MOUNT Edgecombe resident Janna Strang has played hockey since primary school and represented various provincial teams, however, a South African call-up eluded her, until now.

The 42-year-old has been selected for the SA Masters hockey team (Over 40) World Masters Hockey (WMH) World Cup in the Netherlands (Rotterdam) starting this week.

The women’s team will come up against Argentina, Mexico, USA and Scotland in their pool and according to Strang, the goal is to medal.

Also read: Durban North resident set to represent SA at world champs

She plays in the link position in midfield and is a member of the Riverside Hockey Club ladies thirds.
Strang is the only player from KZN in her age group (Over 40) at this World Cup.

“I’ve been playing since the age of 13 and I’ve consistently made KZN and then I represented the Western Cape in varsity. I’ve never represented my country and this is a big deal for me. It is bucket list stuff. People view St Andrews in Scotland as the home of golf, Lord’s Cricket Ground as the home of cricket and Rotterdam is viewed as the home of hockey.

“It is a huge honour and privilege to represent my country. Being able to play competitively and push yourself physically while having fun and enjoying it is what Masters Hockey is all about. As a team, our coach’s goal is to medal. There is a lot of belief in the team and there is an amazing dynamic. It still hasn’t quite sunk in, I think it will really hit when I’m out on the field in my kit and singing the national anthem,” she said.

In preparation for the World Cup, Strang has been training six days a week and in November last year played in the Africa Cup featuring masters teams from around the continent and other age group teams.

The mother of one also paid tribute to her friends and family who’ve helped support her to get to the Netherlands.

Also read: Reddam learner chosen for SA U19 tour of Pakistan

“I’m so lucky. I have had the most incredible support from family and friends, to the extreme that they helped fundraise for me. I hadn’t even started raising funds and a group of my friends were having dinner and we were discussing it. They were so excited for me, and within three days I got added to a WhatsApp group with an AI generated image of me where people raised more than R20 000. I’m also a part of a running club that did something similar for me and also raised funds for me to get to the World Cup,” she said.

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