Peter Howe
Bridgette de la Mere was destined to pursue a sport.
She tried swimming, netball, football, athletics and many more, all of which challenged her.
The 16-year-old would settle on hockey as a 10-year-old at Corpus Christi Primary School in Kingsville.
“I chose hockey when we had a hockey player come to school and showed us how to play,” she said.
“I loved the challenge of mastering the basic skills required to play, my friends all played and I wanted to hang out with them.”
De la Mere loves a challenge and is a deep thinker about her sport. Just talking to her, you can hear the passion she has for hockey.
“I play as a striker/midfielder,. My role is to get the ball into the “D” to help us score.
“I also need to work hard in defence to help our defensive transition. I have to know where our opposition sets up to give us the best chance to score.”
At 14. de la Mere made Footscray Hockey Club’s premier women’s team.
“I was amazed at how fit the players were, their amazing skill level,” she said.
“All of the players in the team welcomed my selection and got around me, it took me a while to get the hang of it and then my confidence grew.
“I am challenged every time I run onto the field.”
De la Mere was selected in her first Victorian state team when she was 13 and hasn’t been out of it since.
She recently competed at the under-18 national championships, with Victoria finishing second.
For de la Mere it’s about getting the processes right, not the outcome.
“Playing at the highest level is an opportunity to test yourself against the best sportspeople in the country and enjoy yourself doing what you love.
“I have a very positive mindset. I am very comfortable in the moment and don’t explode, I have a
very clear picture of what is required at any moment because we have trained it.
“I train two nights a week a week at Footscray where we work on match simulation, skills and drills.
“State training is another two and sometimes three sessions a week where we work on game setup, match simulation and penalty corner strategy.”
Her maturity has seen her develop a team first approach.
De la Mere is a volunteer coach and umpire for the younger players at her club.
“I am young and can identify with our younger players,” she said.
“I work to gain their trust so we can accept feedback and work together to improve. It’s how our club works.”
She was named the female junior club champion in 2019 for her work at the club.
Much of de la Mere’s fitness and strength work is undertaken at her school, where she is in the Sports Academy at Maribyrnong Secondary College.
Her time in the gym is spent on weightlifting and resistance training, other testing includes the beep test and Yo Yo test.
De la Mere has also achieved success at indoor hockey, where she has also represented Victoria.
The 16-year-old has eyes on the future and a long career in hockey.
“I’d love to play for Australia,” she said.
“It’s a long process. My aim is to make the emerging squad that consists of players 18 and over to train for the Melbourne team. Then Australia is a possibility.
“If I don’t make it so, be it. I love my sport and will always play it right up to the masters.”
De la Mere is the June winner of the Sunshine Western Region Sports Club’s Don Deeble Sports Star Award.
Her award is sponsored by the Yarraville Club Cricket Club, Strathmore Community Bank and the Deer Park Club.
If you would like to nominate a monthly winner or attend a dinner at the Medway Golf Club, please contact the club by emailing swrsportsclub@gmail.com or sms 0408 556 631.
