Procedural writing about an Olympic Sport

Hockey

What is Hockey?
Field hockey is a game played on gravel, natural grass, sand-based or water-based artificial turf with a small hard ball. The game is popular among both males and females in many parts of the world, particularly in Europe, Asia, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. Field Hockey is a team sport in which a team of players attempts to score goals by hitting, pushing or flicking a ball into an opposing team's goal using sticks.

What skills do you need to be a Hockey player?
*concentration                * be fit
*Have to be focused          * control the ball
*Fast           

What equipment do you need?
*Field Hockey ball
*Field Hockey stick
*Mouth guard
*Shin pads
*Cleats
*Jersey
*Extra Slap Shot Grip (optional)
*Protective Gloves (optional)
*Protective eye mask

How many players/teams are there to be needed?
*2 teams in each games
*11 or 6 players including a goalkeeper

Steps on how to play Hockey.
1) Get a Grip. With your left hand, grip your stick at the top with knuckles lined up and thumb pointing down towards the hooked bit of the stick, roughly aligned with the bit that's pointing up. Your right hand should grip your stick at a point lower on the stick that is comfortable to you. You should be able to stand with the hooked tip grazing the ground, the flat end facing out.

2)Take a stance. Left foot pointing front, right foot back support. Bend your knees slightly, aim for the ball, which should be in line with your left foot or slightly before it, but not ahead. keep your knees bent. Otherwise, you will be very sore the next day!

3)Trap the ball.To stop the ball, as it's coming towards you, move backwards, to slow the ball before stopping it. Just keeping the stick still often means the ball will roll over the stick, and hitting the ball will often cause it to go haywire in a completely different direction.

4)When the ball is on your left, twist the stick with your left hand so that the flat side is again facing out correctly. Let go of your right hand as you twist, grip again once stick is in position. Make sure you never touch the ball with the rounded side of the stick, always use the flat side.

5)Hit it! Move your right hand closer to your left hand, the ball should be in line with your forward foot. There are several different types of shots like the....

Slap-shots: choke down your right and pretend you're playing cricket. Only hit the ball in a desperate circumstance, or when you're shooting for a goal.

Pushes: grip should be between that for a hit and a slap-shot; ball should be right in front of the flat side of your stick, which should be somewhere around your back foot. Transfer weight from back foot to front foot, lean into it and push.

Hook variation: place stick almost parallel to ground, hooked portion curving lovingly around the ball. Transfer weight from back foot to right foot, pull hard then push in one smooth motion.

Flicks: hands in slap-shot grip, dig edge of stick beneath ball, much as you would toe scoop a soccer ball, lift and push, transferring weight from back foot to front foot.

Drives: Holding both hands at the end of the grip, bring the field hockey stick back until about waist-height, and swing into the ball with all force.

Tips

Always mark someone especially when the other team is taking a free hit, and a shot on goal.

Have a stick and ball handy in your living room. While waiting for other things to happen, or when when you are bored, take it out and play with it. Doing this regularly will boost your ball control and feel for the game.

Enjoy it. Your skills will improve as you play, and in order to play a lot make sure you enjoy the game. Don't let yourself be pressured or stressed, and find a team you enjoy playing with.

When choosing a stick make sure it is the right size. You can do this by holding the sticks up next to your leg and seeing if it is at your hip. If it is, the stick is the right size. If it is below your hips then it is too small. If it is above your hip then it is too big.

From Norbegun room 12

A moment of success

Last year in Term Two, one day singing was interrupted because Mike from the New Zealand All Sports Academy addressed the assembly and asked the students if some of us wanted to join his academy to go overseas to compete in sports events like rugby and soccer.

The trials began the next week. There were a lot of us who trialled the first day. Then, on the second day I trialled out for soccer with a lot of others. It was hard but we all did a fantastic job.

When Mike was about to make the announcement of who had made it into the team it was a nervous time for all of us. Finally when he announced who made it we were proud that all of us who trialled that day made it in. I was extremely proud of myself.

Then came lots of training, lots of hard work and fundraising opportunities. When Mike told us how we were going to fundraise, quite a few of the members of the team dropped out because they didn't like fundraising. They didn't attend the trainings and  did not come to the fundraising so Mike did not let them back in the team.

The fundraising we did was not only in Auckland it was in Wellington, Hamilton, Napier and other places in New Zealand. The best place for fundraising was Napier because lots of people gave donations and we raised a lot of money that afternoon and the other best place was in the capital city Wellington.

Training went on full swing. Every afternoon after school we practiced hard. The day came when we met at the Panmure library on the 10th of April to go overseas. It was a time of happiness for all of us kids and our families because we achieved what we had been training and fundraising for.

We got on the plane, we were all excited to go overseas because it was a great experience for us all . The view from the plane was beautiful. It felt like we all were looking at little toy houses. Our first stop was in South Korea. We stayed there for a night. It was one of the best hotels I have ever been to in my life. It looked like a hotel designed by Donald Trump. The next morning we got ready to leave the hotel and head off to the airport. At the airport was very confusing. The flight information was mostly written in the Korean language until this Korean man told us where to go because he could understand and speak English. We got on our plane. One hour later we headed off to England to start our tour in the Uk for Soccer and Rugby.

On the plane I realised that this was a moment of success for my mates and I. All our hard work paid off.  We worked for achieving success and did very well playing against English and Scottish teams and won some of our games. What an experience! I will remember this for a long time to come.