Namibia raises bar for 2007 Inline World Champs

NAMIBIA’S bid to scale the ranks at the 2007 inline hockey world championships got off to a determined start in Swakopmund last weekend with the first round of selection trials for the national team.

Under the watchful eye of new national coach Nate Blair and assistant coach Mario Troha, 22 hopefuls worked through three gruelling days of fitness, skills and teamwork training as part of the five-month build-up to the world championship, to be held in Germany next May. This will be Namibia’s third consecutive appearance alongside inline hockey’s world elite, and according to coach Blair, the team stands an excellent chance of improving its current world ranking.”What I saw at the weekend was very encouraging,” said Blair, an experienced Canadian inline and ice hockey coach who arrived in Namibia mid-December to take up his new position.”Some of the players really impressed me, and there were some flashes of greatness.There are players here who could be world class given the right conditions.”The trials were made up of a tightly formulated programme of on-court and off-court training, during which all aspects of the players’ game were assessed.Blair said he was looking specifically for a solid work ethic and good team players.”The biggest weakness was fitness,” said Blair.”It has to be really excellent to succeed at this level of competition, and most of the players have some work to do to improve their overall strength.”The next chance for players to prove their mettle will be mid-January when the second trial takes place, also at the coast.”We’ve made no selections so far, we have just been assessing the general level and what we have to build on,” said the new coach.After sound performances at the 2005 world championship in Finland and at this year’s tournament in Hungary, Namibia is no longer the Cinderella of the inline hockey world.Despite the relatively young average age of its players, the international hockey fraternity is now acknowledging Team Namibia as a serious and improving contender.According to Blair, one of the team’s greatest strengths is the positive attitude of its players.”There’s real commitment to producing their best.The players want to contribute, they want to work hard and give 110 per cent.Combined with the skills I’ve already seen, that will take us a long way.”Further, it seems, than the support shown so far by would-be sponsors of the championship campaign.According to Arndt Asmus, Sports Director for the Namibian Inline and Ice Hockey Association (NIIHA), interest from the business sector in one of Namibia’s most successful national teams has been disappointing.”Even though the team has produced such outstanding results, we still struggle to find good solid sponsors,” said Asmus.”We are still largely reliant on fund-raising events and individual contributions from players, their clubs and their families.We hope this year will be different and that the business community will help us fly the Namibian flag … the team has surely proved its worth by now.”This will be Namibia’s third consecutive appearance alongside inline hockey’s world elite, and according to coach Blair, the team stands an excellent chance of improving its current world ranking.”What I saw at the weekend was very encouraging,” said Blair, an experienced Canadian inline and ice hockey coach who arrived in Namibia mid-December to take up his new position.”Some of the players really impressed me, and there were some flashes of greatness.There are players here who could be world class given the right conditions.”The trials were made up of a tightly formulated programme of on-court and off-court training, during which all aspects of the players’ game were assessed.Blair said he was looking specifically for a solid work ethic and good team players.”The biggest weakness was fitness,” said Blair.”It has to be really excellent to succeed at this level of competition, and most of the players have some work to do to improve their overall strength.”The next chance for players to prove their mettle will be mid-January when the second trial takes place, also at the coast.”We’ve made no selections so far, we have just been assessing the general level and what we have to build on,” said the new coach.After sound performances at the 2005 world championship in Finland and at this year’s tournament in Hungary, Namibia is no longer the Cinderella of the inline hockey world.Despite the relatively young average age of its players, the international hockey fraternity is now acknowledging Team Namibia as a serious and improving contender.According to Blair, one of the team’s greatest strengths is the positive attitude of its players.”There’s real commitment to producing their best.The players want to contribute, they want to work hard and give 110 per cent.Combined with the skills I’ve already seen, that will take us a long way.”Further, it seems, than the support shown so far by would-be sponsors of the championship campaign.According to Arndt Asmus, Sports Director for the Namibian Inline and Ice Hockey Association (NIIHA), interest from the business sector in one of Namibia’s most successful national teams has been disappointing.”Even though the team has produced such outstanding results, we still struggle to find good solid sponsors,” said Asmus.”We are still largely reliant on fund-raising events and individual contributions from players, their clubs and their families.We hope this year will be different and that the business community will help us fly the Namibian flag … the team has surely proved its worth by now.”