Moorpark College, CLU to host field hockey tournament this weekend

Every Memorial Day weekend the Field Hockey Federation stages an international tournament at Moorpark College named Calcup.

The tournament has age divisions ranging from 9 and under to over 40, and elite divisions with teams composed of international Olympic players.

This year, Calcup will showcase teams from India, Canada, Argentina and the United States. In addition, seven states are represented as well as 33 cities in California.

Field Hockey is a growing sport in the Southern California region. At Moorpark College, boys and girls as young as 5 and men and women as old as 70 are playing in leagues. Moorpark is also the training center of the U.S. Men's National Team.

This year is particularly exciting in that there will be 24 under16 teams and 38 under-19 female teams. There will be more than 1,000 young women in these two age divisions.

The Camarillo Cougars, a local team coached by Pat O'Reilly, are strong contenders for the championship in the under-19 age division.

Led by Christina Niccum, the Cougars have won numerous local and national championships. The Cougars have a roster with young women from Ventura, Camarillo, Moorpark, Oxnard and Thousand Oaks. In addition, many of the Cougars have obtained full or partial university scholarships due to their excellence in field hockey.

The tournament offers a way to introduce families in the area to field hockey. In addition to Moorpark College, California Lutheran University will also be hosting some games.

Further information on the tournament can be obtained by contacting Peter Jardine at peter.jardine@gmail.com or calling (805) 312-5665.