Maureen and Sandeep Chopra's Legacy in Ottawa Field Hockey

Chopras and Nepean Nighthawks Acknowledged on the Ottawa Sports activities Awards

Area Hockey Canada is delighted to have a good time the popularity of service by Maureen and Sandeep Chopra, from the Nepean Nighthawks Hockey Membership. The Chopras had been awarded the Mayor’s Cup this week on the Ottawa Sports activities Award ceremony for his or her a few years of dedication and repair to the Ottawa sporting group. Nepean Nighthawks had been additionally awarded the Ottawa Sports activities Endowment for his or her Stick Collectively program, offering free entry to hockey for indigenous peoples.

Maureen was a member of the Girls’s Nationwide Workforce within the Eighties (throughout an period the place the ladies’s nationwide staff was constantly a top-ranked nation on this planet). She co-founded the Nepean Nighthawks in 2002 together with her husband Sandeep. Sandeep is a member of the Males’s Masters Workforce and has been teaching hockey for 40 years. For the 2 of them, hockey has all the time been a household affair, as all their youngsters play and coach hockey as effectively.

“Hockey has been part of my household my complete life. My father began the primary membership in Ottawa in 1975. And now, with our children, for a few years, the kitchen was all the time stuffed with jerseys and kit,” Sandeep mentioned. “Even as we speak, I used to be nonetheless taking part in with my youngsters on the highest staff as I ready for the Masters World Cup.”

For Maureen, seeing her youngsters take over as directors and coaches, giving again to the group, is what actually makes her coronary heart sing.

“Halley is taking on, a lot to my shock, I wasn’t positive she was actually going to go for it, however she actually loves it. Her and I’m going to ladies’s evening, collectively. The boys go to choose up. We’re not forcing anybody to be there. To play with my very own youngsters and the group youngsters of many ages, it’s unbelievable,” Maureen mentioned. “Hockey is one thing we are able to do as a household. We will all play, on the similar time on the similar place. Quick ahead 15 years. Sandeep and I are coaching for the Masters World Cup – coaching and taking part in all collectively. As a result of we are able to. It’s superb. It’s a bonus feeling. Everybody can play for all times.”

The Chopras mentioned that the Nighthawks membership focuses on enjoyable and participation and so they consider within the energy of sport as a group inclusion software. Targeted on the Reality and Reconciliation Fee’s Calls to Motion on sport, (particularly #87-91), the Nighthawks Stick Collectively program has been offering barrier-free entry to Ottawa-area indigenous youth, together with offering transportation, gear, and coaches who’ve accomplished the Aboriginal Teaching Modules. For Sandeep, he mentioned he felt compelled to make this program occur and mentioned it’s been extraordinarily rewarding for him and his household to steer this initiative.

“I can’t think about being concerned in one thing extra rewarding. Originally, we jotted down what we wished to do. After we noticed the Reality and Reconciliation Fee’s Calls to Motion, the coaches and program coordinators got here again with this program and their concepts for what would this work,” Sandeep mentioned. “We have to make this barrier free — together with offering gear, transportation, free entry, sticks and extra. Our aim was to fill that bus. We see the youngsters and households that come, and I can’t describe the rewarding feeling. Listed here are individuals who have by no means performed the game, some don’t have sneakers to play in. We realised as we had been doing this, that we ‘had’ to do that. This goes past hockey. That is younger folks eager to impact change of their group and discovering a automobile to do it”

Maureen and Sandeep attended the Ottawa Sports activities Award ceremony this week to obtain their award. The Mayor’s Cup which celebrates excellent people who’ve a long-standing affiliation with the Metropolis of Ottawa and have contributed a few years of direct assist and dedication to beginner sport in a wide range of contexts. For the Chopras, they by no means supposed on being acknowledged this fashion however had been grateful for the award. Additionally they mentioned that their reception of the award brings wider recognition to subject hockey within the Ottawa sports activities group and for that, they’re grateful.

Maureen mentioned, “we’ve been working and taking part in and contributing to the hockey group in Ottawa for a few years. We go about our each day enterprise, and we play and do that as a result of we get pleasure from it. It’s nice to be acknowledged and it’s good that the game is being acknowledged.”

“We’ve been in it for therefore lengthy,” Sandeep mentioned. “Area hockey has a comparatively low profile in comparison with another sports activities. So, it was very nice to have this acknowledgement and be related to the opposite outstanding folks and sports activities which have received the award. It’s a lifetime of labor and it’s good to take a second to take a seat and luxuriate in it.”

STICK TOGETHER

In accordance with Sandeep, the Nepean Nighthawks membership has deliberately acted upon the Reality and Reconciliation Fee of Canada’s 94 Calls to Motion by growing the Stick Collectively Program, together with group companions. Their program started in January 2023, becoming a member of a Candian community of FHC Stick Collectively initiatives funded by FHC’s involvement within the nationwide Group Sport for All Initiative. It has been operating efficiently since, with Nepean receiving additional native and personal assist to proceed to fund their program. Stick Collectively provides free subject hockey programming and gear to native Indigenous youth from ages 8-14 and in addition covers the price of transportation to attend all classes. The total Nighthawks teaching staff of 18 just lately accomplished the Aboriginal Teaching Modules.

Learn extra in regards to the Stick Collectively program

Sandeep significantly appreciates how the youthful era has embraced this mission and has contributed on the executive and training facet. He mentioned he desires this system to take a step yearly and broaden to offer extra entry to sport to extra youngsters within the Ottawa space. For that, he is aware of extra work is forward, but it surely’s all price it.

The Nepean Nighthawks Stick Collectively program was additionally acknowledged on the Ottawa Sports activities Awards with the Ottawa Sports activities Endowment, an achievement that the Chopras had been equally as proud to be part of.

HOCKEY FOR LIFE

On prime of taking part in within the native league, teaching and giving again administratively, each Maureen and Sandeep proceed to play and pursue subject hockey at a excessive stage. Each represented Canada on the 2024 WMH Masters World Cup in New Zealand. For them, taking part in sport eternally doesn’t even really feel like a alternative, it’s simply pure. And though there may be heaps to realize by main and mentoring in the area people, they’ve additionally discovered and loved being part of the worldwide hockey group by masters tournaments all around the world.

Maureen mentioned, “age is a quantity and doesn’t imply something. Enjoying hockey for all times just isn’t a brand new idea or something. It’s a continuum of taking part in sports activities. The following step is to get extra women and men my age to return out and play.” She added that “it’s tremendous cool to play at these worldwide tournaments. There’s 20 groups of your age group and the talent is so excessive. Women and men who’ve been taking part in eternally. We’ve been lucky, discovering the worldwide hockey group and it reveals how far more work we are able to do to construct the masters hockey group in Canada.”

Sandeep performed in his fourth Masters World Cup within the fall and mentioned when he first went it was a watch opener for the way a lot masters hockey alternative there may be.

“I consider final yr in Auckland, with over 3000 gamers, it was one of many greatest hockey gatherings ever. For me, I like having a health aim to work in the direction of. When I’ve a aim, it spurs me on. Hopefully different folks round us, they see the inspiration.”

Stick Collectively is a mission funded by the Authorities of Canada’s Group Sport for All Initiative (CSAI). Its objective is to take away obstacles and enhance participation charges for underserved teams, as outlined by the Authorities of Canada:  Indigenous peoples, Black, 2SLGBTQQIA+, Low earnings, Newcomers, Racialized or Individuals with a Incapacity.    

The Authorities of Canada’s continued assist to FHC’s work on this space allows subject hockey communities throughout Canada to Stick Collectively and construct on the work began final yr in providing sport to underserved teams. Be taught extra on our web site.