GREENBANK hockey player Jade Smith is heading to South Africa next year after scoring a goal in the gold medal match against NSW in the Pacific School Games.
Smith represented Queensland in the premier hockey event held in Adelaide and defeated NSW in the final round after Queensland won the penalty shootout after the scores were tied 1-1 at full time.
Aged only 16, Smith has now been selected to represent the Australia Schoolgirls side when they tour South Africa in mid-2018.
Hockey has been a Smith family affair for some time with her older sister Kirra having also previously represented the Australian Schoolgirls.
“The reason I got this far is because of all the support from my parents and coaches and family and friends who supported me for many years,” Jade Smith said.
Smith’s upcoming South Africa tour will be her first overseas hockey experience, and it is one she said she would relish.
“It will be a really good life experience and opportunity to travel and see what its like to play in a different country,” she said.
“There are a couple of Queensland players (in the Australian Schoolgirls side) but a lot of them are from different states so there will be a lot of new faces and people I know.
“It would be a dream come true for me to play for the Australian Hockeyroos in the future.”
Smith’s passion for hockey has thrived since she was only five, and she revealed what it was which kept her interest alive for so long.
“I think the team mates over the years are life-long friends you just become one family,” she said.
