Exciting Future for San Diego Hot Stix Field Hockey Club!
San Diego Hot Stix welcomes Vianney Yamada as the new Director of Operations. Vianney brings a wealth of knowledge to San Diego Hot Stix. She has extensive experience in Field Hockey, Collegiate Recruitment, and Fitness which will help launch a campaign to “Grow the Game” in support of USA Field Hockey’s Fundamentals program and vision to build grassroots hockey programs across the nation.
Hot Stix will now offer year-long programs for Youth (Middle School) and High School boys and girls at four different training locations in San Diego, as well as many competition opportunities locally and nationally. The programs will focus on year-round playing opportunities, increased exposure for new players, valuable resources for players interested in collegiate recruitment, and coaching mentorship.
Vianney’s true passion comes from her own Field Hockey experience: “I was lucky to have found the sport of Field Hockey. I benefitted from the tremendous opportunities to play in high school, college and beyond. Like many players in California, I was unaware of the many opportunities to play Field Hockey at the collegiate level. I was unsure of how to go about the recruitment process and thought that coaches would come to me if I were good enough, a very common misconception of athletes hoping to get recruited.”
“Now, my focus will be on helping open doors for athletes who love the game and want to continue playing beyond the club and high school level. If we can grow participation in youth hockey across San Diego, the players will improve, the competition will rise, and more opportunities will be made available for California players. Our players deserve the same opportunities that Mid-West and East Coast players are receiving. Field Hockey ranks among the top women’s sports offering collegiate scholarships. We NEED to tap into this! Regardless of the school or program, they play for; I want to help grow this game.”
Vianney will bring her experience and current program, Pursuit Athletics, to San Diego Hot Stix Field Hockey Club. Before joining Hot Stix, she was in her first season as the Cathedral Catholic Head Field Hockey Coach. From 2009-2013 she was the Head Field Hockey Coach at UC Davis, having re-established the Division I program there and leading them to their highest ranking at #22 in the nation. As a player, she (previously Vianney Campos) was part of the USA Field Hockey National Team and a collegiate All-American at University of the Pacific. In her final season as a Tiger, she led the nation in goals per game and points per game. She was selected to participate in the Division I Senior All-Star game where she scored four goals in the 5-1 win.
We are excited to bring Vianney on board and look forward to executing her vision of creating extensive playing opportunities and game education for all players!