Quanita Bobby
Since joining the Steinhoff Maties Hockey Club, Quanita Bobbs has been going from strength to strength.
As a junior Bobbs played for the South African team at the Youth Olympics. She started her career for Maties first team in 2012. Since then she has played for the SA u21 team at the Junior World Cup in 2013 and in 2014 played at both the Hockey World Cup in the Netherlands and the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland.
Bobbs, a former Wynberg Girls High School learner, is currently a fourth year student at the Stellenbosch University. She is studying a Bcom in Management Sciences. In 2013 she was Maties Sportwoman of the Year. “To balance hockey and studies I have to use my time off the pitch wisely. I try and get lots of help from friends who study with me to get notes and help me catch up valuable class time that I have missed. But basically I try and stay on top of the work and give myself enough time to study all the work without putting unnecessary pressure on myself. It does take lots of sacrifice and late nights!”
Bobbs made her debut for the national team at the 2012 Champions Challenge in Ireland. And since then she has become a regular member in the team.
This year will be another big season for the Matie student. Bobbs was a key player for her team in the Varsity Hockey tournament. The Maties were the defending champions from 2013, but this year managed a fourth place. Maties are also the defending USSA and Western Province Grand Challenge champions. The WPGC is underway and Maties are after the first few rounds undefeated. The USSA Championships is from 28 June to 4 July in Pietermaritzburg. Maties will be gunning for title number 18 and Bobbs will be playing an integral part in this. “Playing for Maties is invaluable to me, I am appreciative of the coaching and training I get with the club. They support me to become the best hockey player I can be. It’s an honour to play for Maties and to be a Matie!”
Bobbs is one of four Maties Women players in the current South African Women’s team. The others are Illse Davids, Erin Hunter and Jade Mayne.
“I want to be part of the national team that will participate in the World League tournament in June,” Bobbs said earlier this year. Now that she is in the squad her focus will be on not helping Maties perform, but also help her country qualify for the Olympic Games in Rio. The World League tournament will be part of the qualification process for the team to qualify for the Olympics. The Olympic Games is the only platform Bobbs has not represented her country yet.