California Cup

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2014 Hall of Fame Inductee - Tom Harris
2014 Hall of Fame – Saturday, June 28, 2014
Honorary Member Inductees – Tom Harris
After beginning his field hockey playing career in 1970. Harris started
the California Cup in 1972. Harris continues to promote and organize the
event, served as President of the USA Field Hockey Men’s Federation and Secretary of
USA Field Hockey for two years, was the Field Manager for the 1984 Olympic Games in
Los Angeles, CA and managed the 1979 Pan American Team.
The California Cup International Field Hockey Tournament was founded in 1972 by Tom
Harris and a group of sport oriented friends. Tom organized the first tournament in the
southern California area with the participation of six men teams. Forty four (44) years
later, the tournament now popularly known as Cal Cup
has grown to include the participation of 150 + teams
for men and women of all ages, from U-8 to Super and
Social, and is played during 4 days on Memorial weekend and in four concurrent
venues, Moorpark College, Moorpark High School, Arroyo Vista Park Fields and
Westlake High School.
Cal Cup is a USA premier Field Hockey Tournament and the only American
tournament featuring a high level of competition for US and International national
teams and clubs from Canada, Mexico, Argentina, Holland, England, Spain, Taiwan,
India, Germany and Australia to name a few.
Interview with Mr. Tom Harris
By Program Editor, Silvia Scally
1. Why did you choose Field Hockey as a personal
activity vs. all other sports?
Harris: Hockey is an active game that is vigorous,
reasonably safe and physically demanding.
2: What happened in your life to push you to meet with
other players and to start playing the game?
Harris: A classmate from Ventura College became a
doctor. When I took my son to him, he told me about
hockey and invited me to play.
3: What were the dynamics of the first games you played
and where?
Harris: We first played at Buena High School. We would
hit the ball as hard as we could up the field, then everyone
would chase after it.
4: When did you consider to start building this sport as
a year round activity?
Harris: We played year-round from the start.
5. Once you saw your dream rolling into the future,
what were your thoughts? What did you think when
the tournament grew and when it reached the 40th
benchmark and still rolls on?
Harris: Our first Cal Cup was in October, 1972 at Moorpark
College. There were six Men’s Teams--Kiel Germany,
Vancouver and Victoria Canada and three teams from
Ventura County. We hosted all the visitors in our houses.
The Party was at the IBEW Union Hall in Ventura.
6. Who helped you achieve this dream?
Harris: My wife, Karen, has always been a vital part of
Cal Cup and my hockey. Moorpark College has been
involved since I was on the faculty there.
7. Which would be your dream vision for the future of
field hockey in Southern California?
Harris: My dream is to have a club house and facilities
to match those of Europe, Australia, New Zealand or
Argentina.
8. Did you receive support from USFHA? How?
Harris: We have received help from the old FHAA, the
men’s hockey organization when we built our facility
in 1994.
9. When was it decided that local players were going to
be included in the US National team?
Harris: In 1971, John Stockdill was selected for the
Pan Am Games U.S. Team for the games in California,
Colombia and South America.
10. What are your feelings for field hockey?
Harris: Through hockey I have met people from all over
the world, played on all continents, and enjoyed learning
about their way of thinking.
Tom, thank you for all these years of managing the work to build field hockey in Southern California!!!