Cailynn Den Bakker might only be 23 years of age. Still, she has already established herself as an essential cog in the South African women’s indoor and field hockey teams.

One only needs to watch online videos of hockey games of the South African women’s team in action to see that the Tuks student is always in the midst of the action, especially in indoor hockey. Every so often, she would score.

But don’t expect Den Bakker to talk about personal heroics. Playing hockey is all about the team for her, about what she can do to help the team reach the goal they have set themselves. In other words, it is all about one for all and all for one.

Den Bakker made her debut for the Proteas in 2023. As things stand, she has 26 caps for the national team in field hockey and 21 playing indoor hockey.

According to Den Bakker, the first time she touched a hockey stick was when she was five years old.

“As a youngster, I participated in all kinds of sports, but it was the hockey training sessions I looked forward to the most. Playing hockey came easily to me. So it should be no surprise that I fell in love with the game. As I got older, I realised I was pretty good at it, so I started working harder,” she said during a recent interview.

Making sacrifices was never a problem. In an article last year, Den Bakker describes not attending most of her friends’ birthday parties because she was either on a hockey tour or at a training session.

According to her, there was a time when playing hockey became a way for her to escape stress. But nowadays, playing hockey is more about the camaraderie.

“It is like a feeling of I need to be around ‘my people’. On the pitch, you will see I work super hard to support my teammates and give my all for the love of the game. I bring dedication to the game. Off the field, I aspire to be a role model for younger players. It is important to be humble and kind,” she remarked.

As for advice for younger players, Den Bakker said they should realise they will face setbacks.

“It is all about how you overcome them. Don’t give up. Keep going. Play for that little girl who fell in love with the game,” she concluded.

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