ROAR | COVER FEATURELAYINGdownthe law10 <strong>SYDNEY</strong> <strong>UNI</strong> <strong>SPORT</strong> & <strong>FITNESS</strong>
When Nina Khoury was inprimary school, her teacherasked everyone in theclass to write down whatthey wanted to be whenthey grew up. By her ownrecollection, Khoury wrote:“I want to bea lawyer anddrive a redPorscheand earn thebig bucks.”by Aaron Scott“Nothing’s really changed since,” Khourysays, “except I now want to drive a blackPorsche...”She’s kidding, of course. But it providesa telling insight into the workings ofKhoury’s mind. Now 20, and midwaythrough a Commerce Law degree atSydney University, she’s an articulate,confident and still ambitious youngwoman. She knows what she wants andshe’s determined to get it. So, when shesays that Australian women’s hockey is onthe cusp of another golden era – and thatshe wants to be a big part of it –you listen.Australia bears a proud hockey legacy.Two decades ago, the Hockeyroos werea colossal force in the international game.Under the mentorship of Ric Charlesworthand the captaincy of Alyson Annan,they dominated the scene for a decade,winning Olympic gold in Atlanta andSydney, and World Cup trophies in Dublinand Utrecht. They were untouchable.With the retirements of Charlesworth in2000 and Annan in ‘03, the team brokeapart. Momentum faltered. While theKookaburras, the men’s national team,grew from strength to strength, theHockeyroos stalled. They could onlymanage a fourth place finish at the 2002World Cup in Perth and a fifth place finishat the 2004 Athens Games. A decade on,major silverware has continued to eludethem. At last year’s London Olympics, ashock loss to New Zealand in the groupstages saw them finish an unhappy fifth.Khoury, however, is convinced that thingsare changing. She’s certain anothergolden era is about to dawn.Born and bred in Hobart, Khoury proveda natural at every sport to which sheturned her hand. On the athletics trackshe blitzed the middle-distance events,running the 800m and 1500m at theunder-age state championships. Onthe tennis court she went even further,powering through the junior ranks torepresent Australia at the under-14 level.But it was on the hockey field that shetruly flourished.“I always knew that I was going to pickhockey,” she says. “I never told mytennis coach, of course, but I think hesecretly knew that as well. Look, tenniswas amazing. I got a lot of travellingexperience and I matured a lot becauseof it. So I’m glad I played tennis. ButI’ve always loved the team environment;always loved working towards a goal withmy teammates.“For me, there’s just something aboutbeing on a hockey field. I stop thinkingabout everything else – I just play. And Ireally love that.“When I’m on a hockey field, I don’t havetime to think about uni, or assignments,or whatever else is going on in my life – Ijust play. And once I knew that’s how I felton the field, then I knew that hockey wasthe sport I wanted to pursue.”A hard-running midfielder – “I’messentially the girl who just runs all day” –Khoury is tracking a rapid ascent throughher chosen game. She’s been playing andtouring with the Jillaroos (the Australianunder-21 team) since she was a nervous16-year-old. Now confident of her placein the team, she has high expectations.“Women’s hockey in Australia hascertainly been in a bit of a lull over thepast few years,” she says.“But if you’re a follower of hockey, youwould have noticed that the results areWWW.SUSF.COM.AU 11