Matthew Ruetsch | Sport

Sport has always been a massive part of my life. As soon as I could walk I would beg my parents to throw a ball with me until they were sick of it. Having been born in Switzerland, I grew up playing Football and Ice Hockey, the latter of which I ended up being selected to play in a national u15 training tournament. Unfortunately for my Ice Hockey career, in 2018 I made the move to New Zealand with my family, which put an end to long days on the ice. I spent years unsatisfied with the lack of sport in my life until I received an email out of nowhere in early 2021 about a goalie vacancy in my school’s hockey team. Having never played field hockey before, I was nervous to pad up for the first time, but after my first training, I knew that it was meant to be.

I am now nearing the end of my 3rd year in the sport and have been lucky enough to represent the Waikato u18 team at the national tournament in 2022, where we finished 3rd. My performances at this tournament earned me an invitation to the 2022 u18 Junior Blacksticks Supercamp. I also represented the Waikato Men’s team at the National Hockey Championship in 2022 and 2023, and have been invited to the u21 Junior Blacksticks Supercamp this year.