Don't go through life without "goals" is the motto Carmen Smith abides by when playing hockey. The same goes for when she studies.

"Just like you can't win in hockey without goals, you can't win in life without goals," is how the former Proteas player and now Tuks hockey player explains things.

For the final year Sports Science student, it is, however, not really about scoring goals. On the Astroturf, her role is going all out to prevent the ball from being netted. Playing as a centre back, it sort of boils down to "my goal is to stop yours".

It is no surprise with such passion that Smith was at first frustrated when the Covid-19 lockdown was implemented. She could not help but wonder why she should continue to train if there are no opportunities to play.

"After I thought things through, I realised taking a break from playing hockey is a kind of a blessing in disguise. It enabled me to appreciate what our Tuks head coach, Inky Zondi, is continuously emphasising. That is to have a balance in life. Our coach expects us to give 100% whether it is studying or playing. The lockdown also gave me time to rediscover the things in life that is important."

Smith's passion to be a better player after each training session is rekindled. She has even set her sights on trying to be reselected for the Proteas. To her, it is a realistic goal as she hopes to finish her sports science studies at the end of the year. With a degree "in the bag", there ought to be slightly more time to play hockey. She has, however, applied to do her honours in biokinetics. 

The Tuks player has always been sporty. It was watching, her elder sister play that inspired her to also "take up a stick" to chase after a ball. It did not take long before her onfield heroics got noticed. From under-16 she was selected to play for the different national junior sides.

She made her debut for the Proteas during the 2016 Summer Series in Cape Town. The moment she saw her name on the team list, knowing she is going to play for South Africa is something she will never forget. 

"My first reaction was to take a deep breath to calm down. I then reminded myself, although I will be playing internationally, nothing has changed. Once I step onto the Astroturf, the only thing that will matter is to stick to the basics. The rules remain the same." 

When asked as to what she considers the highlights of her playing career Smith surprises by saying it was part of the Tuks women's team that won the USSA Tournament in 2018 and 2019. 

"Many thought it could not be done. But as a team, we were out to prove nothing is impossible if everyone strives towards the same goal. Deciding to come to TuksHockey is possibly one of the best decisions I ever made." 

TuksHockey officially started training two weeks ago after receiving approval from the National Department of Sport, Arts, Culture, and Recreation's Minister Nathi Mthethwa.