This week, I got the opportunity to catch up with Mel K, who has been playing as a midfielder/forwards for Remnants HC. Last week she was in Paris for the Gay Games and here is what she had to say about the experience.
What motivated you to play at the Gay Games in Paris?
"I was offered a fantastic, albeit very last minute, opportunity to play overseas in a hockey tournament and as I had not previously attended a Gay Games event let alone participated, I very gratefully accepted it."
What was the best thing about the tournament?
"Aside from winning a silver medal, the opening ceremony was pretty spectacular. The atmosphere was fantastic, I had the opportunity to meet athletes from other countries and then join all the other GB athletes to parade into the very impressive Jean Bouin stadium."
Anything you would change?
"Not really, although it would be great if the Remnants would participate."
Would you go again?
"Absolutely, it’s great team building and good fun both on and off the pitch. There were plenty of social events organised by Pink Hockey plus the opportunity to discover the hosting city."
Can you tell us a bit more about how your team did in the tournament?
"There were six ladies teams in the tournament, two from the UK, two from Ireland, one Dutch and one Australian. The London Royals Hockey club entered two teams - Rainbows and Unicorns, I played with the Unicorns.
Our first game of the tournament was against the Australian Bentstix who started strong and scored a goal early followed by another meaning the final result was 2-0, our only loss in the playoffs. Later in the day we played against the other London Royals team, the Rainbows, this was a fairly even game with a 3-3 result.
The next day of play started against the Dutch Baby Ladies which we won. Later in the day we played and beat the Irish Ladies.
On the final day we beat the second Irish Pinks team. All in all, this meant we were in the final and we were up against the Australian Bentstix for a second time! The other London Royals team, the Rainbows, in the meantime, had played to win the bronze medal. It was now up to the Unicorns to win a gold medal. First the outset, the game was very competitive with both teams attacking in the searing hot 38 degrees; however, no goals were scored. The final result was 0-0; this could only mean one thing, penalties! Both teams chose 3 players and each team huddled together, everything crossed in the hope of Gold. A tense 2-2 outcome meant we were now facing sudden death! Australia went first to score, then it was our turn. The Australian goalie came out strong to successfully defend our attempt and so it was to be a Silver medal for the London Royals Unicorns. It was a fantastic outcome for the tournament with a silver and bronze medal going to the London Royals Ladies teams."
Well done Mel for taking part and coming back with a beautiful silver medal! The Gay Games will be in Hong- Kong in 2022 and the Eurogames are in Rome in 2019.