A wise sage once noted that while individual achievements in sport can be gratifying, for the ultimate sporting experience nothing tops shared glory. “I think everyone who played on that team would agree it was one of the biggest moments in our lives,” said Joan Selig. “I had been on the national team and that was a great experience. “But this was different. The players on this team were friends and we really cared about each other. And the fact the event was held in Halifax made it that much more special for everyone.”It’s been two decades since the “sweet 16” – 14 Nova Scotians, one import and a coach from Europe – combined forces to win the national senior ladies field hockey championship. But, if anything, time has only made that moment more precious. “It was certainly a highlight and a special time in our lives,” said Nancy Tokaryk, team captain. “And the neat thing about the team is that most of us still stick together. “A lot of us are still involved in field hockey or other sports. We get together for Christmas dinners, play in Masters tournaments and in 1985, basically the same team that won the 1975 title came back to win the national Masters championship.”

For the record, the Nova Scotians on the squad were: Leslie Archibald, Helen Castonguay, Susan Beazley, Anne MacKinnon, Kim Robson, Diane Boulanger, Katie Didkowski, Karen Greenman, Kathy Mullane, Judi Rice,Jocelyn Webb, Selig, Tokaryk and manager Jean Fahie. The import was Alberta’s Debbie Machon and the coach, England’s Wilfrid Hoare. “Coach Hoare really has to be given a lot of credit for us winning the title,” said Tokaryk. “He had come on board three years before and knew that we had talent. “What he did was make us believers and make us think we were capable in his funny, old English way. He really did a wonderful job.” For those who weren’t around in 1975 or perhaps not even born, Nova Scotia claimed its first ever national title with a 3-2 win over Alberta in a post-game shootout. Selig, Rice and Boulanger scored for the home team. Didkowski supplied the clutch goaltending. “The chemistry on that team was really remarkable,” said Selig. “I joined the team in 1971 and six or seven of the players had been playing since 1968. “Most of us had known each other for a long time and coach Hoare lived and breathed hockey and he fed that to us. The other thing that really helped was playing on the Halifax Commons.

“A lot of players on the team were teachers and their students, along with all our relatives and friends, came to watch. There were literally hundreds of people around the field. More than I had ever seen at a field hockey game anywhere.” That support was one of the key factors in Nova Scotia’s drive to the crown. “There was no way anyone was going to beat Nova Scotia on that weekend,” said Selig. “In fact, even though we all lived in Halifax, we all stayed at the (nearby) Holiday Inn during the tournament. We were committed to giving it our best shot.

“We had come so close on a couple of other occasions. Been on the brink of upsetting a heavily favoured team and just come up short. So, this was a tournament we wanted to win, not only for ourselves, but for other people and the province.”

Members of the team were: Leslie Archibald, Susan (Dunbrack) Beazley, Diane Boulanger, Helen Castonguay, Katie Didkowski, Jean Fahie (manager), Karen Greenman, Wilfred Hoare (coach), Debbie Machon, Anne MacKinnon, Kathy Mullane, Judi Rice, Kim Robson, Joan (Langley) Selig, Nancy Tokaryk, Jocelyn Webb.

Bio courtesy of Steve Bezanson