DTS gives wings to Fish Eagles
The Kamikaze Inline Hockey team that was drafted in the national team and will represent the country at the championships; Pia Thude, Cayman Haberl, Daniela Thiem, Maike Thiem and Yentl Skolnic
The national team left this week Thursday for Toulouse where they will face their first opponents, the Canadian junior women’s team, on Monday, 30 June.
Earlier this week, Mr. Heiko Kesselmann of the executive committee (EXCO) of the DTS, handed a cheque for N$20,000 to Daniel & Maike Thiem, Pia Thude, Yentl Skolnic and Cayman Haberl. These five young players are all from the Kamikaze Inline Hockey Club and they have all been selected for the national team.
Kesselmann said it is customary for the DTS as a promoter of sport to make a donation to its own members for performance and excellence, especially those who qualify to compete at international level and represent Namibia.
DTS is the proverbial sporting home of Kamikaze Inline Hockey Club which was established in 1996 after a group of passionate 15-year olds broke with the old and decided to establish a new inline hockey club. Today, Kamikaze has close to a hundred registered inline hockey players. The teams typically practice twice a week at the DTS clubhouse and have players in all age groups from eight years old, through all the age categories to the open age group and even masters.
Kamikaze Inline Hockey Club recently contracted the skills and knowledge of American inline hockey coach, Adam St.Clair, who hails from Philadelphia, in the USA. St. Clair joined Kamikaze in July 2013 and Namibian inline hockey supporters are unanimous in declaration that his input has dramatically improved the Kamikaze game, fitness levels, strategy and overall competitive ability.
The club goes to great lengths to groom inline hockey players from a young age. Very junior, inexperienced players are taught to skate using inline skates with protective gear until their hand-eye coordination and skating abilities are satisfactory.
