Day #6 – 7 Days of the Women of MCC Hockey for IWD 2023.
Kat Carter
Kat has been heavily involved with MCC Hockey section over the past few years, playing at the top levels and women’s masters, and now coaching our women’s PLR squad. Kat played hockey in New Zealand, before moving to Melbourne and getting back to the game, she told us “About a year after I moved to Melbourne I decided to get back into hockey as a way of getting fit and establishing a wider social network. I google earthed all the hockey grounds close to the city and pretty quickly nixed other choices in favour of the facilities at MCC”
Speaking about her hockey role models, Kat mentioned some MCC stalwarts “I haven’t actually told these ladies this in person but in terms of hockey, MCC stalwarts like Caz Ayres, Fay Stow, Wendy Stansfield, Mary Noone and Janet Driver have been a huge influence in the past few years. These ladies love the sport and are gun hockey players, having represented Victoria at masters level for years. They’re also fantastic people, will always give their time and support to younger players and are great to have a chat and a drink with after a game. They’re all generous hockey players on the field too, and for that reason are some of my favourite people to play with.
Having taken on the PLR coaching role over the past few seasons, Kat has a key role in the development of our players. Talking about how women and girls participation in sport can be encouraged, Kat says “A pivotal moment for me was recognizing my own unconscious bias when it came to coaching. We still tend to view men, or behaviors typically exhibited by men, as authoritative and therefore naturally look to them as leaders. But female coaches are important for women and girls across all levels. Research shows that coaches play a central role in getting and keeping girls involved in sport and that having female role models can help improve girls’ self-confidence, empowerment, and sense of belonging. Early participation and enjoyment of sport can also boost girls’ engagement with health and fitness throughout their lives. Encouraging and supporting women as coaches, mentors and active supporters is vital”.
Kat’s proudest MCC moment came in the finals season last year “Last year I was lucky enough to be part of the Women’s 35+ Masters team that won the grand final. Getting to play alongside a fantastic, supportive group of women was pretty special.”
And on what keeps Kat involved, she says its “a combination of the two answers above: recognising the contribution that players ahead of me have made and how necessary it is to help pave the way for the next generation.”