By Waaqiah Jaffer
Charné Maddocks, a young and ambitious Kimberley hockey player, continues to make big moves in the sports fraternity. She recently traveled abroad to participate in the Four Nations Hockey Tournament in South Korea.
During the hockey season, Charné played for a club in the Netherlands while preparing for national camps. “My first invitation to play for South Africa was in 2019, where I got the exposure. It paid off as I was selected to play for SA in the 2021 Olympics hosted by Japan,” she said with a smile.
Growing up in Riveira, Kimberley, Charné’s talent and passion for hockey was discovered at primary school in grade one. She was awarded her first bursary at 13 from a high school to play for the school’s hockey team.
In 2021 Charné graduated from the North West University with Bachelors of Education in Foundation Phase degree, then continued studying towards a honours degree in Special Needs Education in 2022.
One of her fond childhood memories is playing “passage hockey” with her brother. Her first significant accolade as a hockey player was to be selected to play for South Africa Women under 18B team.
Her first debut at the Olympics in Japan was one of her best experiences, “I was honoured to sing the South African national anthem in another country”, she stated.
She intends to pursue hockey professionally and continue to make her country proud abroad.
Her advice to young aspiring hockey players is, “you should never use your circumstances as an excuse not to be the best”. Charné believes that with determination and perseverance, success can be achieved
She made her mark in countries like Tokyo, Ghana, Spain, South Korea, Netherlands and Germany. Coming from a smaller city like Kimberley has not stopped her from chasing her dreams.
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