One thing the Master’s student at UP-Tuks, Maxine Hannan, loves doing is making a difference.

It does not matter whether she is fighting for the ball in the pool, duelling it out with sticks to gain possession on an Astroturf, or sitting down to talk; the outcome must be the same. Hannan wants the result to be a win for the Tuks.

A quick glance at her CV might make one think Hannan is one of the original "Energiser Bunny Clan". Running out of energy is not an option for her. Not only is she busy with her master's in human physiology, Hannan is also captaining the Tuks women's water polo team. She was a part of the South African beach water polo team, which won a bronze medal at the World Aquatics Water Polo Qualification Tournament in Egypt in May 2023.

But still, there is more to her. Hannan is the Chairperson of the Players' Committee at the TuksHockey and is currently playing for the women's second team.

Hockey, to her, is not only about being the best. Winning games. She wants the TuksHockey Club to be the "talk of the town. At the club, everyone will know that players are prepared to put their bodies on the line.

Her drive and passion have not gone unnoticed. At the recent 2023 TuksHockey Awards Ceremony, Hannan was honoured as Club Member of the Year. It is a reward for her drive to get the club to be the best.

According to Hannan, the TuksHockey Player Committee was established last year.

"We meet once a term to discuss what we think the club has been doing right and how we can improve. Knowing what the players want and informing them of what management expects from them is essential. I am the go-between person in all of this. My role is to improve the club from a player's perspective."

Hannan also emphasises that all results matter.

"Obviously, it is vital that our first teams do well. They are the ones who compete at the USSA tournaments. But it is as exciting when Tuks's fourth or third teams win. The better all teams perform, the better for the depth of our club.

"We want to foster camaraderie amongst all players. At the moment, we have a draft proposal for an interclub tournament next year. The idea is to get players from our first teams to join up with players from our other teams to play together for one day. It is a way to socialise and interact with more players. We don't want first-team players to fraternise only with first-team players. The same goes for every one of our other teams. After all, we are all playing for Tuks.

"We also want non-playing Tuks students to be part of our hockey culture. That is why we decided to open our bar to everyone. Come to the Tuks Hockey Club, watch a game, have a drink, and listen to good music. Being a sports fan should be about having fun, not schlepping. Non-players will quickly realise our hockey players are very chilled."