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My name is Izzy Petter, I’m 18 and I started playing hockey at the age of 5 at a small hockey academy called SJB run by Olympic Gold Medalist Steve Batchelor.

I am currently playing at Surbiton and I joined the club when I was 14. During my time in the Colts section we won 4 National Titles at U14, U16 and U18 level. My favourite memory of playing in the Colts is at the 2016 national finals where we won and I scored 16 goals overall. It was such a good feeling and I’ve never scored that many goals since! Playing for the first team was quite surreal as I was training with Olympic Gold Medalists who I had watched on TV and looked up to. Training at such a high level during the week really enabled me to improve and learn from other more experienced players.

I also had a lot of fun playing my school hockey at Cranleigh where we won four National Titles. I really enjoyed hockey at school as it was a time where I could relax and be more free to play how I wanted to. Cranleigh was very supportive of my club hockey and enabled me to go out of school to train and also leave early on a Saturday to get to games which has ultimately enabled me to play at a higher level and become a better rounded player.

I was selected at 14 to play for the England U16 team and I’m now involved in the GB EDP (Elite Development Programme) and England U21 programmes. I recently got a call up to the Senior Squad to play in a game against Ireland.  This was an amazing experience and came as a complete shock to me as I didn’t expect it at all. I really enjoyed the experience and felt that the EDP programme had really prepared me well for the step up. Also I have recently gone to China and Belgium with the GB EDP squad, I really enjoyed these trips as it allowed me to travel and see different parts of the world as I had never been to Asia before, it was quite an experience! Probably my favourite moment since playing for England has to be winning the bronze medal at the U18 Europeans in July 2018. We were up against Germany in the third fourth playoff who we hadn’t beaten as an U18 programme for 7 years, we were down two players due to illness which included one of our captains so even before the start of the match it wasn’t looking good. We were down 1-0 until the last quarter until we managed to snatch 2 goals and come away with the bronze medal. The feeling when the last whistle went is something I’ll never forget and is one of the reasons I play hockey as I believe you can never really get that feeling in any other walk of life.

Last year was a jam packed year of hockey. 2018 saw us competing at the Commonwealth Games in Australia, the World Cup in London and still juggling club hockey for Holcombe Hockey Club in England.

Many players look forward to the winter break, to pack away your hockey equipment for a couple of months. For many of us that is not the case. Winter break is everything but time to relax. The intensity in your workouts drop slightly and there is a decrease in actual match play but don't be fooled, this is all balanced out by a lot of sprints, road running and gym circuits.

In search of much needed sun and warmth I decided to go back to South Africa and also spend time with my family during the most recent winter break. It was great to be able to see the people I love and spend the festive season with them. They always support my training schedule and understand how important it is which makes it easier.

It is nice to be able to train outside in the sun, run on the beach, go for hikes or mountain biking. It is good to stay active doing different types of activities and use other muscle groups that we don't always use in hockey. It keeps me energised and excited about training and also feeds my inner adrenaline junky.

I guess everyone is different but I love staying active and an ‘off season’ would not be the norm for me. I can get grumpy and anxious when I don't train or engage in some type of physical activity on a regular basis.

I get told many times to slow down because recovery is also very important for performance. Luckily I have a good balance and when I do the training I do because I love it then it always feels less stressful on the body and mind. I must admit warm weather always makes me train with a smile. This the best way to get my body ready to go full out again for the next part of my hockey season.

Dirkie Chamberlain

Lola and Seffie are extremely popular on Instagram, with more than 11,000 followers. They make cool films, work with sponsors and bring the hockey sport into the picture.

Thank you to Hockeystyle magazine for doing this great interview with our JDH players Seffie and Lola.

JDH: Hello Teresa, you moved from Düsseldorf to Hamburg last summer and now you are playing for UHC Hamburg. Did you settle in well in your new home? What were the reasons for your change to Hamburg?

Teresa: I settled in very well and quickly and I feel very comfortable in Hamburg and especially at the UHC. There are of course several reasons for my change to Hamburg. I completed my bachelors degree in psychology in Düsseldorf last summer and thus I had the chance to start my master degree in a new city with a new environment. Another reason was that I had the feeling that my personal development was not as good as I expected when i moved from my home club Uhlenhorst Mülheim to Düsseldorf

JDH: You were awarded as best player at the Indoor Final 4 in Stuttgart at the beginning of 2018 but then later you didn’t get into the German squad for the World Cup in London. What is it in your opinion that contributed to you not making this squad?

Teresa: Unfortunately, I have to say that this year was not optimal for me. Of course it has started well when I became European Championship in Prague and received the personal award in Stuttgart at the German Indoor Championships, but after that i was set out of action for 6-8 weeks because of bronchitis and sinusitis, which also led me to completely missing the first two training camps with the national team. It was possible to participate regular at the Bundesliga season, but at the exact time of the next training camp I pulled my hamstring so I could not participate again. In the end I was only able to play the last training camp before the world cup selection was published, where I was satisfied with my performance, but it was not enough to fly to London.

 JDH: Do you prefer indoor hockey or outdoor hockey? What is so special about indoor hockey in Germany? And are there differences in the way you played indoor hockey in Düsseldorf compared to the way you are playing with your new club UHC?

Teresa: I enjoy both, but especially the speed and the skills to perform in the smallest of spaces are the reasons why I love indoor hockey. In addition to this, especially at the Final Four, the emotions and the crowd, who create an incredible atmosphere, is much more noticeable in comparison to a Final Four on the field. I would say in Düsseldorf we played more defensively and focused on our counters, which was not unsuccessful. At the UHC we press earlier, which makes the games much more open. 

JDH: In Japan, where the German National Team had a trainings camp in November, you were part of the team again. How satisfied are you with your national team career so far?

What are your goals and aspirations for the future?

Teresa: Overall, I am very satisfied. In my first year (2017) I got the chance to play all three tournaments and to complete nearly all international matches. It was an incredible value for me to gain experience at the highest international level. Now and in the future it is my goal to establish myself in the squad, to play as many games as possible, including the Hockey Pro League and to play the European Championship in Antwerp in August. And in 2020 the Olympic Games take place in Tokyo, which are an absolute dream for me and it would be a great honor to wear the DANAS jersey and to represent Germany there.

JDH: Teresa, thanks a lot for this interview. We wish you all the best for your career and for your future.