Aleisha set to realise Olympic dream
The long wait is almost over for Aleisha Neumann – she is heading to her first Olympics. A member of Northern Suburbs Hockey Club at Ashgrove, Aleisha will umpire at the postponed Tokyo Olympic Games when the women’s hockey tournament commences on July 25. “It is a little surreal and very exciting for it to be finally happening. After the uncertainty last year there was a little bit of doubt that it would happen,” Aleisha says. “Being involved in international hockey again and seeing my friends from all over the world again, some of whom I haven’t seen since the World Cup in 2018, is exciting.” It wasn’t difficult for the 31-year-old to keep motivated and stay fit after the Olympics were postponed by 12 months due to COVID-19. “It hasn’t been hard at all. Training is a normal part of my routine and lifestyle so it’s really no different. The harder part has been the patience required to wait for the Olympics to happen,” she says. Aleisha started umpiring hockey in Toowoomba when she was 14, but she always had aspirations to represent Australia as a player. “Like every little girl I wanted to play in the Hockeyroos. Growing up in Toowoomba and watching the dominance of the Toowoomba players at the time, they were my main motivator,” she says. “When I was finishing high school, I thought that I maybe wasn’t going to make it as a player and thought I could make it to the London Olympics as an umpire. Turns
out it took a little longer to get there.” Aleisha has an impressive hockey resume. She has u m p i r e d a t t h e Wo r l d Cup and the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games and is the reigning Hockey Queensland Umpire of the Year. She created history in February 2020 as the first woman to umpire an international men’s match when New Zealand played Belgium. The school teacher is also a talented player. She has represented Australian Country, played for Brisbane Blaze in the Hockey One national league, and was named in Norths Women’s Hockey Club’s ‘Team of the Half Century’. Aleisha considers her achievements as a hockey player and hockey umpire to be of equal importance. “I don’t rank one over the other because they are so different. I am immensely proud of what I have been able to achieve in both aspects,” she explains.
Norths Hockey Umpire Aleisha Neumann. Photo Andrew Blanchard
“The Olympics has to be my top achievement. It is the biggest event on the sporting calendar.” Twelve countries will contest the women’s hockey
tournament at the Tokyo Olympics: Argentina, Australia, China, Germany, Great Britain, India, Ireland, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand, South Africa and Spain.
CHESS T'MINIT With Covid-19 restrictions now being relaxed, physical tournament and social play at The Gap Chess Club has recommenced with Covidsafe play rules in place. Game night starts 7.30 pm on Friday nights at Room B6, The Gap State High School. The club has a web page, https:// www.thegapchessclub.org. au/ with updates on club play, local chess news and puzzles. The Stuart Wilson (hour) tournament is now underway, with 12 players contesting a 7 round swiss tournament. The Maiden Trophy is awarded to the
website: http://www.westernecho.com.au
highest finisher in the Stuart Wilson Trophy among those who have never previously won a major tournament at the club. 8 players are eligible for this trophy, including Ian Li and Bradley Sachse, who are among the 4 leaders with 1 ½ points from the two games played. Following the completion of the hour tournament in August there will be some rapid play tournaments. This month’s problem comes features a 12 year old Magnus Carlson playing white, finding a lovely way
to win quickly. Solution to last month’s puzzle 1 b8=N is check, and after capturing the black queen on move 2 white is a clear piece up. Solution: 1. Qa7 is the surprising move, as 1… Rxa7 2 Rxc8+ Qd8 3. Rxd8 Kxd8 4. Nxf7+ and 5. Nxh8 wins a lot of material.
The Western Echo July 2021 Page 27
