(Standing Tall) Standing at six feet one, Tiara Dutta is the second youngest in the team but her height makes her the tallest amongst the rest. The 15 year old is known as the Baby Giant to her fellow team mates and family. Hockey came naturally to Tiara as she was lucky enough to inherit the prized hockey genes from her mother. Her mother, Alison Southey was a former Fiji Hockey captain and is currently the Women’s National Coach. Not taking much interest initially, she was later encouraged by her primary school hockey teacher Sue Hicks and her brother Leevan. After watching her brother train and compete she discovered her love for the family sport grew. At the tender age of 10, Tiara joined her mother and brother on the pitch for the Ventures Hockey Club. From club representation Tiara quickly excelled making her progress up the ranks inevitable. Her breakthrough to the national team in 2012 has her travelling to India and China within a span of 18 months. The lanky midfielder is known for her tight skills and high work ethic on the pitch. Rated as an exceptional player for her young age, Tiara’s game knowledge, skills and technique is definitely a force to reckon with come the Oceania Pacific Cup next week. A tall and commanding figure on the pitch, Tiara shares that her mother is her role model and motivator. “Mother dearest has always pushed me to greater heights and has always motivated me to do better, she truly is my inspiration and I wouldn’t have come this far without her” says Tiara. Coming from a tight knit family, Tiara cherishes every moment spent with them and also enjoys swimming and sweating it out at the gym from time to time. Tiara recalls being nominated for Young Sports Girl of the year as her biggest hockey achievement to-date. Tiara attends Jay Narayan College and hopes to take up Accounting, Economics and Computing when she moves up to Fifth Form next year. Offering advice to aspiring hockey players, Tiara believes that wishing you were someone else is to waste the person you are. Tiara will be appearing again for the Fiji Women’s Hockey Team at this year’s Oceania Pacific Cup and hopes to give the New Zealand Presidents Side a tough run come Sunday. She dedicates this OPC to Ariah Faith (Story by Maxine Browne, Catherine Thaggard and Melba Nautu) Photo Credits to Kirk Matthew Corrie (Hockey Shots) and Ilai Jikoiono (Modelling Shot)
Posted on: Mon, 01 Dec 2014 10:52:16 +0000
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