Ella Moore has big goals in mind for her field hockey career.
The 16-year-old Hammonds Plains resident, who is in Grade 10 at Citadel High School, has been selected by Field Hockey Nova Scotia to take part in Field Hockey Canada’s NextGen program, which identifies players who are two to eight years away from contributing on the senior international and national stage, including the Olympics and Pan American Games.
Moore went to nationals with a Nova Scotia team at the under-18 level in British Columbia last summer, and plans to attend this year’s Canadian championship in Brampton, Ont. She will get her first taste of international experience with the national under-16 team during a tour of the Czech Republic in April.
In her own words, Moore talks about getting her start in the sport, being part of a national team program and gaining valuable experience on the international stage.
Starting out
“I started playing when I was seven. My family was living in England and they had a field hockey program at my school there, so I tried it and liked it. My dad works at a bank, so we moved around quite a bit, but we’re from Canada and we decided during the (COVID-19) pandemic to move back home in 2022 and I started playing locally at Citadel and in a women’s league.”
NextGen program
“About a year ago, we had the first camp in P.E.I., and we’ve had four or five since then. Normally each camp runs for three days, so on a Friday we’d have a technical and fitness session, Saturday would be practices and tactical stuff, and Sunday would be games. Some of the camps are in Ontario, so there’s a bit of travel involved.”
Playing for Canada
“It means a lot to me. It’ll be my first time with the national team, which is something I’ve always dreamed of doing. We’re taking 23 players, I think, so there’ll be a lot of competition just within the team to see who plays and where. I’m usually a midfielder, but there’s a girl from P.E.I., on the team who plays midfield and right wing, so that’ll be a bit of a challenge, but just to have the opportunity is something I’m really looking forward to.”
Looking ahead
“I definitely want to play at the university level, either in Canada or the U.S., I’m not sure where just yet. I’m hoping to do well in the Czech Republic because I would like to stay involved with NextGen and the national team programs for as long as I can. My long-term goal is to play in the Olympics. The 2028 one is in Los Angeles, so that would be pretty close, but that might be too soon for me. I’m hoping it’ll either be that one or the 2032 Games (in Brisbane, Australia).”
