Hockey – a lifelong passion
Emily Dark is a third year undergraduate and University of St Andrews hockey player – and hockey scholar – who has been invited to train with the full Senior Great Britain (GB) Women’s Hockey team. Here, she answers our questions about why the sport has become a lifelong passion, how the University has supported her and what her plans are for the future.
What made you decide to come to St Andrews in the first place?
I’ve wanted to study at St Andrews since I was about 11. I used to visit the town at weekends with friends and would see all the students walking on the beach and around the town and I wanted to come here too because they looked like they were enjoying themselves so much.
When I decided I wanted to study Physics, St Andrews became even more appealing because it’s top in the UK.
I was also very keen to stay in Scotland for my Scottish National hockey training.
When and why did you become interested in hockey?
I was first introduced to hockey at school when I was eight. Although I was terrible at first, I really enjoyed it and was determined to get into the school team. So that summer my parents organised for me to go to lots of different hockey camps. I went to Strathallan School Camp, St Leonard’s Camp and HPC at Kilgraston. When I came back at the end of summer and made the team, I was ecstatic!
I then joined Perthshire Hockey Club where I trained hard and played as much as possible. Perthshire Hockey club and Kilgraston School’s Pauline Stott MBE were pivotal in my development. Without their help and support I wouldn’t have been able to move on to National League 1 club Dundee Wanderers at the age of 14 – and I wouldn’t be at the level of the game that I am now.
I progressed steadily through the Scottish Squads, playing for Under 16s, Under 18s and Under 21s until – just after I turned 17 – I became the youngest female capped player for the Senior Scotland Team.
I then got selected for the Great Britain Elite Development Squad and this is now my third year in that programme. It has given me the opportunity to play against teams such as Australia, GB and China Under 23s.
In summer 2019, I played in my first two major tournaments for Scotland: the Hockey Series Finals and the European Championship B Division. The Europeans was an amazing experience with a home crowd at every game. We beat Italy in the final to win gold and were promoted to the A division this summer. I won the Under 21 Player of the Tournament award.
How has studying at St Andrews contributed to the development of your hockey career?
The academic staff at St Andrews have been very supportive of my hockey: they are always just an email away and I am able to have meetings with my tutors if I need any extra help as well.
The performance gym is a great asset, and the use of the pitch is fantastic. Jamie Carnegie, Director of Hockey at Saints Sport, is always on hand for any extra support or training sessions I might need.
And last – but definitely not least – I’m a Scott Lang High Performance athlete. This award is one of many that are available to attract and support academically and athletically gifted undergraduate and postgraduate students. It has been a huge practical help to my hockey career while I’ve been at St Andrews. You can find out more about it here.
Can you describe your experience of training with the GB squad at Bisham Abbey?
Because I’ve been in the Great Britain Elite Development Programme I have already trained quite a lot at Bisham Abbey which has made this recent transition to the full Senior GB Women’s team a lot easier.
It has been a great experience so far: the training sessions always have a purpose, which means that everyone focuses on them to get the most out of them that they possibly can.
It has also been great to play a couple of competitive games as the league has not yet started in Scotland due to the restrictions. The team and coaches have been very welcoming and I’m really looking forward to the coming weeks.
What are your plans for the future?
This training camp is such an exciting opportunity, and in many ways my future path will be determined by how it turns out. But whatever my future holds, it will definitely include hockey!