Fortrose Academy pupils are called up to Scottish Hockey Brave Academy
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PUPILS from Fortrose Academy have been selected for a national hockey training programme designed to find players who could star for Scotland at international level in the future.
Mara Duffy (17), Andrew McMichael (16) and Kenneth Mackenzie (14) have all been selected by the Scottish Hockey Brave Academy after impressing scouts.
The purpose of the academy is to identify talented players from schools, clubs and districts and to provide additional support to emerging and aspiring hockey players to develop the tools and skills to bridge the gap between domestic and international hockey.
The Scottish Hockey Brave Academy provides a combination of training and competitive opportunities on the pitch, along with support off the pitch in areas such as nutrition and hydration, sports psychology, and strength and conditioning.
The trio, who were all selected after being scouted playing for Highland Hockey Club in Inverness, train on a regular basis at the Scottish Hockey Brave Academy’s base in Dundee.
Fifth year pupil McMichael says he doesn’t mind putting in the miles to be involved in the programme saying it is a fantastic opportunity to be part of, as well as an honour to be selected.
“We travel every second Monday and also on the occasional Sunday as well where we play games.
“It takes up a lot of time, you have to get up early in the morning and we get home quite late.
“The idea behind it is to prepare players for international hockey and play for Scotland.”
Sixth year pupil Duffy says she is enjoying being part of the programme where she gets to train with some of the best hockey talent in the country.
She said: “It involves all the national players and we are training alongside all the people who are involved in the national categories.
“You get an idea of the level and work towards that in training.”
All three players are involved playing with Highland Hockey Club on a regular basis in national competition.
McMichael and Mackenzie play in the Men’s National League with Duffy playing in the Women’s Championship League.
All three players hope being part of the Scottish Hockey Brave Academy could lead them to play at international level in the future.
Third year pupil Mackenzie said: “I would like to go on and play for Scotland.”
