.”Many players from last year’s squad will be in the team again, plus we have some very good new talent.Every year we take part in the World Championships, Namibian inline hockey as a whole will benefit,” he said.Meanwhile, the sport takes a break between seasons.Training in Swakopmund for the Coastal Pirates will start again on Monday January 9 at the SFC Hall, following the third World Championship training camp.