Second WA call-up for Mel

Busselton Senior High School student Mel Russell is hoping to get a gold medal at this year’s national hockey championships as part of the State under-13 team.

Mel was selected for a WA team for the second time in a row after being part of the under-12 team which brought home silver last year.

She said the competition was really tough at this year’s trials but the experience from being part of the under-12 side had helped a lot.

“I already knew what they were looking for,” she said.

The Year 8 student said there were around eight girls from the under-12 team in the side but enjoyed meeting the new players.

Mel will have to travel up to Perth twice a week for training on top of her usual commitments with her local team.

“It’s really busy and can get quite difficult on the weekend as I go up for training on a Friday then I play for my Busselton team on Saturday morning and then back to Perth on Sunday,” she said.

The national competition takes place on September 29 in Perth.

Mel hopes home-ground advantage will see her side take first place.

“We are feeling pretty confident going in,” she said.