Jamie Dwyer is one of the most talented field hockey players who has been in the industry for decades. He has won many awards and has played for several teams, utilizing his full potential in every team. His passion for hockey started at a young age and although he was also interested in playing cricket, he eventually chose field hockey as a career. He didn’t venture into playing professionally until he finished school but once he gave it his full attention, he proved he was unstoppable. His talent and skills have made him a force to reckon with in the hockey sector making him one of the most loved players in the world.
Early life
Dwyer was born in Australia in 1979 to parents who were both hockey players. This is believed to have played an important role in driving his passion for hockey since he was introduced to the sport at the tender age of four years. As he continued to grow, he liked other sports as well especially cricket and football but these didn’t match up hockey. At 15 years, he made the choice that drove him to what his career is currently. He was offered a scholarship to play cricket but since it would require him to move to a different location, he decided to stick with hockey. This came as a surprise to some people because cricket is considered to be more lucrative than hockey in Australia. Choosing the scholarship also meant leaving hockey, something that he couldn’t live with. This is because he had dreamed of playing in the Olympics from an early age. At the age of 17, Dwyer moved to Brisbane, which was where the cricket scholarship wanted him to move to in the first place. This move was driven by his desire to play in the Olympics and he started working hard to see that dream come true.
Personal life
It seems Jamie’s choice to stick with hockey was a great one as it led to him meeting his wife. They met while Dwyer was playing professional hockey and got married in 2008. They now have two kids named Julian Dwyer and Taj Jamie Dwyer. When he is not playing hockey, he likes to play Australian fantasy football and he is also a fan of the Brisbane Lions. The hard work he put after moving to Brisbane paid off as he was to join Queensland Blades. This later paved way for him to join the Australian Institute of Sports in 1999. In 2000, he missed out on joining the Olympic team but when the gamed ended, he was selected to join the Australian men’s hockey team. It also seems like other members of his family love hockey because he is a teammate with his cousin who also plays in the same national team. Jamie lives in Perth since it is closer to his national team. When he was given a chance to pick a jersey number, he went for the number 1, a choice that was driven by his aspiration to become the best.
Achievements
Since he started playing for Australia in 2001, Dwyer has been in an impeccable form and has continuously proved that giving the chance was worth it. In 2002, the International Federation FIH named him Young Player of the Year after scoring 24 goals in 34 matches. That same year, he was part of the team that played in the world cup. The following year he was also part of the team that played in the Champions Trophy games. His extraordinary performance led the team to second place and in 2004, he delivered as expected when he was selected to join the team that played in the Summer Olympics. He continued to play at the Champions Trophy and Commonwealth Games in 2005 and 2006 respectively and each time, he exceeded expectations. He also played in the 2010 world cup event. Dwyer has proven that he can be successful in the field and outside. This is seen in the success his business has enjoyed. The business is about having his brand of hockey sticks and is called JDH.
Apart from these, Dwyer is also known to give back to the community through coaching. He uses his skills and passion for field hockey not only to play but also to trains kids. He trained a junior hockey club at the YMCC Coastal City Hockey Club 2011 and held a couple of clinics at the Joondalup Lakers Hockey Club that same year. He has carried on his coaching skills this year by coaching the YMCC Coastal City Hockey Club 5/6 junior team. He also has a website that he uses for online coaching. Watch out for this chipped goal over the goalie in this clip – I love it
Awards.
During the 2002 world cup, Jamie led his team to win a silver medal but during the commonwealth games, they had better luck. They won a gold medal. The following year they managed the second position but he also came out of that match with a knee injury. 2004 marked a special year since he led his team to win the gold medal at the Summer Olympics. That was the first time the Australian team had ever won a gold medal. That was a defining moment as he scored during the extra time to get the victory. In 2005 and 2006 he won gold medals in the games they played in but they didn’t win a gold medal in the world cup. This however changed in the 2010 World Cup when he finally got his gold medal. Dwyer has also been named the FIH World Hockey Player of the Year five times in 2004, 2007, 2009, 2010, and 2011. In 2005, he was given Medal of the Order of Australia while in 2011 he was also named as part of the World All-Star Team. In 2012 he led the “number one” Australian team at the London Olympics.
Conclusion
Jamie Dwyer is undoubtedly one of the best field hockey players in the world. He is a source of inspiration to many people, both young and old. The awards he has received over the years together with the dedication and hard work he puts in every game serve as proof. He has not only received many personal awards but also helped the national team and clubs win many games and medals. Despite this, he still gets more recognition from other parts of the world than Australia. It’s clear that this striker and midfield player still has a lot to give in the sport and will continue to do so.