We are very proud of the Team NL’s accomplishments both on and off the floor. We have spent many years training and working on fundamentals so that we could be the best team possible. Each athlete and coach worked hard to prepare for the National Games and we knew in our hearts that we would represent our province to the best of our ability.Those years of hard work and preaching fundamentals all came down to the last minute of play in the Gold Medal game. We were holding onto a slim one goal lead and down two men with just under a minute to play. This of course made things very interesting for both teams and their fans. The plan was to grind out the time remaining on the clock and put our training to use. There were three nail biting stoppages of play in the last minute of the game and Team BC was pressuring hard. Our team stayed strong and remembered our training and when that final second ticked off the clock, athletes, fans and coaches all left there feet and cheered as Team NL claimed the gold.
We feel that the floor hockey team gelled on and off the floor and played as a team. They listened to their coaches and without a doubt, performed remarkably against tough competition.
With 15 players and 3 coaches, there are many different personalities that come into play. There are so many stories that we can tell after spending a full week together. Before every game, each player would touch the NL flag (given to us by the hockey girls at Northpoint) and say a prayer. This was taken very seriously by every member of the team as players would remind one another not to forget this ritual.
We brought a couple of NL beach balls to Quebec City and between games the team amused themselves playing volleyball as well as various other activities. We feel that this added in a big part to the way the group gelled as a team.
On Thursday, there were a couple of memorable team moments. The round robin games started so the team was told that they weren’t allow to shave until after the championship game (girls included). This made it very interesting when the parents saw them looking pretty scruffy, but we think everyone got a big kick out of it. To go with the teams new scruff we felt that it was fitting that every team member was given a nickname based on their mannerisms and personality. Everybody enjoyed that especially when they got to share it with their family and friends that evening.
As the week went by, it became obvious that our team became the “darlings” of the hockey venue. Whether it be at lunch or around the floor, we had many compliments on their behavior and manners. Various volunteers (Nuns included) complimented our team on a daily basis. One volunteer actually spoke with the team after the Championship game and told them how impressed she was with our team and that because of them, she will now become a full-time volunteer with Special Olympics. With that kind of support and feedback from individuals outside our Province, we feel that everyone involved should be very proud of all members of the Floor Hockey Team. We are the gold medal champions but just as important we great ambassadors of the province of Newfoundland and Labrador.Coaching Staff (Darrin and Eileen Reid, Onslow Brenton)
Floor Hockey
