The one thing the Tuks master’s student Maxine Hannan loves doing is to make a difference.
It does not matter whether she is fighting for the ball in the pool, dueling it out with sticks to gain possession on an Astroturf, or sitting down to talk; the outcome must be the same. Hannan wants the result to be a win for Tuks.
A quick glance at her CV might make one think Hannan is one of the original “Energiser Bunny Clan”. Running out of energy is not an option for her. Not only is she busy with her master’s in human physiology. Hannan is also captaining Tuks women’s water polo team. She was a part of the South African beach water polo team, which won a bronze medal at the World Aquatics Water Polo Qualification Tournament in Egypt.
But still, there is more to her. Hannan is the chairperson of TuksHockey’s Players Committee and is playing for the club’s second team. She used to play for the first team. Hockey, to her, is not only about being the best. Winning games. She wants Tuks Hockey Club to be the “Talk of the town. The club where everyone knows your name. A club for which players will be prepared to put their bodies on the line.
Her drive and passion have not gone unnoticed. At Tuks Hockey’s Awards Ceremony, Hannan was honoured as Clubmember of the Year. It is a just reward for her drive to get the club to be the best.
According to Hannan, the Tuks Hockey Player Committee was established last year.
“We meet once a term to discuss what we think the club has been doing right and how we can improve. Knowing what the players want and informing them of what management expects from them is essential. I am the go-between person in all of this. My role is about improving the club from a player’s perspective.”
Hannan emphasised that at Tuks, all results matter.
“Obviously, it is vital that our first teams do well. They are after the ones who compete at the USSA Tournaments. But it is as exciting when Tuks’s fourth or third teams win. The better all teams perform, the better for the depth of our club.
“We want to foster a camaraderie amongst all players. At the moment, we have a draft proposal for an interclub tournament next year. The idea is to get players from our first teams to join up with players from our other teams to play together for one day. It is a way to socialise and interact with more players. We don’t want first-team players to fraternise only with first-team players. The same goes for every one of our other teams. After all, we are all playing for Tuks.
“We also want non-playing Tuks students to be part of our hockey culture. That is why we decided to open our bar to everyone. Come to the Tuks Hockey Club, watch a game, have a drink, and listen to good music. Being a sports fan should be about having fun and not a schlep. Non-players will quickly realise our hockey players are very chilled.”