Kath Johnson is one tough cookie. On the hockey pitch her style of play is unforgiving – hard hits, ferocious tackling and relentless chasing down of every ball. And her performances at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics – where Great Britain won a bronze medal – earned her a place as one of the greats of the game – as well as the nickname 'The Lion of Barcelona'.
She quit the international scene in 2000 with 100 GB caps, 79 appearances for England, and numerous club honours and two years later she stopped playing hockey altogether, choosing to throw herself into other activities and spending time with her young son, Daniel. More than a decade later, Kath returned to both the national and international stage, playing for National league side Harleston Magpies and England O45s – an experience that has been "fantastic".
That Kath can walk back into the top level of hockey after a long break is incredible in itself, but it also begs the question, why? Surely, at the age of 46, she has had her fill of training in the cold, travelling across the country, and putting her body through 70 minutes of extreme activity every weekend? Kath grins at this and her answer indicates that the competitive spirit is still very much alive and kicking.
'I just started playing for my local team, Pelicans as well as the regional Masters team. I really enjoyed it, so I thought it might be good to push myself again as I enter the twilight of my career. I just wanted give myself another chance to play the highest level of hockey available to me.'
'I have always played at a certain intensity, and nothing changes on that front even now. It is part of my make-up or my armoury. That is as important to me as playing the game itself. In my experience the will and desire to win is very hard to lose.
And the burgeoning growth of the Masters scene indicates that Kath is far from alone. The Masters competitions have grown largely from Australia and New Zealand; the International Masters Tournament has been running for more than 30 years in the Pacific Rim. It began life as a tournament for the O50s men, it has now grown to encompass other age groups for men and women.
The inclusion of a Masters Hockey World Cup, to run alongside the Rabobank Hockey World Cup as a side event, is a significant step forward for global spread of the international masters movement. Just a few miles away from the action at the Hague, an equally intense competition will be taking place at Hockey Club Rotterdam. From 5-13 June, men and women in age categories 40+, 45+, 50+, 55+ and 60+ (women only) will be battling for the title of World Cup champions in their age group.
These players, many of them former internationals with Olympic and World Cup medals to their names, have discovered what Kath already knows: "You can do other things: run road races, do swimathons, take up a hobby, but none of this quite matches the thrill of competition on the hockey pitch, or the highs and lows of the game."
