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Inline Hockey IIHF Requalification Games in Windhoek
After receiving a low placement in the 2007 IIHF World Championships, Namibia’s National in-line team was relegated and forced to re-qualify to attend the 2009 IIHF Championships. Unfortunately, the Namibia Inline Hockey Open Team lost the qualification series against South Africa in August 2008 by one goal, making us ineligible for participating. Namibia is now eligible for a re-qualification series to compete at the 2011 World Championships. The re-qualification games will once again be against rival, South Africa, during this coming week.
Should Namibia succeed in re-qualifying this year, we will be competing against the top 14 teams from the 2010 IIHF World Championships, which include:
Top division: USA (gold), CZE (silver), SWE (bronze), CAN, SLO, FIN, GER and SVK
Division I: AUT (gold), CRO (silver), HUN (bronze), AUS, GBR, and JPN
Brazil and Argentina, who competed in the 2010 Championships, will be relegated for 2011. Slovakia has been promoted to the 2011 IIHF InLine World Championship following this year’s Qualification Games in Europe. The second team that will join the division one at the 2011 World championships will be the winner between the two requalification games between Namibia and South Africa. There will be two games held in Windhoek: Game One - on Friday 13th August 2010; and Game Two - Saturday 14th August 2010. These exciting games will be held at the International Hall, Show Grounds during the prime evening slot of 20:30 during the Badgers annual inline hockey tournament.
The Namibian team members have been selected through a trial held during the weekend 10/11 July 2010 and include: Marcel Baas, Alex Courtney-Clarke, Marco Debortoli, Dominic Denker, Otwin Förster, Timo Giersch, Hagen Heinz, Kai Hennes, Stefan Ihms, Matthew Jackman, Quintin Kotze, Arne Rodenwoldt and Vincent van Biljon. Keepers for Team Namibia will be Erik Rodenwoldt and Ulfried Cramer. Coaching staff are Brian Sobel as head coach and Klaus Dieter Schobel as assistant coach.
Open Team Namibia 2010: back row from left to right: Sobel Brian (head coach), Jackman Matthew, Baas Cello, Ihms Stefan, Courtney-Clarke Alex, Schobel Klaus Dieter
Middle row: Förster Otwin, Giersch Timo, Denker Dominic, Debortoli Marco
Front: Rodenwoldt Erik (goalie), Kotze Quintin, Cramer Ulfried (goalie)
Not present on photo: Heinz Hagen, Hennes Kai, Rodenwoldt Arne, van Biljon Vincent
The team had a training camp during the last weekend to prepare for the upcoming games. Team South Africa will arrive in Namibia this week. The IIHF Inline Hockey World Championships for 2011 will be held 19. - 25. June 2011 in Pardubice / Czech Republic.
NIIHA announces National Junior Men's Team 2010
The Namibia Ice & Inline Hockey Association proudly presents the National squad to compete at the FIRS Junior Men’s Inline Hockey World Championships 2010 in Düsseldorf, Germany.
The young squad, under the leadership of Captain Michael Falk, and Assistant Captains Gunnar Visser and Otwin Förster, will depart for Düsseldorf on Air Namibia this Friday.
The team has experienced skaters next to Michael Falk and Gunnar Visser in the form of Dominic Denker, Tyrone Miles and Sebastian Pahl, all of whom attended the 2008 Junior Men’s World Championships 2008 then held in the USA. Other experienced players include Otwin Förster, John-James Tromp and goalie Oliver Jooste, who also participated as part of a Namibia Development team that attended the 2008 FIRS Olympic awareness tournament in the USA. The team is complimented by players Janko Meyer, Stefan Jooste, Joost Schneider and Dwen Brown who have all competed in the Inter Conti Cup held in Swakopmund in December 2008. The Team’s Head Coach is Brian Sobel, who has previously coached the junior national USA teams that participated in the FIRS 2008 Junior Men’s Championships. USA came second then; losing in the finals to team Britain. Assistant Coach, Mathieu van Hout, also brings many years of experience as a national inline hockey player for the Netherlands and later as a coach in France before he joined the Namibian Inline Hockey Fraternity.
In 2008 team Namibia managed to climb up two steps in the FIRS world ranking (to eight). As Namibia did not field a team for the 2009 FIRS Junior Men’s World Championships, Namibia dropped out of the world rankings. Thus it remains to be seen if this team can enhance Namibia’s FIRS World rankings over that achieved by the 2008 team.
Team Namibia will start this year’s FIRS Inline Hockey World Championships with a game against Team USA at mid-morning on June 28, while facing off against Team France in the afternoon. This will be followed by a game against Team Italy on day two. The third day of the Championships will see Namibia pitted against Team Mexico in the morning and Team Canada in the afternoon. These five games conclude the round robin and determine the bracketing of competitors for the next round of competition. To follow the team performance from 27th June - 2nd July 2010 click here.
Junior Men’s Inline Hockey National Team 2010
From left to right back: Mathieu van Hout (coach), Stefan Jooste, John-James Tromp, Gunnar Visser(A), Dominic Denker, Tyrone Miles, Michael Falk(C), Brian Sobel(head coach)
Middle: Sebastian Pahl, Joost Schneider, Janko Meyer, Otwin Förster(A)
Front: goalies Oliver Jooste & Dwen Brown
Namibia welcomes back Dave Hammond
The Inline Hockey Fraternity welcomes ‘home’ the Captain of the Silver medallist from the FIRS World Championships 2009, Mr Dave Hammond - the coach of the Coastal Pirates. Dave, together with fellow team player and previous coach from the Coastal Pirates team, Phil Boudreaux, were the Captain and Assistant Captains of the Canadian squad that took the silver medal in the 2009 FIRS World Championships. Dave has had an exceptional season in inline hockey so far, and we are proud to be linked to such great International talent.
2009!
Badgers Tournament sees Coaching staff revitalised...
The 2009 Inline Hockey season started during the second week of March with 82 games being played. 37 teams registered to field their players for this first tournament hosted by the Badgers Club in Windhoek. A visiting team from South Africa, mostly compiled by Namibian students studying in Cape Town, made the Open division with six teams the most competitive. Although spectators saw some very tightly fought games it was the Coastal Pirates that managed to win the gold medal for this division, followed by the Wild Cats and Badgers in 2nd and 3rd positions respectively.
Both Coastal Pirates as well as Badgers took home four gold medals in this first tournament of the season. Cazadores managed to display their dominance in the 18 and under division. Scorpions brought back bronze medals in the 12 and under as well as the 18 and under divisions. The Kamikaze ladies took a bronze medal for their club.
Photo: Coaching staff 2009
For
summary of the results per age division please click here.
Inter-Conti Cup 2008:
Brazil A takes home gold in both categories
If not for the Brazilian Flag and the yellow/blue battle wear of the visiting teams, the atmosphere at Friday and Saturday’s Inter-Conti Cup 2008 could have reminded the spectators of Namibia’s five annual national inline hockey tournaments. Only on this weekend, the stakes were higher and the atmosphere more tense, as two Brazil national and six Namibian teams (one National, one Federation, and four clubs) suited up to battle for the group trophy.
The host, Coastal Pirates, fielded a solid team – a team that prevented all other Namibian teams from coming within grasp of the Cup’s unique elephant medals. The Coastal Pirates tough defence only allowed the puck to be snuck past the goalie twice during Friday and Saturday’s round robin play, while scoring 24 times on their fellow opponents. This impressive record was topped only by the visiting Brazil A team, who scored 33 times, while only giving up two goals in their final round robin game against Cazadores A.
The round robin results generated some interesting match-ups with Brazil A being pitted against Cazadores B, while Brazil B lined up to compete against Cazadores A. The remaining two games paired the Capitals team with the Scorpions, while team injuries forced Windhoek City to forfeit, allowing Coastal Pirates to automatically advance to the semi-finals.
Full spectator ranks on Saturday
night saw the first round of the International division when the National
Namibian squad showed their metal in a well fought game against Brazil B.
Both teams tried to display their dominance on the rink until eight minutes
into the first half Michael Falk scored the first goal for Namibia. Shortly
thereafter, Timo Giersch, assisted by Oliver Lohmeier, added a second goal
to give Namibia a 2:0 halftime lead. After the break team Namibia added
three more unanswered goals. Two goals by Cello Baas, assisted by Oliver
Lohmeier and Zaid Ely respectively, while Arne Rodenwoldt scoring on a pass
from Michael Falk, gave the Namibian National Team a clear victory with the
final score of 5:0.
Face off during the game Brazil B against Namibia B.
The second game on Saturday evening had Brazil A matched against Namibia B. Although it took the guests five minutes to score, the Brazilians’ constant intense pressure on Namibia took its toll, producing four additional, unanswered goals before the Kamikaze duo of Stefan Ihms and Michael Hanke managed to score the only goal of the match for Team Namibia B with four minutes remaining on the clock for the first half. The Brazilian National Team proved to be too strong for our young Namibian second squad, winning decisively with a final score of 10:1.
During the semi-final round of the group A & B play, Brazil A breezed by an overmatched Capitals team, while the Coastal Pirates played a tough match against Brazil B. The Coastal Pirates dominated the first half, taking a 4:0 lead in convincing fashion. The Pirates opened the second half with a quick goal by Michael Ellinger (assisted by Oliver Lohmeier), taking a 5:0 lead. However, Brazil B then came back strongly and quickly, scoring three goals in succession, rapidly changing the complexion of the game from a rout to a physical 5:3 battle. The Pirates held on for a hard-fought victory, with the final score remaining 5:3 in the Pirates’ favour.
Brazil
A and the Coastal Pirates, as the winners of the semi-finals, advanced to the finals of the group tournament for gold medal play. Brazil A came out strongly and took a 3:0 lead into the halftime break. Coastal Pirates began the second half with spirit and focus, scoring the first two goals of the half and closing the gap to 3:2. For a brief moment it appeared that Team Namibia had changed the momentum of the game and was ready to tie the game. Both teams competed eagerly for the puck – but it was the Brazilian team that managed to add another goal halfway through the final period, breaking Namibia’s momentum and leading to a final score of 5:2 in the Brazilian’s favour.
Shortly after lunch Namibia B
skated onto the rink to meet Brazil B as part of the Inter-Conti Cup
competition. This game had a ‘revived’ 2nd Namibian squad display
their best hockey of the tournament. Although both teams put vehement
pressure on the opponents’ defences, it was Brazil B who put the puck into
the Namibian net at 14:02 of the first half. Another goal followed in
favour of the visitors at 11:52 to give them the halftime lead of 2:0.
Finally in the second half the Namibian squad was rewarded with a goal when
Festus van der Westhuizen passed to Gunnar Barth who scored. Brazil B added
two more goals for the game. The final score of 4:1 in favour of Brazil
B shows a clear Brazil victory, but credit should also be given to our
Namibia B team for their high quality of play and the immense pressure they
were able to place on the Brazilians for the duration of the game.
The final game for the weekend was the match Brazil A against Namibia A – it took Brazil only seconds to surprise the Namibian defence with a goal. Another goal followed several long minutes later – but, again for Team Brazil. Namibia countered with two goals. The first by Marco Debortoli, assisted by Arne Rodenwoldt, and the second by Michael Ellinger, assisted by Arne Rodenwoldt. During the tightly fought first half Brazil scored twice more, while Namibia added its third goal, bringing the halftime score to 4:3 in Brazil’s favour. Both teams opened the second half in a defensive stand-off 5 long minutes until Brazil scored three goals in succession by Petro Duarte, Felipe Geraldini, and another by Petro Duarte. Team Namibia scored its final goal, with an unassisted goal by Zaid Ely, but it was too little too late. Brazil added two more goals before the final whistle, giving them the well-deserved 9:4 win and the overall victory and the 1st Place in the Inter-Conti Cup 2008.
Captain Jose Guilardi receiving the trophy
Inter-Conti Cup 2008:
Brazil the first International Inline Hockey team to attend
Following Namibia’s 2007 participation in the VII South American Championships in Sao Paulo, the Namibia Ice and Inline Hockey Associations (NIIHA) decided to increase Namibia participation in international Inline Hockey events. This weekend’s (December 12-14) Inter-Conti Cup 2008 will be the first International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) International Inline Hockey Tournament to be hosted in Africa. The Inter-Conti Cup 2008 will showcase local Namibian talent against Brazil – arguably the southern hemisphere’s strongest inline hockey country.
Two Brazilian Inline hockey teams have followed our invitation and arrived in Windhoek on Monday to start their Namibia experience with the well-organized fun event, the “Summer Salsa Tournament”, at the Kamikaze rink.
Jose Guilardi –a member of the Brazilian squad attending the IIHF Inline Hockey World Championships 2005 in Kuopio – showed the Windhoek teams that he is a force to be reckoned with. Next to his teammate Pedro Duarte, he was one of the five players to be awarded to the ‘All Star Team’ during the Summer Salsa Tournament. Namibian players selected into the ‘All Star Team’ include: Ivan Tchekashkine, Michael Hanke and goalie Glen Brown. The Brazilian defender was rated as the best Brazilian defence scorer during this year’s IIHF Inline Hockey World Championships in Slovakia, where his team won the bronze medal in Division I.
Teammates of Jose and Petro, Andre Branco as well as Caio Petito, have also competed against the Namibian squad in 2005 and 2006 respectively. Most of the other Brazilian players have yet to participate in a World Championship, but are using the Inter-Conti Cup 2008 to gain their first international experience.
The Namibian National squad is composed largely of seasoned players who have participated in IIHF world championships. Quintin Kotze is captain, while Marco Debortoli and Michael Ellinger are assistant captains. All three players attended the IIHF Inline Hockey World Championships 2005 in Kuopio. Goalies for the Namibian National team include Erik Rodenwoldt and Oliver Tors. Our Team Namibia, however, will be weakened by the absence of strong players (Riyaan Ely and Basti Faber) who have been recruited to play professional Inline Hockey in Spain.
In preparation for the Inter-Conti Cup Namibia ran trials during the first weekend in December to give players an opportunity to compete for spots on the federation team. Captain of the Namibian Federation team is Matthew Jackman, with Michael Hanke and Ivan Tchekashkine as assistant captains. Goalies for the Federation team are: Stephen Heinz and Jens Rust.
Namibia Federation Team 2008 with coaches Marc Pattmann and Nadia Schmidt
All five local clubs are fielding teams for the coming weekend to attend the Inter-Conti Cup 2008 at the SFC Hall in Swakopmund. Two pools, with four teams each, will start with a round robin on Friday afternoon at 16h00. The last round robin game on Saturday morning will be followed by, cross-over play between the pools at 14h30 to determine rankings. Two highlight games for the Inter-Conti Cup 2008 will be the match-ups between Namibia A and Brazil B and Brazil A against Namibia, which are scheduled for 20h00 and 21h15, respectively.
The Sunday morning games will be used to determine the winners of Pool A and B. The final round of play will commence at 12h30 with the Namibia Federation Team playing Brazil B, and concluding with the Namibian National team facing Brazil A.
Please come and join us in supporting Namibia Inline Hockey and our national inline hockey clubs in this exciting Inter-Conti Cup 2008.
Brazilian Salsa – too hot for local talent?
Following a one hour delay, the Summer Salsa Tournament in Windhoek finally started with a match between Brazil I and Cazadores II. A nervous local defender tried to keep the opponent at bay – but the defences loosened their focus and the first goal was scored.
Although Cazadores II gave the Brazilians a good fight the final score on the board showed a clear winner in Brazil I scoring four goals in their first game and their defence not allowing any counters.
With only 10 minutes per half-time, final scores were kept in the one-digit tally and Brazil II had tough battles against Kamikaze as well as Cazadores I, while Brazil I was matched against Cazadores II and the Badgers.
After the round robin session, neither Brazilian team had lost a game and were set against the runner up of the opposite groups. Kamikaze, in their game against the third placed in group A, managed to edge ahead by one goal to give them the lead in their match against Badgers winning by a final score of 3:2. Brazil I won solidly against Cazadores I in a well-played game having a final score of 3:0. Brazil II managed to put the puck neatly into the Badgers net giving them a tightly fought win at 1:0.
In the final match of the evening, both Brazilian teams played hockey of high international standards, putting on a clinic for the remaining fans at the Kamikaze rink. The game went into overtime, with Brazil I scoring the golden goal, giving them the overall 1st place for this fun tournament.
Votes for most valuable player were tallied up in favour of Ivan Tchekashkine (Cazadores I), Michael Hanke (Kamikaze), Petro Duarte and Jose Guilardi (Brazil I) and the goalie, Glen Brown from Cazadores II, for the fun tournament in Windhoek.
Brazilian Salsa in the Air – Metropolis Heating up
26 players from the five Namibian Inline Hockey clubs will suit up and go through their drills to prepare for the Inter-Conti Cup 2008 during the coming weekend in Windhoek. These players will form the Federation team to compete against Brazil A and B. They will be in the same league as our Namibian National team preparing at the coast.
The Brazilian squads will arrive on Monday 8th December attend the fun tournament in Windhoek to try out their wheels at our elevation and then proceed on a four day tour through Namibia visiting Etosha Pan and Okonjima. The will end their sightseeing tour in Swakopmund to warm up and start the Tournament at the coast on Friday 12th December 2008.
Four teams from Windhoek will get ready for the games to start on 8th December 2008 at the Kamikaze rink in Windhoek at 17h30. There will be two groups consisting of one Brazilian squad and two Windhoek teams each. 10 games will be played starting off in a round robin fashion determining the ranking for the two groups. Then a crossover will determine the final placement of the participating teams for our Fun Tournament.
Pooitjies will be served for hungry spectators and refreshments are available until late. The three Windhoek hosting clubs will be proud to welcome record numbers of spectators to cheer for the competitors.
Brazilian Salsa in the Air – Inline Hockey Picking up Momentum
While
the Brazilian teams are getting ready for their trip to Namibia the Windhoek
clubs are putting finishing touches to their team preparations. Although the
regular inline hockey season has ended the open teams are in full gear,
putting their teams together to field the best players and find the ultimate
lines for the fun tournament in Windhoek (please
click here for
schedule) which at the same time is preparation for the big event: The
Inter-Conti Cup 2008!
The Federation team has scheduled a training camp for the coming weekend to allow students to find and fill their respective roles on the team. Players from Otjiwarongo as well as Swakopmund will travel to Windhoek to attend the training camp under the Argus eyes of coaches Marc Pattmann and Nadia Schmidt.
Players on the Namibian National team will go through the motions in Swakopmund.
While the players are sweating it out on the rink our supporters in the five Namibian clubs are drumming up the ultimate food selection and fielding teams to take up their positions at food and beverage stalls.
Inline Hockey at its best! Brazil – the bronze medal winner in Division I of the IIHF World Championships 2008 will compete in Namibia in the Inter-Conti Cup during the weekend of December 12-14 in Swakopmund at the SFC hall. Please click here for schedule.
*Picture from the official library at the IIHF World Championships in 2006 during the game Brazil vs Namibia
Brazilian Salsa to heat up the already sizzling Windhoek Air
On December 8th 2008 two Brazilian national
Inline Hockey squads will touch down at Hosea Kutako.
The Brazilian players are no newcomers to the international Inline hockey circuit. Almost every year during Namibia’s participation at the IIHF World Championships team Namibia had the pleasure of being set off against these warriors.
The first encounter in Kuopio, in 2005 - with a young Namibian squad and Erik Rodenwoldt defending our goal. Names like Jose Guilardi, Bruno Gomes and Diego Araujo are well remembered when Brazil managed to win the game 7:3.
In July 2006 Arne Rodenwoldt scored the only goal for our team against Brazil giving the final result of Brazil 7 – Namibia 1.
In 2007 Team Brazil managed to take the gold medal in Division I category while both teams from Africa were relegated. Still in 2007 a Namibian federation team followed the invitation of Brazil hosting the VII South American Championships. The Namibian team managed to stay undefeated during the Championships in Brazil and beat Team Brazil A convincingly 5-1.
*Picture from the official library at the IIHF
World Championships in 2006
during the game Brazil vs Namibia
2008 and Namibia has stepped up to the challenge and an invitation was sent out for the Inter Continental Cup scheduled for December 12-14 2008 in Swakopmund.
All three Windhoek clubs are fielding players in the open division. A fun tournament is organized on December 8th 2008 to give the players a first glimpse of what lies ahead for them the following weekend.
The Fun Tournament will be held at the Kamikaze rink with Badgers, Cazadores and Kamikaze in co-operation hosting the event. Food and refreshments will be available from 17h30 onwards.
All preparations are in progress to give our visitors a ‘sizzling’ reception and showcase our metropolis as a worthy competitor for a good summer event!
Namibia comes up short in IIHF Requalification Game against South Africa
After a long bus drive to Johannesburg and an hour-long delay the return game started with a strong Namibian team. Both teams tried very had to bring the score in their favour with South Africa having the advantage of being able to hold their lead. Althogether a good game, it was South Africa who decided the overall win for their team as the final score in this game was 1:1.
Due to this South Africa will compete in Germany in the IIHF World Championships 2009. They share the group D in Division I with Great Britain, Brazil and Hungary.
Teams competing in the IIHF World Championships 2009:
Groups of the Top Division:
Group A: Sweden (1), USA (4), Czech Republic (5),
Canada (8).
Group B: Slovakia (2), Germany (3), Finland (6), Slovenia (7).
Groups of Division I:
Group C: Austria (9), Australia (12), Japan (13),
Chinese Taipei (16).
Group D: Great Britain (10), Brazil (11), Hungary (14), South Africa (15).
Team RSA Takes the Lead in a Tightly Fought IIHF World Championship Requalification Game in Swakopmund
Anticipation levels were high, as spectators strategically placed themselves in good viewing spots prior to the warm-up of the Namibia and South Africa IIHF Requalification game for the World Championships 2009 to be held in Ingolstadt/Germany. The newly upgraded SFC Hall in Swakopmund was the venue for the first requalification game between host Namibia and the visiting South African Open Inline Hockey Team.
At
the 2007 IIHF World Championships in Passau Team Namibia managed to win
convincingly against South Africa. The final score in Passau was 8:3 with
Basti Faber being the activator for the Namibian squad.
August 2008 in Swakopmund - 4 periods at 12 minutes each being played with stop time. Under the watchful eye of the IIHF officials and Ben //Naobeb from the Namibian Sports Commission, the game started at noon. Four minutes into the game, South Africa scored on Team Namibia with an unassisted goal by Chris Lategan. Team RSA added a second goal in the first quarter, taking a 2:0 lead into the start of period two. As the second quarter commenced, Team Namibia began to assert itself with better puck movement and smarter passing. Team Namibia was rewarded when Oliver Lohmeier sent a well-placed pass to Vincent van Biljon who scored Namibia’s first goal, bringing Team Namibia back into play at 2:1. However, Team Namibia lost its newly gained momentum when South Africa scored a third goal at the 20:45 mark, taking a lead of RSA 3 - Namibia 1 into the halftime break.
Team Namibia played a good second half, being strongly in possession of the puck through the remaining two periods. However, our players could not find an opening past the South African goal keeper, Ashley Bock, who guarded his net tenaciously. Team Namibia placed heavy pressure on the South Africa defense for the entire second half, but only managed to score a second goal with six and a half minutes left in the final period when Marco Debortoli passed the puck to Vincent van Biljon who put it neatly placed into the net. Though Team Namibia tried intensely to score for the remaining six minutes of the game, a strong South African defense held tight.
Final score Team Namibia 2 - Team RSA - 3.
The return, and final, game of the requalification match will be hosted by South Africa on Saturday 30th August 2008 in Johannesburg. However, Team Namibia now faces an uphill battle to requalify, as we have the difficult task of beating Team South Africa by two or more goals on their own home rink in order to participate in Ingolstadt in 2009.
IIHF Men’s World Championship Requalification Game against South Africa
In the Men’s Open division Namibia participated in the International Inline Hockey Federation (IIHF) World Championships for three years (2005-2007). It has taken years of preparation and commitment for Team Namibia to attain and maintain the competitive level that has allowed it to qualify and compete in the IIHF World Championships since 2005.
While our open team managed to bring back gold from the Southern American Championships in 2007 we have yet to beat Brazil at the IIHF World Championships. We have seen considerable improvement in Team Namibia’s overall performance in each of the previous tournaments. Notably, Namibia’s improvement has also coincided with a steady improvement in the overall competitiveness of the IIHF Championships’ participating teams from the top to bottom. This led to Namibia’s relegation from the IIHF World Championships for 2007.
On August 24 2008 our Open team will host the ‘home’ game against South Africa to qualify our team for the 2009 Men’s World Championships to be held in Germany. The second game will be held in Johannesburg on Saturday the 30th August 2008.
The first game will be during the annual Coastal Pirates Tournament to be held from August 22-25 2008 at the SFC Hall in Swakopmund on Sunday morning. Return game will be in Johannesburg a week later. The winner of the requalification games will join Great Britain, Brazil and Hungary in Group D for the IIHF Men’s World Championships 2009 to be held in Germany.
The Namibian Open Team is consists of ‘veteran’ players that have participated in the previous IIHF World Championships, as well as younger players, who have just competed in the FIRS Junior Men’s World Championships 2008 in Philadelphia. Quintin Kotze will coach the team.
Ladies to Bring Back Bronze for FIRS for World Team Cup 2008
The Namibia Ladies Inline Hockey Team competed in the 2008 FIRS World Championships in Duesseldorf, Germany from July 6-12. The Ladies Team had a warm-up for this high-level event by winning all three of their games in a tournament held at Langenfeld. The FIRS Tournament commenced on July 6, with Team Namibia facing an onslaught of traditional inline hockey powerhouse teams from Finland, Canada, Czech Republic, France and Great Britain. Each of these games proved strong going for Team Namibia, but with the exception of the game with the Czechs, Team Namibia made a good showing and in the process, earned the respect of their opponents. Team Namibia ended the initial Round Robin with a tie (1:1) against Japan. After the initial round robin of games, Team Namibia (along with Great Britain, Finland, and Japan) were qualified to compete for the World Team Cup, while the remaining Teams advanced to World FIRS Championships.
The World Team Cup games pitted Finland and Great Britain against each other for the Gold and Silver, while Namibia and Japan were faced off against each other for the bronze. Team Namibia played one of its best games of the tournament in the bronze medal game, beating Japan convincingly by a score of 4:1 for the bronze medal. The World Team Cup was won by Finland, who beat Great Britain by a final score of 2:1.
Team Namibia gained excellent international experience in this tournament, and in the process, faced three of the top four teams from the World Championships bracket. Team Namibia learned it still has a steep growth curve to play at the level of the top teams, but also gained international recognition and respect by playing competitively against a range of international opponents. In particular, Julika Pahl was recognized by the tournament as the “Youngest Player in The Tournament”, while Nadia Schmidt had a solid combined experience between the pre-tournament in Langenfeld and the FIRS Tournament in Duesseldorf.
Following are the final results for Team Namibia at the 2008 FIRS World Championships:
|
|
|
scored |
assisted |
|
Finland:Namibia |
03:01 |
Mari Schmidt |
Danielle Schmidt |
|
Namibia:Canada |
01:05 |
Julika Pahl |
Stephanie Gantz |
|
Namibia:Czech Republic |
00:09 |
|
|
|
France:Namibia |
04:00 |
|
|
|
Great Britain: Namibia |
06:01 |
|
|
|
Namibia:Japan |
01:01 |
Suselle Pronk |
Stephanie Gantz |
|
Namibia:Japan |
04:01 |
Nadia Schmidt |
|
|
|
|
Nadia Schmidt |
|
|
|
|
Annemarie Kruger |
|
|
|
|
Heidi Garbade |
|
Stepping Up to the Challenge
The Junior Men's World Inline Hockey Championships were competed in by a total of ten different teams. The final placement of the teams were as follows:
| 1) Great Britain | 2) USA |
| 3) Canada | 4) Czech Republic |
| 5) Mexico | 6) Germany |
| 7) Columbia | 8) Namibia |
| 9) Switzerland | 10) New Zealand |
Participation in this event was a learning experience for the 19 and Under National Team Namibia 2008 and one which will provide lessons for participation in future international inline hockey events. On a positive note, Team Namibia beat Switzerland and was competitive in games against Columbia, Germany, and Mexico. Thus, we can be proud that we played many opponents to an even level, and earned the respect of our opponents even though we have far fewer players to draw from in forming our team.
On the other-hand, we were, dominated by stronger, deeper, and more skilled teams from USA, Czech Republic and Great Britain. These teams had more overall team speed, deeper lines, and demonstrated great skill in passing, puck movement, and shooting. The pressure they placed upon us challenged our ability to play good team defense or to mount coordinated offensive attacks. This domination should not be considered surprising, given the immense pools of players these countries have at their disposal and the fact that hockey (both inline and ice) are popular national sports supported with development through organised leagues and school sports programmes.
Nonetheless, it is clear that in order for us to field a more competitive team in these events in the future, we need to focus more on the basics of inline hockey. Better passing, better positioning on defense, more disciplined team shooting, and better teamwork are essential. We need to play smarter and with more confidence. While we may not be able to substantially expand the pool of players we can draw upon in Namibia, we can certainly improve our players' knowledge, skills, confidence, and ability to play inline hockey better.
Participation in the FIRS Junior World Inline Hockey Championships, though challenging at times, has been a good step in exposing our Under-19 Juniors to this process. We are hopeful this experience will be seen by team members, and their parents, as a stepping stone to increasing the competiveness of Namibia inline hockey and eventually assisting Namibia to field a stronger National Level Inline Hockey team in the future.
For a detailed game report of the National 19 and Under Team please click here.
Little Feet impressed on Sportsplex
During June/July 2008 our Under-14 team was exposed to some of the best inline hockey in the world. The International 14 and Under 14 Junior Olympics were combined with the high profile FIRS World Championships, which cumulatively, resulted with 769 games being played over a two-week period. Participants from 13 countries were present, while a wide assortment of clubs ranging from A grade to AAA grade to National Teams played a steady stream of games from 6:00 am to 12:00 pm on daily basis. Our objectives of sending our young, Namibian 14-under team to this event were multi-fold. First we wanted our up-and-coming inline hockey players to be exposed to top-grade inline hockey and become seasoned players. Secondly, we wanted our young team to grow in terms of experience, skills, and confidence. Thirdly, we wanted our under-14 participants and the clubs they represent to grow closer as a team and prepare Namibia inline hockey to be a stronger international contestant five and ten years down the road. And, lastly, we wanted these young players to have fun!
While the Under-14 Team did not win many games, we believe the objectives of this trip have been resoundingly achieved. Our Under-14 now understand what it takes to compete at high level international competitions. The standard of their game has increased significantly, as evidenced by their increased competitiveness as the competitions progressed. Our players have learned to play better as a team, with the increased confidence and skills that can only be attained through the experience of having participated at an international event of this nature. And, our players have had an experience that will be a cherished life-long memory. We believe this process has been a worthwhile investment for each participating team member, and will yield fruits for Namibian inline hockey for many years to come.
The International 14 and Under 14 Junior Olympics were followed up by the AAU clubs' competition with three categories ranking in ability from AAA to A. Namibia was placed in the AA division and came up against some strong clubs.
The first game against the NJ Cougars proved difficult with an final score of 6-1 in favour of the Cougars. Namibia's goal was scored by Bauke Ellis.
In the second game, Namibia lost to the Flash 93 6-2, with our goals being scored by Jason Le Roux and Divan Visser.
As the boys gained confidence and experience their playing improved and the scores became more competitive. Namibia played against Pittsburgh, losing 3-1. This was followed up with a game against the Black Ice which proved to be very exciting. Bauke Ellis scored a goal within the first minute, but Black Ice fought back with their own goal soon after. Despite Namibia putting up a hard fight, Black Ice triumphed with a final score of 8-5.
Namibia's goals were scored by Kai Meiburg, Jason Le Roux, Bauke Ellis (twice) and Divan Visser assisted by J.-J. Tromp.
Game 5 against the Typhoons proved to be the most exciting of all. The teams tied at 1 each for the first half. During the second half both teams managed to add 1 more goal. An extra 18 minutes with a sudden death play-off was initiated. Namibia kept good control of the puck and patiently passed and circled until an opening came.
Four minutes into sudden death, Otwin Foerster saw the opportunity and took a slap shot from the half-way line, scoring the winning goal for us. Final score 3-2.
This took us into the quarter finals where we came up against Flash 93 again.
Namibia played well, but despite many shots on the opposing teams goal, could not push through into the semi finals. Please click here for detailed report!
Team Namibia brings back Gold
On December 14-15, 6 teams participated in the VII South American Championships in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Team Namibia, an invited guest, was the only non-South American team present. Team Namibia was headed by Captain Timo Giersch, with the rest of the team being composed of Arne Rodenwoldt, Vincent van Biljon, Riyaan Ely, Marco Debortoli, Erik Rodenwoldt, Marcel Baas, Bastian Faber, and Phil Boudreault. The team was coached by the Namibian National coach, Nate Blair, and accompanied by Team Manager, Ulrike Rodenwoldt.
The six tournament teams were divided into two groups:
Group 1
· Namibia
· Brasilien B
· AABB Sao Paulo
Group 2
· Brasilien A
· Minas Gerais
· Argentina
During the preliminary rounds, each Group 1 team played round-robin games against each team from Group 2. Team Namibia played its first game against Argentina, winning in a dominating fashion, 14-3. Our second game, proved to be our most difficult of the tournament, with Team Namibia edging Brazil(A) 3-2 in a hard-fought contest. Team Namibia moved through the Preliminary round undefeated, soundly beating Brazil’s regional team, Minas Gerais, 11-2, in the third and final game of the preliminary round.
Team Namibia’s first place finish in Group 1 earned it a favoured seeding in the Semi-Finals, pitting Team Namibia against the 2nd placed team out of our own group (AABB SAO Paulo). Once again Team Namibia won convincingly 7-3, thereby earning the right to play Brazil(A) for a second time, but with the tournament Championship now riding on the outcome of this game.
The Finals matched undefeated Team Namibia against Brazil(A) -- a team that was largely composed of veteran players who recently won the 2006 International Inline Hockey Federation World Championship in Passau, Germany. Once again, Team Namibia proved to be better, winning the Championship game in a convincing fashion, 5-1. Basti Faber scored 2 goals, while Phil Boudreault, Cello Baas and Arne Rodenwoldt each managed to add their goal for Namibia.
Namibia’s dominant performance in the Tournament was reflected by three individual players receiving tournament awards. Cello Baas was acknowledged with the “Most Assists“ Award; Erik Rodenwoldt received “Best Goalie” Award; and Phil Boudreault was recognized as the “Top Scorer” and “MVP” for the Championships.
Team Namibia would like to express their gratitude to the Brazil Inline Hockey organizers, who were warm and exceptional hosts; and the Namibia Sports Commission for funding a large share of the costs that allowed Team Namibia to participate in the VII South American Inline Hockey Championships.
Our Team will arrive back in Windhoek on Wednesday 19th December at
12h55.
Namibian Sand Lovers at the Copacabana Beach
After a long trip our senior team has arrived in Sao Paulo to meet up with Phil Boudreault and catch the connecting flight to Rio. Visiting the Corcovado to look at the spectacular scenery and catching their breath on Ipanema beach our squad is preparing for the VII South American Championships to start on Friday.
The preparation game against Mandala reflected that our game must still improve although Team Namibia managed to decide the final score in their favour 3 - 0. Goals were scored by Vincent van Biljon and Phil Boudreault.
Final 2007 Tournament at the Cazadores InLine Hockey Club a Success
Approximately 320 players showed their metal during this weekend and delighted spectators with some brilliant passes and a good display of skills.
Players as young as six years of age displayed some amazing resilience and perseverance, confirming the strong belief that this sport is in Namibia to stay. Dominating Coastal Pirates clenched the gold for the tournament in age divisions 8, 14, 16, 18 and Under and the Masters divisions. Only in the 10 and 12 and Under did the host Cazadores manage to step up to the first position. An inspired Badgers ladies division won the gold only giving up two goals while scoring 23 on their opponents. The Badgers club also won silver in 14 and Under and Masters divisions and bronze in 8 and 12.
The Scorpions from Otjiwarongo won bronze in 10, 16 and Open divisions, while the Windhoek-based Kamikaze won bronze in the 18 and Under and Ladies divisions.
To look at overall standings and results click here.
Barbwire Breakfast sets the right mode for
Spanish Championships
News from Phil Boudreault
Yesterday ended our season in Spain, with the Spanish cup title in play, it was awesome to have my good Swedish buddy on the same line to be able to help me lift the cup. Yeah, we won the Spanish cup 3-2 versus my friends from Barcelona and at the same time clinched a spot at the European clubs championship (champions league) for the 2008 season, although I don´t know if I´ll remain here, it´s very important achievement for the club in it´s best season ever. as Roman (Marx) always said: if you win your last game of the year, it´s been a successful year... very clever!
Namibia raises bar for 2007 Inline World
Champs
Article by
Kate Nebe
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 grueling 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, Team Namibia is now being acknowledged as serious and improving contender by the international hockey fraternity.
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%. 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.”
Namibia Inline Hockey Team on the
way to the
2007 Inline Hockey World Championships in Passau, Germany
The official Namibia Ice & Inline Hockey season came to an end with the Coastal Pirates Tournament in August 2006. However, many U18 and open team players have remained active as they have begun the challenging process of competing for a position on the 2007 Namibia National Team.
During 2006 NIIHA had close to 500 registered players, and a few more than 60 players in the U18/open teams are eligible to compete for a position on the 2007 National Team. The Namibian player pool does not compare with nations like USA, Russia, Finland, and Sweden from the top division or the other European teams our squad will be lined up against in Division 1.
Still, our players have shown remarkable resilience and determination. They have put Namibia on the map amongst the international Inline Hockey fraternity. Ideally Namibia should nominate 18 players - 4 lines with 4 players each and 2 goalies - to represent Team Namibia.
With the excellent groundwork laid in 2005 and 2006 (by Philippe Boudreault as head coach and Roman Marx and Mario Troha as assistant coaches for 2005 and 2006, respectively) Mario Troha has taken up the position as coach for the 2007 trials.
A total of 23 players submitted their national team application for 2007. The first round selection was held in Windhoek on the Cazadores field during the last weekend of October and saw determined contenders start their grinding journey to Passau under Namibia’s scorching sun.
Seven more training camps are scheduled to prepare the players for a successful Inline Hockey World Championship which is to be held in Passau between 26th May and 3rd June 2007.
Photo: Archive 2006
A
determined player,
Jörg
Güther, on the way to the
goal.
COASTAL PIRATES HOSTS BAY AIR YOUTH DEVELOPMENT TOURNAMENT
October 6 - 8, 2006
The
Coastal Pirates Inline Hockey Club invites everyone to enjoy a
fun-orientated version of InLine Hockey at the Bay Air Youth Development
tournament this weekend.
The tournament starts at 15h00 on Friday 6th and runs through until Sunday lunchtime, at the SFC Main Hall in Swakopmund.
Come and watch our budding stars - from beginners to advanced players - and see the results of our professional coaching programme at development level. Brim full of enthusiasm, these youngsters will show how the game of inline hockey is played and will compete in a variety of skating races.
Pointing in the right direction...
Some
excellent young players, aged between 5 and 14, will keep you entertained. Even in the youngest division, good passing and shooting skills can be observed: a promising sign for Namibia's continued success in this exciting, fast-growing sport.
For
the first time this year we showcase players from our pre-school development programme. These underprivileged children, from the DRC School Project, have been been involved in once-a-week inline skating and hockey sessions since May, and have already progressed to a point where they can compete at tournament level.
The youngsters are keen to put their newly-acquired skills into practice and have been training hard to be ready for the big event. They will appear in the 8&U category, which is famous for its thrills, spills and surprising level of skills.
We
can do it...
We
can do it...
Entry to the tournament is free and there will be food and drinks on sale from early morning.
The opportunity to participate at an event like the IIHF World Championships is a dream - 16 countries compete for the title to be the best and to determine who is the most skilled in this fast and exciting team sport. We shared the group with Great Britain, Japan and Argentina. Our aim to automatically qualify Namibia for 2007 has been achieved!
All this is only possible with the help of our supporters.
***
Final Placements 2006
|
USA |
|
Great Britain |
|
Sweden |
|
Hungary |
|
Finland |
|
Brazil |
|
Germany |
|
Japan |
|
Czech Republic |
|
Namibia |
|
Slovakia |
|
Australia |
|
Slovenia |
|
Croatia |
|
Austria |
|
Argentina |
|
|
|
|
|
MVP award: Daniel Wessner (SWE) |
|
MVP award: John Dolan (GBR) |
Saturday 15 July 2006: Australia - Namibia
The Inline hockey World Championships came to an end for Namibia on Saturday, a day earlier than hoped for.
Today’s game was all about getting a notch up on the IIHF standings. The opponent: Australia - the same as 2005.
Namibia took the lead in the 14th minute when Cello Bass scored, assisted by Arne Rodenwoldt. Two minutes later Namibia scored again with Francois Jacobs putting the puck into the net assisted by Arne Rodenwoldt and Marco Debortoli.
Australia came back and scored a goal in the 19th minute. Namibia scored their third goal when Cello Bass increased the lead for Team Namibia.
Australia - as we have seen during the World Championship games with their ‘never say die’ attitude - scored their second goal in the 23rd minute.
Half time score 3 to 2 for Namibia. The team knew that this game would get tougher from here on.
Australia came back in the third quarter three minutes into the game to score the equalizer. Both teams tried to turn the game in their favour, but the scores held and into overtime we went.
A goal in the 3rd minute by Timo Giersch assisted by Vincent van Biljon pushed Namibia into rank 13th in the World according to IIHF.
Mario Troha, the assistant coach, said: "Our Team played with head and heart.”
Congratulations to our players for their performance. A big thank you also to the crowd and all supporters.
Best player: Francois Jacobs
Penalties: 8 Penalties (3 Namibia)
Final Score: Australia 3: Namibia 4 overtime (0:0, 2:3, 1:0, 0:0, 0:1)
***
Friday 14 July 2006: Brazil - Namibia
It did only take 1:24 for Brazil to score their first goal against Namibia. Then, 2:31 minutes later the second goal for the first quarter.
As if in a replay of the first quarter only 1:13 min into the second period and Brazil had scored again. Although it took them longer to score their forth goal.
In 31:27 minutes Arne Rodenwoldt finally put in that one goal for Team Namibia unassisted. 2 minutes before the end of this quarter Team Namibia took a 10 minute penalty. The following three goals were score while Namibia had four or then only 3 players on the rink.
Best player: Riyaan Ely
Penalties: 10 Penalties (7 Namibia)
Final Score: Brazil 7: Namibia 1 (2:0, 2:0, 1:1, 2:0)
***
Thursday 13th July 2006
Today's qualification games between Austria and Hungary as well as Slovenia versus Great Britain will determine whether the teams from top division will move into division one and vice versa.
***
Team Namibia has a write-up (every day two teams of this year's IIHF World Championships 2006 get introduced in the news section) in today's report. http://www.inline2006.hu/eng/index.php .
Wednesday 12th July 2006: Namibia - Argentina
ok. Now that our team and the
supporters have come to grips with yesterdays loss, we can focus on the task
ahead. I know that our team has worked hard to be at the World Championships
2006 and I can only guess how much it takes to stay positive and keep on working
at a better game.
So, the game has started at 12:00 Namibian time on schedule. Again penalties seem to set the scene. Argentina get one for interference only 29 seconds into the game. Then Marco Debortoli is penalised for "use of elbow" - I guess one needs to make a point... Then at 8:27minutes Cello Baas scores the first goal of the game unassisted.
The next 12 minutes begin with
a goal by Argentina only 23 seconds into the quarter. 18:41min Argentina gets a
penalty for body-checking and takes time-out. Then two goals by Team Namibia
within 38 seconds scored by Vincent van Biljon assisted by Basti Faber during
power play and another by Cello Baas assisted by Timo Giersch and Oliver
Lohmeier.
Timo Giersch, Assistant Captain, Zaid Ely and a player from Argentina in
action
26:59 min and Argentina score their second goal. Then things get a bit hectic with one player from each side cooling off. Two minutes later Vincent van Biljon assisted by Arne Rodenwoldt score our fourth goal.
The last quarter has Argentina come within 1 goal while we have a player on ice and manage to tie within two minutes.
The score takes the teams into overtime with the sudden death rule. Namibia scores this goal at 52:59 to bring home their first win during the World Championships. This goal was scored by the captain, Riyaan Ely, assisted by Basti Faber.
Best player: Cello Baas
Penalties: 11 Penalties (5 Namibia)
Final Score: Namibia 5: Argentina 4 overtime (1:0, 2:1, 1:1, 0:2, 1:0)
***
Looking at the statistics after two games, Namibia presently stands tied for sixth out of eight teams in Division 1. The lead is shared by Hungary, Brazil, and Great Britain who all still remain undefeated after two games. Tomorrow's game is pivotal to our placement in Division 1, as we are playing against Argentina, who presently is ahead of us due to the point they accrued through their overtime loss to Japan.
Tuesday 11th July 2006: Japan - Namibia
Statistics on the official IIHF 2006 website indicate a difficult game for our team. Only 11seconds after the start of the game Japan was penalised for hooking. 1.35min later Japan scored their first goal. Two more goals were scored by Japan in the first 12 minutes. 5 penalties were given (two for Team Namibia) in this quarter.
2.28min into the second quarter and Oliver Lohmeier reduced the advantage of Japan. This first goal for our team was assisted by Jörg Güther and Basti Faber. In this quarter 6 penalties were given - two for Team Namibia.
2 minutes played in the third quarter and Cello Baas scored our second goal unassisted. Japan managed to increase their goals to four goals.
The last quarter saw Japan add three more goals to give the final score.
Penalties: 9 for Japan, 7 for Namibia.
Final score: Japan 7 : Namibia 2 (3:0,0:1,1:1,3:0).
***
Monday 10th July 2006: Great Britain - Namibia
Temperature in Budapest today is sultry. This first game was exciting. Team Namibia played well. The first goal of the World Championships 2006 was scored by Great Britain's number 17 (Chris Colegate) assisted by Andrew Sillitoe. No goals were scored in the second quarter. In the third quarter Namibia managed to tie. During the final quarter Great Britain scored two goals whereas Team Namibia managed to add 1 goal. *Our goals were scored by Cello Baas assisted by Arne Rodenwoldt and Basti Faber assisted by Riyaan Ely and Harald Keil.
Number 37 (Richard Hargreaves) and number 11 (Kristopher Hendy) from Great Britain were penalized for interference during this game. Kristopher Hendy then was penalised for charging and finally for Great Britain Mark Corfield got 2min for slashing.
Namibia's Timo Giersch (22) was penalized for hooking. and hi-sticking and Arne Rodenwoldt for body-checking.
*There were some slight inconsistencies between the SMS received and the final game sheet as to who assisted.
Best player: Erik Rodenwoldt.
Final score: Great Britain 3 : Namibia 2 (1:0-0:0-0:1-2:1)
Team Namibia will play the first game in the 2006 Inline Hockey World Championships against Great Britain. Great Britain won the Bronze medal last year. On Tuesday our team will have to face Japan and on Wednesday Argentina. Ideally our young squad will win at least two of their games to ensure Namibia's automatic qualification for 2007 in Germany.
Thursday 6th July 2006: Team Namibia versus Black Hawks (Deggendorf)
This was the last preparation game in Deggendorf. The Deggendorf Team had the German Captain Jan Schinkenk
öthe on their squad as well as the ex German player Thomas Greileinger and reserve Thomas Kulzer.
The Namibia Squad showed discipline and did not give away any penalties. The
first two quarters were evenly matched which was reflected in the score at half
time: 3 all.
The third quarter was dominated by Team Namibia which was rewarded by2 goals to
Namibia against 1 by the Rolling Wanderers.
Although the Namibians defended well, Deggendorf managed to score the equalising
goal in the dying minutes of the game.
It went to penalty shoot out which was yet another learning curve for the young
Namibian team (average age 19.5). They managed to win the penalty shoot out by 3
to 2.
The goal scorers for the Namibian team in normal time were Arne Rodenwoldt,
Riyaan Ely, Basti Faber, Alex Courtney-Clarke and Vincent von Biljon. Penalty
goals where shot by Cello Bass, Marco Debortoli and Arne Rodenwoldt .
The Namibian team played their best hockey ever and coach Phil Boudreault said
the following: "It is the first time since I have been coaching them that I have
seen them take their time and use the space and play like a team."
The team is now in Budapest and anxiously awaiting their first game against
Great Britain at 13:00 hours European time. The Team finds themselves in good
spirits and are all fit. The supports group is in full strength 15 in all and
help where they can.
The team has cut their budget to the tooth and are still in need of about 50,000
Nam Dollars. Every Dollar will help!
***
Tuesday 4th July 2006: Rolling Wanderers from Germering
Several of the Namibian players were sick and had to stay in bed. That being
said it was a challenging game although our team managed to put in four goals.
Final score: Rolling Wanderers 8 : Team Namibia 4. Goals were scored by: Arne Rodenwolt, Vincent van Biljon, Cello Bass und Marco Debortoli.
***
Sunday 2nd July 2006: Team Namibia versus Black Hawk (Bayern Open Team)
(goalie: Erik Rodenwoldt)
Today we played against the Bayern Open Team. It was clear from the start that
this game wouldn't be the same as yesterdays.
In this game the physical advantage of the German Open Team was apparent. These
players were built stronger than the players from the U18 team.
In the first quarter the German Team managed to score three goals against one goal from
Namibia scored by Zaid Ely.
In the second quarter the German Team scored two more goals, while the Namibian
Team did their best to defend and help Erik Rodenwoldt protect the goal.
Vincent van Biljon scored the second goal which was assisted by Arne Rodenwoldt.
A few minutes later Jörg Güther scored the third goal for Namibia.
The game ended with a final score of 8:3 for Germany.
***
Saturday 1st July 2006: Team Namibia versus U18 National Team Germany
(goalie: Rene Werner)
The Namibian Inline Hockey Team today played against the U18 National Team from
Germany. Within five minutes into the game the German National Team scored the first goal.
It was clearly visible how nervous the players from Team Namibia were. Two minutes later Arne
Rodenwoldt scored the first goal for the Namibian National Team. The atmosphere
was really amazing!
With another goal by Arne Rodenwoldt the score increased to 2:1 for the
Namibian Team.
The second quarter started off with Zaid Ely scoring the third goal for Namibia, a few minutes later Jörg Güther scored the fourth goal.
In the 4th quarter the Germans scored their second goal.
The end result of 4:2 for Namibia gave our players some confidence.
In a fabulous display of technique, skill and speed Team Namibia, whipped the crowds into a cheer of solidarity against an Invitation Team from South Africa on Friday night at the Cazadores Inline Hockey Club's NIIHA League tournament. The National Team scored 12 credible goals and conceded only 2. The tournament was held in Windhoek at the DHPS rink from 25 - 28 May 2006.
Mr Ben//Naobeb Inline Hockey's Namibia Sports Commission representative officiated at the Colours Ceremony prior to the game. Sixteen of Namibia's top athletes, together with Team Manager, Ulrike Rodenwoldt, Tour Managers Mr Tom Mutavdzic and Mr Arndt Asmus, will be departing, - under the professional guidance of Head Coach Phil Boudreault - on LTU for Budapest, Hungary on 30 June to participate at the IIHF Inline Hockey World Championships to be held from 8 - 16 July.
Spectators were treated to a further highlight when the National Team faced off against a carefully selected All Star Team. Visiting players and coaches from Russia, Slovenia, Germany, America and Canada teamed up with Namibians to give the National Team a run for the puck. What proved to be a nail-biting game also proved to be an invaluable lesson for Team Namibia: just one mistake can cost goals! Experience counts and that is what the All Stars had plenty of. Assistant coach, Mario Troha, who like Boudreault, has participated in past world championships, concurred with him that it was vital to set up games sporting players of world class calibre to afford the young team the opportunity to cut its teeth in preparation for what lies ahead in Budapest. Similar games have been set up against top teams in Passau, Germany, where the team will train for a week before travelling on to Hungary.
In a country with no history of either inline or ice hockey, it can be considered an incredible feat, that this huge land with its relatively small population and hence limited player choices can once again field a team to face off against the world's greats, says Russell Vinjevold, President of the Namibia Ice and Inline Hockey Association (NIIHA). Despite limited facilities and a lack of funds compared to other participating countries, Vinjevold continues, Namibian athletes have already shown in Finland last year that they have the stamina, fitness and skill to challenge countries like Great Britain, Japan, Argentina, Chinese Taipei and Brazil amongst others. Not only did they automatically re-qualify for this year's World Championships, but also managed to bring home the Fair Play Trophy, "an achievement Namibia can be proud of" Vinjevold added.
After all the hard and disciplined training plus the experience gained from the 2005 World Championships, Team Manager, Ulrike Rodenwoldt is confident that Namibia is in a position to improve on its world ranking (currently 14th) and to earn one of the three coveted medals in the B-Pool. "Now we only need enough funds to get there!" she said. Fundraising has been a top priority of NIIHA and members, players and parents have tackled a number of successful projects to make participation in Budapest possible. While companies such as LTU, Dunlop, K
ühne & Nagel, Scientific Veterinary Diets and Swakopmund Wine Cellars have generously contributed towards making Team Namibia's presence at the World Championship becoming a reality, the financial target has not yet been reached. Anyone interested in assisting the National Team can contact Tour Manager, Mr Tom Mutavdzic on 081 128 0496.While most Namibians were looking forward to a long weekend and days of fun and relaxation with family and friends, Namibia´s national inline hockey squad thronged to Swakopmund, not for a jolly sojourn in this popular holiday resort, but to congregate at the SFC Sports Club to embark on an adventure of a different kind. The IIHF Inline Hockey World Championships is but a breath away (8 - 16 July) and Head Coach, Phil Boudreault, Assistant Coach, Mario Troha and Team Manager, Ulrike Rodenwoldt still had plenty of Easter surprises for the squad up their sleeves. Beep-tests, strenuous endurance tests, skill exercises and mental preparation were compacted into Phil´s Easter weekend extravaganza.
Instead of gorging on easter bunnies, sweat coated pores, hard work replaced glimpses of beaches filled with holiday revellers. The SFC Hall was a battlefield of physicality, determination, dedication and the dreams of young men united in their desire to do their country proud in Budapest, Hungary. With the departure for the World Championships looming at the end of June, every member of the squad was only too aware of the fact that only maximum commitment would secure them a place on the final team. In fact, according to Phil, commitment and hard work, are two key words of his rigorous preparatory training programme, a fact the faint-hearted soon realised: international inline hockey in the men´s division is not a game for sissies.
A healthy sports ethic, team work and sportsmanship, too, helped separate the men from the boys. So while the rest of the population settled down to attack the Easter roast, Riyaan Ely (Captain), Marco Debortoli (Assistant Captain), Timo Giersch (Assistant Captain), Bastian Faber, Arne Rodenwoldt, Vincent van Biljon, Jörg Güther, Harald Keil, Francois Jacobs, Erik Rodenwoldt (Goalie), Rene Werner (Goalie), Robert Roxin, Cello Baas, Oliver Lohmeier, Zaid Ely, Alex Courtney-Clarke and, sated themselves on the knowledge that each one of them had slain the proverbial dragon and made it to the top. Phil was right: hard work and commitment reap just rewards: a place on the Namibian Team.
Inline Hockey 'back to business' for 2006
Well known as an exciting curtain raiser for the nationwide NIIHA League, the tournament runs from 10th to 12th March. This is your chance to check out this year's inline talent when 58 games in seven age divisions are played back to back, from early morning to late at night.
The fund-raising event, which runs from Friday afternoon to Sunday lunchtime, brings together teams sponsored by businesses in Swakopmund, Windhoek and Otjiwarongo. They play under their sponsors' banners, but team names are meant to raise a smile: under fun banners like "Stoflappe", "Pink Panthers", "Maersk Maniacs", "Cobras", "Aviators" and "Vipers".
Staunch supporters of the tournament for years are back again with powerful line-ups: " Supertrade", "Wine Cellars", "Güther's Maintenance", "Hill's Pet Nutrition", "Team Jeep", "Alternative Space", "Right Shoppers", "Transworld Cargo", "Desert Explorers" and "Swakopmund Brauhaus" are just some of the teams in contention. Newcomers to the competition - such as CTM, ATC-Namibia and Hotel Eberwein - will also be joining the fray.
There should be riveting action in the Men's Open division where six teams will battle it out. Most of these players belong to the Namibian National squad, which has qualified for the 2006 World Inline Hockey Championships in Budapest in July. All are in top form, high spirits and ready to show what they are made of.
A series of six 'finals' to sort out the honours in each age division are scheduled for Sunday morning.
Meanwhile, spectators can cool off at the bar in the tournament tent, which will be open for drinks and refreshments throughout the weekend.
The Coastal Pirates hosts the Swakopmund SPAR Business League as a fun-oriented version of NIIHA's national league which starts in earnest at the beginning of April. The first in a series of five tournaments will take place from April 7th- 9th at the 'Badgers rink' on the Windhoek Showgrounds.
Please click here to have a look at the schedule.
Inline hockey has become far removed from its humble beginnings and has instead opted for an ambience of fierce and stiff competition. At present, Namibia hosts 5 self-sustaining hockey clubs with a standard of expertise that would definitely rival many on this continent. On numerous occasions, Namibian teams have participated in national South African tournaments on both club and national level - with a record that boasts an impressive resume of wins and respect. This resume extends further than the borders to the south however, as Namibia, for the first time took part in the IIHF Inline Hockey World Championship held in Finland last year. Many countries that took part had never even heard of Namibia, let alone a national inline hockey team coming from it.
Despite marginal losses against teams that have frequently participated on such international standards of professionalism, the National team has certainly shown that it will be a force to be reckoned with in the near future. With a win in the bag by clenching victory over Chinese Taipei, Namibia has automatically qualified for this year's World Championship to be held in Hungary between 10 and 16 July 2006. With the experience gained and knowledge obtained from their first world Championship, the National Inline Hockey team is more driven and compelled to succeed and could possibly fortify several wins against first world countries who have unlimited access to the best sporting resources available. Though the only dilemma resides in a problem that we are all too familiar with: financial restraint. Is this an uphill battle on a rocky terrain? It most certainly is. Amidst the rigorous training camps being held, the National team has and will be hosting various fund raising events in order to represent our exquisite country in the international realm.
With your help we can pave a road that would allow Namibia's finest inline hockey players and staff the opportunity to show the world what Namibia has to offer and so together we can raise our beautiful flag upon the hill laden with dedication and pride.
The following fundraising activities are planned:
The players participating in the trials for the WC 2006 were working flat out at the second set of trials in a six month selection process which began in October 2005. By April 2006, 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 Namibian 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 took place in Swakopmund from January 6th - 8th. Like the others, it tested stamina, skills, teamwork, match sense and commitment. 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 biokinetic programme. Several participants have already fallen by the wayside, while some others are hanging on by the skin of their teeth as the going gets tougher.
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 requalify 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.
Training in Swakopmund for the National squad resumed on 3 January at the SFC Hall.
96 players competed in various age groups were 12 games and three categories in the skills competition took place. The skills competitions in the 16under division in the category for the fastest skater was won by Ivan Tchekashkine, for the obstacle parcour and accurate shooting Daniel Asmus took home the first price.
In the open division the coaches put theory into practice and took home the gold for the fastest skater and obstacle parcour (Roman Marx) as well as Philippe Boudreault for accurate shooting.
In the divisions results are reflected as follows:
Gero Kopp from the Kamikaze Club managed to save the most shots against his team in the 16under division, Erik Rodenwoldt took the first position in the 18under and shared the rank with Oliver Bause from the Cazadores in the open divisions. Natasha Mutavdzic managed to save all shots against her team in the penalty shootout for the ladies division.
After Team Namibia competed in the InLine World Championships 2005 in Kuopio/Finland this year and bringing home the prestigious Fair Play Trophy and an automatic qualification for 2006 in Hungary the InLine Hockey membership can be proud of their players this year.
The trials for 2006 will be held in October and December this year and will hopefully help prepare our players for a good year in 2006.
The Coastal Pirates Inline Hockey Club invites everybody to enjoy a fun-orientated version of InLine Hockey for the youngsters.
Come and watch the little stars - from beginner level to advanced - with their BIG enthusiasm. They will show how the game of inline hockey is played and will compete in various skating races.
See how encouraging the results of our professional coaching programme are at development level. We have some excellent young players, aged between 5 and 14, who will keep the crowds more than entertained. They already have good passing and shooting skills, even in the youngest division: a really promising sign for Namibia's continued success in this excititng, fast-growing sport.
The tournament starts on Saturday, 17 September at 08h00 at the SFC Main Hall in Swakopmund and continues until lunch time on September 8 .
Entry to the tournament is free and there will be food and drinks on sale from early morning.
The visiting team from Botswana the Mukwa Leafs showed some great games and managed to win the silver in 10U and the bronze medal in the Masters division. The South African Piranhas took home the silver medal in the 18U division. The Bissendorfer Panther from Germany gave our teams a good run and managed to outscore several teams by winning the bronze medal in the highly competitive 16U division where 7 teams participated. They also won the bronze medal in the Open division. Two more South African Teams the Bad Boys and Phoenix narrowly missed a medal and ended up in fourth position in 16U and the Open division respectively.
The Coastal Pirates scooped gold medals in 5 of the 8 divisions: 10U, 12U, 16U, 18U as well as the Open division. The ladies team of the Badgers commanded respect by winning all their games to take home the gold. The visiting ladies team from South Africa, the Angels, were weakened by a broken leg. Cazadores won gold in 14U as well as the Masters division. The Scorpions took home silver in 12U and added bronze in the 14U division. Kamikaze won bonze in the ladies division. Please click here to have a look at the draft results.
Teams from Botswana, Germany and South Africa will compete against our local clubs for the desired medals. Games will be played in all age divisions.
The official schedule for the 2005 IIHF World InLine Hockey Championship has been announced. Overall, 16 teams will travel to Finland to take part in the event. The championship will be split into two groups, a Top Division, with the top eight teams in the world, and a Division I level with the next eight best teams.
At the end of the championship, two sets of medals will be awarded for both the Top Division and Division I to the top three finishers.
Click here for the full schedule.
For the first time ever, Finland will host the IIHF World InLine Hockey Championship. The annual event will be held in the northern city of Kuopio from July 9-16.
Two arenas will host the 16 participating nations. Niirala Main Arena will be the primary venue and has a capacity of 5,000, while Kuopio-halli will be the second venue with a capacity of 2,300. Finland is the defending silver medallist of the InLine Hockey World Championship after USA captured the gold last year.
Kuopio is approximately 350 km north of Helsinki and is a first-time host of any IIHF World Championship event.
Germany has hosted the IIHF InLine Hockey World championship for the last three years. It was in Germany that the current format, with 16 teams, was adopted. The same format will be used at this year's championship.
The 16 teams will be split into a Top Division and a Division I group. The top eight teams will be split into two groups of four for a round robin, while the same will happen in the Division I level. The two last-place teams from the top division round robin and the two first place teams from the Division I round robin will play a qualification game for the right to move, or stay, among the best eight teams.
After the qualification game, there will be a playoff in each group to determine the medallists at each level. Since the new format was adopted, no Division I team has earned the right to play among the top eight teams, however, the gap has been closing between the two levels.
The medal games will be played on July 16. A complete schedule will be announced at a later date.
Source: http://www.iihf.com/inline/news.htm
6 players from the Cazadores Open Team were elected into the National Team to play against South Africa to qualify for the 2005 World Championships.
Both games were won by the Namibian National Team. Namibia will participate at the World Championships 2005 in Finland!
Saisonstart mit Top Trainer Roman Marx bei Cazadores Inline Hockey Club
Der Cazadores Inline Hockey Club Windhoek startet die Saison 2005 mit der Verpflichtung eines neuen Trainers.
Roman Marx ist ein international erfahrener Eis- und Inlinehockey-Spieler, der über 500 Ligaspiele in Deutschland
und in der Schweiz absolviert hat. Er spielte in der 1. Liga in Schaffhausen (Schweiz), beim Heilbronner EC, dem
Stuttgarter EC, bei den ESV Balingen-Blue Marlins und den Schwenninger Wild Wings.
Im Jahr 2003 wurde er für die deutsche Inlinehockey Nationalmannschaft nominiert und war auch der Baden Württembergischen Verbandsauswahl im Eishockey eine wertvolle Verstärkung. Auch weist er bereits Auslandserfahrung nach. Im Jahr 2000 war er als Spieler in Sydney bei den Canterburry Eagles in der Super League und den Australian Junior Allstars, 3 Monate in Kanada bei den Humberside Kollegiate in Toronto und 1 Monat bei den Toronto Marlies (Farmteam der Toronto Maple Leafs) eingesetzt.
Neben der Zeit als aktiver Spieler trainierte er meist die Schüler- und Jugendmannschaften bei seinen Clubs. Seine Prüfung zum Trainer- und Schiedsrichter hat er nun endgültig Ende 2004 in der Schweiz (mit offizieller Lizens) abgeschlossen.
Roman Marx wird seine Tätigkeit beim Cazadores Inline Hockey Club Ende Februar 2005 aufnehmen. Ein Jahresvertrag mit der beiderseitigen Möglichkeit zu verlängern wurde abgeschlossen.
Der namibischen Nationalmannschaft, die sich mit ihrem Nationaltrainer Philippe Boudreault für die WM 2005 qualifiziert hat, wird er mit seiner Erfahrung eine wertvolle Unterstützung sein.
Der Cazadores Inline Hockey Club (Spielfläche beim DHPS Sportgelände) wird in diesem Jahr besonderes Augenmerk auf die Ausbildung der Jugendspieler legen. Ein spezielles Förderprogramm für Anfänger in der Altergruppe von 6 - 10 Jahren wird im Club durchgeführt.
Das Programm beeinhaltet ein einwöchiges kostenloses Probetraining, und die Bereitstellung einer kostenlosen hochwertigen Hockey Ausrüstung für den Anfänger. Das Training für dieses Programm wird ab den 28.2.2005 von Montags bis Freitags täglich von 15h30 - 16h30 durchgeführt.
Für die Kinder die nach der Woche Probetraining Interesse an dem Sport gefunden haben bietet der Cazadores Inline Hockey Club reduzierte Mietgliedsbeiträge.
Alle interessierten Kinder, Jugendliche und Eltern können zu den angegebenen Zeiten beim DHPS Sportgelände erscheinen und sich zum Probetraining anmelden.
Die benötigte Ausrüstung steht vor Ort bereit.
Weitere Informationen erhalten alle Interessierten bei Frau Elke Mutavcik.
The BCIHA is pleased to announce that we will again be awarding one $500.00 Scholarship for 2005 to a current Grade 12 student. 2005 will be the third consecutive year that the BCIHA has awarded this Scholarship.
Any player interested in applying for the 2005 Scholarship must Download and submit the Application Package to the BCIHA by June 1, 2005. The Scholarship will be awarded at the Pacific Coast International Tournament in July.
The BCIHA is pleased to take another positive step forwards in the promotion of roller hockey and the opportunity to assist worthy student-athletes on their quest for higher education.
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