Trinidad and Tobago Junior Men are a hockey team that has been on an upward trajectory over the past few editions of the Pan American Junior Championship. In 2005, the team finished eighth, after winning just two games. They finished seventh in 2008, after registering three comprehensive wins in the pool stages and beating Puerto Rico in the 7/8th play-offs. In 2012, they moved up the final standings again, finishing in fifth place with four wins under their belt.
In terms of consistency, Trinidad and Tobago always perform well against the lower ranked teams, and can be relied upon to find the goal. The team now needs to find the next level which will see them become competitive against the likes of USA, Canada and Chile, teams that lie above Trinidad and Tobago in the rankings, but who they are hoping to close the gap upon.
We speak to two of the Trinidad and Tobago players about their preparations for the upcoming competition and discover two young men with big ambitions, attitude and work ethic to match that ambition.
Jordan Reynos is one of the up and coming stars of the Trinidad and Tobago hockey team. He has already represented the senior team 30 times, including at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, where Trinidad and Tobago registered their historic first win at that tournament – beating Malaysia 4-2.
His focus for the next few months, however, is on his role with the men’s junior team. He has been playing for the national junior side for the past five years, including at the last Pan Am Junior Championships in Guadalajara, where his team finished fifth after beating Mexico in the 5/6th play-off place. At the time, Jordan was just 17.
His love of hockey began at a young age as he explains: “When I was just five years old, my mom introduced my two brothers and myself to the sport because she started when she was a teenager, and I must say I have grown to love it.”
A lack of funding means that the junior program doesn’t run all year, every year. “Our junior teams usually start preparation a year before the Pan Am Junior Championships and the intensity develops as the tournament gets closer and closer.”
Jordan explains that in an average week leading up to the Championships, the squad will have five training days, which includes two gym sessions and three field sessions. There is usually a club game at the weekends, so the lads are playing hockey six days a week.
With the event now less than four months away, the intensity has really shifted a gear and a lot of the change is driven by the young players. “We usually train for two hours as a team, but many of the guys, including myself, go to the pitch an hour or two early to do some individual stuff.”
Jordan himself was out of the game for four months from September to December last year because of injury, so he has been spending a lot of extra time doing rehabilitation and extra fitness work, a commitment he has continued.
Explaining what hockey means to him, Jordan says: “In Trinidad and Tobago, anybody that plays national hockey does so because we have a love for the game, we do not get paid, so the incentive definitely comes through a love for the game. I have always been proud to hoist my national colours and represent my people. As a person, it has built my character, I have found interaction with people has become easier, I have also developed discipline that stretches far beyond the field of play and it has definitely taught me how to manage my time.”
Living as an international sports player takes a lot of hard work and dedication, and as Jordan says, hockey is not a sport that is well recognised in the country. “When I speak to people about hockey, the first thing many will say is "I didn’t know we had ice hockey in Trinidad.
“But my friends and family know about it and support me because it’s really a big part of my life.”
With experience of hockey at the highest level, including the Hockey World League and Pan Am Games, Jordan has definitely committed to helping his team achieve an ambition nurtured by every T&T player – to one day go to the Olympics. He will be heading off to university after the Pan Am Junior Championship, and says: “After university, at the top of my list, is to one day play at the Olympics.”
Equally determined to one day add the word ‘Olympian’ to his CV, is the other Jordan wearing the colours of Trinidad and Tobago. At 19 years-old, Jordan Viera is about to take part in his second Junior Pan Am Championships, and has 10 senior international caps to his name as well.
He is currently doing a degree in Business Management, and says: “At times it can all get a bit overwhelming as you try to balance studies and hockey. However, by managing my time efficiently and being disciplined it is very possible to get the job done.”
Managing time efficiently includes the 10 hours of training with the national team and further club commitments at the weekend. Jordan says that there has also been a steady ramping up of the intensity to the training as the championships get closer, with weekly practice games, as well as the usual training sessions.
Jordan was six when he first began playing hockey and with both his parents representing Trinidad and Tobago at international level, it really was a case of hockey being in his DNA. Not surprisingly, Jordan feels much supported as he pursues his hockey ambitions, although he agrees with Jordan Reyas when he says: “hockey remains a relatively minor sport in the country and, although it is growing in popularity, it is still not well recognised.”
For the 19-year-old student, hockey is far more than just a game. It is something he wants to pursue at senior level and it is an activity that he feels has given him some important life skills. “I have learnt that having a great amount of discipline and putting in the hard work can get me a long way in accomplishing my goals. It means a lot to me to be able to represent my country, and to wear the red, white and black with pride, no matter the outcome of the game.”
