Culburra local, Sam Wright Smith continues his run of excellence in hockey, being selected to another prestigious squad.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
It was announced on March 28 that Sam was one of 27 athletes selected to the Australian Under 21 Burras squad, following an intense trial where more than 60 athletes battled it out.
READ MORE:
Sam said he's "pretty stoked" but admitted that's he's still in "a bit of shock" at the selection.
"I'm one of the younger guys, to be selected is amazing and I'm just very thankful," he said.
He was one of just five NSW men's players to be named to the squad.
Sam has been playing hockey since he was six years old, quickly developing a love for the sport.
"I slowly climbed the ranks through the Shoalhaven competition until i was about 12 and then I made the tough decision to start going to Wollongong three to four times a week," he said.
The 200 km round trip definitely put mileage on the family car, with Sam saying over the first three years of owning the family's Toyota Torago they put 250,000 km on it.
It seems as if the long drives were worth it as Sam has seen further success every year in the sport, with his skills being recognised with a state team selection several times.
Now the young hockey star looks to bigger and brighter stages as he aims for the national level.
Sam currently sit as the youngest on the Burra's squad and is hoping to prove his worth, learning as much as he can from the older members on the team.
He said the trials were pretty intense and you really had to hold your own on the field going up against a big pool of talent.
"It was pretty cutthroat but it was extremely good and competitive hockey, there wasn't one game that was ever more than a two goals difference so it was good fun," he said.
"Everyone was obviously nice to one another but when you're on the hockey field there's no mercy given."
From this point forward the teams will compete in the Australian Under 21 championships in Perth.
The championships will run from July 20-27 and then the squads will be reselected afterwards, this will allow the selection panel to evaluate the athletes currently in the squad and those who initially missed out on making them.
From there everyone will be looking ahead to the Junior World Cup taking place in 2023, which Sam says is the current goal for himself.
"That's the big goal, there might be few training opportunities with the squad before then but for the mean time that's the ultimate goal," he said.
Sam's dedication to the sport up to this point has gotten him where he is and he only remains more motivated as he looks to his ultimate goal of the Olympics in 2032.
"You've got to push through the times where it's tough and make the decision to always turn up to training and keep your head switched on, I'm very happy with this achievement and I can't wait to see what comes next."
Sign up for breaking news emails below ...