Shot at hockey worth it for young defender

TRISTAN Potts gave up two other sports after he gave hockey a go and loved it. He started just a few years ago and has already represented NSW in Japan.

In just a few years, 15-year-old Tristan Potts has come leaps and bounds in hockey.

TRISTAN Potts was playing soccer and cricket when he decided to give hockey a go.

He said he tried indoor hockey in 2012 and by the next year was playing indoor and outdoor.

Tristan, 15, of Glenmore Park, said his whole family is involved in the sport, which is why he thought it was worth a shot.

“I was always watching my brothers play and was there for Mum and Dad’s games,” he said.

“For a year I played all three and then I dropped cricket, and then last year was my last year of soccer.”

Tristan was nominated for the Junior Sports Star award by the Western Sydney Academy of Sport. He has been in its hockey program for past year.

He plays in the Penrith RSL men’s A-grade team and is an under-18 representative player with the Nepean Hockey Association.

Glenmore Park’s Tristan Potts is a promising young hockey player.

Tristan said his team competed in the Nepean under-18 competition this month and came away with a silver medal.

A few weeks before that, he got to play in the open men’s state championships.

Of Tristan’s many achievements, he said a major highlight was being selected for the NSW Bushrangers team, which flew to Japan in the April school holidays.

“We played Japanese high schools and colleges, it was really good,” Tristan said.

“It was a step above anything I have ever done.”

On the field, the teen covers the midfield and is also a defender.

“With defence, I got told I could read the ball well,” Tristan said.

Despite having the heavy workload of a Year 10 student, Tristan manages to juggle his time.

Tristan dropped two other sports to play hockey and hasn’t looked back.

“Normally I train and play two times a week each and then if we have reps training then that is another night on top of that,” he said.

Someone who admires the promising youngster is his father, Chris.

Mr Potts said the biggest challenge for his left-handed son was to work hard to become a right-handed player.

“Once he allowed himself to step away from the cricket and soccer world, and ­embrace the sport for what it was, he came along leaps and bounds,” he said.

“He is a thinker, he can sit there and analyse, so he has the ability to read the play and decide whether to make the tackle or not … that would have to be his strongest attribute.”

Tristan said he would love to keep improving and get another chance to play hockey overseas.

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