Amy impressed the England assessors and coaches at Tier 1 regional tournaments leading to her claiming one of the highly sought-after spots in the HiPAC training programme.
72 girls were chosen out of the country’s top 300 sportswomen following a selection process which has lasted over several months.
Amy is the only player from Cornwall to have made it through to this level of competition.
Whittled down from over 100 of the county’s top players, Amy was picked to attend her first regional tournament in Bristol. Here national assessors and coaches selected the top players from the entire South West to represent their region at the U17 Junior Regional Performance Centre.
Amy trained over the summer at state-of-the-art facilities on the Exeter University campus with six intensive days of hockey practice spread out from June to September as part of the Exeter Leopards team. She took part in practical ‘on pitch’ training, alongside classroom based theory lessons.
Coaches and national assessors then selected 18 of the South West’s most promising young female players to play in Tier 1 Regional Tournaments and with the promise of national level competition to come. Only the top 15% of young players in the country made it to this stage in the process.
It was a nervous wait for Amy who had reached this stage of the selection process for the last 2 years running but not progressed further. Her fears were swiftly assuaged when she saw the team list confirming her place in the prestigious national squad.
Amy said: “I couldn’t believe it! I actually screamed when I saw my name. Getting through was honestly one of the best and most nerve-wracking moments of my life. I rang my mum who was away on business and nearly burst into tears. I’ve worked really hard to improve this year and am so happy that it’s all paid off. Everyone at school has been congratulating me, from the Headmaster to the girls I help train at Prep hockey club. I can’t wait to meet the other players at the training camp and get on the pitch: it’s sure to be a real eye-opener.”
Amy will now attend a three-day high performance assessment camp (HiPAC) at the Olympic training centre in Telford alongside the country’s best young players. National age group selectors will attend the camp and selects member of the U16 and U18 England squads.
Amy trains with Falmouth Hockey Club for two days every week alongside her JRPC commitments. To facilitate this rigorous schedule, Amy travels around 100 miles and spends up to 12 hours on the pitch every week. A real team player, she also participates in school fixtures and regularly supports the teaching staff with the Prep School hockey club alongside her hockey commitments.
Catie Shaw, Amy’s mum said: “I’m absolutely ecstatic that Amy’s hard work has paid off. She has been supported every step of the way by the teaching staff at the Truro High School and her coaches at Falmouth Hockey Club. Amy is an incredibly dedicated and ambitious young sportswoman and her selection for a national youth squad is becoming an increasingly real possibility. I am one proud mum.”
Amy hopes to impress the England coaches over the next few months as she drives towards her ultimate ambition of being selected to represent her country in a national age group squad.
