HIGH ACHIEVERS: Mark Pearson receives OLY Canada Legacy Grant to spread his love of field hockey

By Martin Cleary

Thirty-five years ago minus a month, the sports/fantasy movie Field of Dreams came to the plate and hit a home run with the North American cinema community.

It grossed more than $84.4 million (U.S.) at the box office at the time, which would be worth more than $211.2 million today. The movie also gave us that famous quote – “If you build it, he will come.” – referring to an Iowa farmer constructing a baseball diamond on his cornfield.

Mark Pearson, a three-time Canadian men’s field hockey Olympian from Tsawwassen, B.C., before moving to Ottawa two years ago, can relate to the movie. Except his Field of Dreams is focused on field hockey and not baseball.

His cornfield would be the historic, mini field hockey turf located in the shadow of St. Michael’s High School in Low, PQ., which is about 58 kilometres north of Ottawa.

On June 8-9, he will watch a few dozen young boys and girls walk, not out from between the corn stalks, but rather over the top of a knoll and descend to the pristine field in its Gatineau Valley location.

Pearson, who is the partnerships development director, corporate partnerships with Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group, wants to share his love of field hockey and has organized a two-day introductory clinic for youth ages 10-14.

After spending 17 years with the national team and representing Canada in 284 international matches, Pearson was recently named as one of 15 former Olympians to receive the OLY Canada Legacy Grant from the Canadian Olympic Committee.

Three other athletes with National Capital Region connections also received grants for their not-for-profit initiatives – Ariane Bonhomme, track cycling, Tokyo 2020; Kelleigh Ryan, fencing, Tokyo 2020; and Laura Leclair (along with Cendrine Brown), cross-country skiing, Beijing 2022.

Jill Moffatt, a rower at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, also was a grant recipient and is working in collaboration with three other Olympians, including athletics’ Melissa Bishop-Nriagu of Eganville, ON., and one Paralympian.

“You never know when you put forward (an application). There have been a lot of great initiatives supported in the past,” said Pearson, who mentioned the grant awarded to his friend/sprinter/bobsledder Seyi Smith of Ottawa for his Racing to Zero carbon emissions project in 2021.

“I had no expectations. I was hopeful. But I knew I had a great application. I feel fortunate to be a recipient.”

Pearson received a grant of $5,000, which will allow him to bring in field hockey equipment and clothing to accommodate between 30 to 45 newcomers to the sport. The project is designed “to engage rural, underserved communities along the Gatineau River … remove barriers to sporting infrastructure and create a safe environment to learn about field hockey with the aim of inspiring a love of sport and the Olympic movement,” the COC said in its press release.

Field hockey is well established in the National Capital Region with the Chelsea Phénix, Nepean Nighthawks and Outaouais clubs as well as 16 high school teams and various masters, indoor and ethnic programs. There are between 1,500 and 2,000 players in the region.

The introduction-to-field-hockey clinic will be held on Brennan Field, which is Pearson’s Field of Dreams. The turf field in Low was originally part of the field used for the 1999 Pan-Am Games in Winnipeg. Canada defeated Argentina 1-0 in the gold-medal final to qualify for the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia, on that field.

The Brennan Field is almost half the size of a regulation field of 90 metres by 55 metres.

After the Pan-Am Games, the artificial turf field was rolled up and stored in Toronto. Former national team member Ian Bird, a past coach of the Chelsea Phénix, learned a few years ago the turf wasn’t being used and was able to deliver it to its current location in Low.

“This is an opportunity for kids who have not touched a stick to be introduced to field hockey,” added Pearson, who said the youth can attend one or two days of the clinic. “I see this as a unique opportunity to grow the sport.”

For each of the two days, Pearson will introduce the basics of field hockey to the 10- to 14-year-old athletes, who may be trying their first sport or looking for a new sport.

After a lunch period, he will lead a classroom session to talk about his journey in field hockey, the values of sport, the Olympic movement and what he has learned from representing Canada on the world stage.

Pearson is familiar with Brennan Field as he conducts a high-performance skills program for interested players once a week in the spring.

During his international career, Pearson played in three Olympics, helping Canada to 10th place in 2008, 11th in 2016 and 12th in 2020. He was the top scorer for Canada at the 2020 Tokyo Games with three goals in five games.

At the 2019 Pan-American Games in Lima, Peru, he was Canada’s second-best goal scorer with six as he experienced his third consecutive silver-medal performance. He ruptured his Achilles tendon in the final, but the one-year delay of staging the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics because of the COVID-19 pandemic allowed him to fully recover for his third and final Games.

He also was part of a pair of Canadian overtime victories against Argentina (semifinals) and the United States (final) to win the 2009 Pan-American Cup and qualify for the 2010 FIH World Cup.

“As a three-time Olympian, I have been close to the Olympic movement all my life,” said Pearson, who spent a lot of his youth at a field hockey pitch and started the sport at age eight.

Meanwhile, here are the other grant recipients with National Capital Region connections and their program introduction in a recent Canadian Olympic Committee press release:

· Ariane Bonhomme – “Pathfinders takes a decolonial approach to sport in order to boost the representation of Indigenous people in elite and grassroots cycling. By showcasing Indigenous talent at the elite level, Pathfinders hopes to offer the sporting community an alternative framework to nurture athletes in a safer environment.

· Kelleigh Ryan – “In collaboration with fencing clubs throughout Alberta, Eliminating Fences for Fencers will support Indigenous communities and young girls with the financial costs of introductory fencing programs to encourage physical fitness and skill development.”

· Laura Leclair (along with Cendrine Brown) – “Feminaction organizes camps, trains ambassadors and creates mentorship programs for female coaches with the goal of retaining female cross-country skiing athletes at higher levels. The program is shaped by the values of cohesion, sharing, mutual aid and audacity.”

· Jill Moffatt – “MOMentum supports elite Canadian female athletes with any family planning needs during their preparation and recovery from national team events through grants, education, mentorship from fellow athletes and legal resources. The project is in collaboration with Olympians Melissa Bishop-Nriagu (athletics), Mandy Bujold (boxing) and Kim Gaucher (basketball) and Paralympian Erica Gavel (wheelchair basketball).”