Mary Nielsen honoured as one of the top 10 Valley Youth Athletes of the Year

12 January 2009Tony Crossley

Brentwood College student Mary Nielsen has been honoured as one of the top 10 Valley Youth Athletes of the Year for 2008 by the Cowichan News Leader Pictorial.
Field hockey star Nielsen, who graduates in June, placed No. 6 in a reverse countdown of the top 10 announced by News Leader Pictorial sports editor Don Bodger during a special luncheon to acknowledge great performances by the athletes Jan. 4 at the Cowichan Golf and Country Club.
Each member of the top 10 received a News Leader Pictorial T-shirt, a pen, a copy of the Dec. 31 issue of the paper that featured profiles written about them and a commemorative certificate.
Nielsen’s father Bill and mother Kelly also attended the luncheon to see Mary receive her rewards as part of the celebration of the top 10 athletes’ accomplishments.
Following is Nielsen’s profile that appeared in the paper Dec. 31 in advance of the luncheon.

Mary Nielsen has been a fixture on the Brentwood College senior girls field hockey team since Grade 9. It was only fitting then that she led the team to a third-place finish during the provincial AA playdowns in her Grade 12 year. That’s been just the tip of the iceberg in a busy year for the personable Nielsen. "So many things have just erupted that I never dreamed of happening," she conceded. At the top of the long and memorable list was winning the junior national championship with the Under 19 B.C. Blue team in Winnipeg and becoming a nationally-carded athlete.
Meeting all the senior national team players and training with them has been an amazing experience for Nielsen. The travelling back and forth to Vancouver has been an adjustment. "I have had to learn a good deal of time management as well as how to catch up on my sleep, homework and (if it at all exists) social life," Nielsen noted. "It’s definitely been a tedious time, but then I get to training and I love every minute of training so the traveling is worth it."
Being a carded athlete means Nielsen receives $900 and other benefits. "It means I’m also on the senior national squad which is pretty cool to be playing with all the people I watched from the stands at the Olympic qualifier in March."
Nielsen feels the extensive training has significantly improved her game. The benefits have come in basic skills, mentality and strength. Nielsen is pleased to have finished her career at Brentwood in such fine fashion. She also won the Grimes Trophy for inspirational leadership. "I’m very honoured to be considered as a top 10 athlete and I congratulate the other nine," Nielsen added.

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