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Argentina

Planet Field Hockey welcomes Hernán Alvarez Macías, a Argentinean sport journalist from Rosario. His first contribution is this interview with Ayelen Stepnik a member of the number 1 ranked 'Leonas'.

By Hernán Alvarez Macías

Ayelen Stepnik is a very usual name in the starting line-up of the women's world champions Argentina. She has been part of her national team for nine years and played an undeniable role in the two huge successes of these past few years: the triumphs in the 2001 Champions Trophy and in the 2002 World Championship.

According to the FIH, the Argentinian team The Leonas (as they like themselves to be called) is ranked number one in the international scene. They have a big competition in Australia like the 2003 Champions Trophy to prove they are still the queens of the world. PlanetFieldHockey chatted with Stepnik over the current moment of her team and the next crucial challenges they will face in 2004.


How are you preparing for this important tournament like the Champions Trophy?

We are currently training hard with four sessions per week. We are trying to reach the beginning of the tournament in our best condition. Fortunately, we will play some friendly matches against New Zealand which will prove very good for acquiring competition rhythm.

Do you think there was a little fall in your performance after winning the World Championship last year?

Well, yeah, it could be that we had a little fall in our own game. It's also true that we couldn't see which our real level is inside the top teams of the world this year. I think this is a transition year prior to a very important one like 2004.
Maybe we relaxed a bit inside the field after obtaining the World Championship. We won the Pan-American Games, but we didn't have very difficult rivals against us and that fact may have relaxed a little. This year is being somehow non typical.
Perhaps the fact that we didn't played together very much acted against us. We are currently working for not giving advantages to our opponents. This Champions Trophy will be useful to see which our real level is nowadays.

How would you describe yourself as a player?

I'm a typical center midfielder. I consider that I know how to distribute the ball; I'm dynamic in the field and I have a good physical condition. I guess I can use all the technical possibilities in my position. I don't actually consider myself as a great player to be seen, I'm not the one who gives a show over the grass.

How do you think the Argentinian national team will perform in the next three years?

I think the team will have some changes in the next two years. We, this group, have been competing together for a very long time. Next year will be really important and I think that the permanence of most of the players inside the team is a big advantage for us comparing to other groups that will be changing names much more often than us.
I think the new young players who are planning to join the national team are very good. The people in charge of the national teams are doing a great job in the young sections. Argentina continues to generate very talented players.

Is it better or worse for the Argentina's team to have half of the squad playing outside the national boundaries?

When you get out of your own country you lose the ideal training level that you could have if you would stay in Argentina training in the national team. The ideal situation would be that we all players train all together in our land.
But on the other hand, to compete in another country improves your game if the local championship is good. I think the girls who went to the Netherlands got the most of that experience.

How important is the huge cohesion in the group for the recent great successes The Leonas had in the last years?

There's a great unity between us as you said. It's not an optical illusion; we are actually very united. The union of the group is very important for us to obtain the triumphs that we accomplished in the last years. We are integrated, we have a very good communication; we talk about all the things that matter inside the group and that's very helpful for us.

Would you like women's hockey to be more popular in Argentina like for example men's soccer is?

Yes, I would. I wish our sport have more media coverage, more support; that it become more popular. I' wish that hockey have the support men's soccer has in my country. We are the only women's national team in any sport with big results in the last few years and that's something I think has to be taken into account.
Luckily, after our silver medal in Sydney 2000 the Argentinian local authorities began teaching hockey in schools and institutions and that is a very good sign. There's a long way to go yet; our society must take a distance from soccer and support hockey and amateur sports in general a bit more. We, amateur sportswomen, make a great effort to play.

Is it possible to think of a professional women's hockey in Argentina?

It's very difficult, extremely difficult I would say. I don't think I will see it in my whole life; it's almost impossible. Besides, it wouldn't be good for our sport.
Speaking about professionalism it's a shame that the first division championship is completely played in synthetic grass only in Buenos Aires (the biggest regional union in Argentina). Here in Rosario in Cordoba there only have two synthetic fields; and in Tucuman there's only one. Natural grass fields are no longer used in the international scene, every game is played on synthetic grass.

How was your stay in Spain?

It was a very good experience. I was living in Terrasa, in Catalonia. I played four months for the Athletic Terrasa and that was so very helpful for my hockey and my life outside the field. I would have stayed a bit more in Spain, but I decided to give priority to my commitments with my national team so I returned to my original club (Universitario de Rosario). We have very important commitments we can not elude.

What is it for you to play the Champions Trophy in your own city of Rosario in 2004?

I have dreams and this is one of these. It's something very nice that I always wanted to do. I think it'd be beautiful. I'm used to travel to compete, it's very interesting to visit different places, but to play in my own country and my own town is something very nice. I think many people will attend and support our team. It will be spectacular for me to see my friends and my family watching us in such a big event like this.

Which is your toughest rival nowadays?

All the teams will be difficult in the Champions Trophy; it's going to be a tough competition. Every team is preparing itself very well and is in a good level. Netherlands, China, Australia, even South Korea are playing really well.
Great Britain surprised us so very much. They are in a better level. They have improved a lot.

What would you do if you win in Athens 2004?

I didn't think about it, I would stay the whole night in the stadium. It'd be a revolution… it'd be a moment of great joy. If we win, we will sing, we will jump, we will cry and scream. I hope we do it.

What does a player dream after becoming world champion?

I think one has to keep on improving every single day. I try not to put myself a limit mentally speaking; I try to learn different technical things that would be useful for the teams I play in.
Fortunately, we have had very good results these last few years. Now we aim to the Olympic Games; in 2000 we couldn't win the gold medal so this time we will go to win the tournament. We want to be the champions.

What will you do with your life after playing hockey?

I don't know for how long I'm going to play in my national team. I am currently studying to become a dentist and I want to end this career and also to have a family in the future.
I would like to continue being involved with hockey in some way, maybe coaching in order to transmit my knowledge to the future generations.

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