For the second time in her career, Grace Baxter has been selected to represent NSW in a national hockey tournament.
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The 14 year old from Soldiers Point was last week named in one of Hockey NSW's two under-15 squads which will contest the 2019 National Championship in Narellan in April.
"It's a relief," Baxter said of being selected, which followed six trials between December and February.
"You don't think because you're in the top of the age group that you'll definitely get picked.
"There's a lot of younger players that are really good so you never know. There wasn't any point of time at trials where I thought 'I'm in'. To find out [on February 26] was a relief."
Baxter, who has been playing hockey since she was 5, was one of the 32 under-15 players selected for the two NSW state representative sides.
She will play for the Blues. The selection comes off her participation in the Accelerated Athlete Program, which she has been part of since November.
2017 STORY: New hockey heights for Soldiers Point teen
Baxter, who usually plays centre-mid or free defender, was the only girl selected from the Newcastle region.
The squads are made up with players from the Central Coast, Illawarra, Goulburn, Sydney, Parkes, Bathurst, Grafton, Port Macquarie, Far North Coast and Tamworth.
Baxter last played for NSW in 2017. That year she was selected for an under-13 NSW team, which flew to Perth for the national championship.
"It was so good," Baxter said of the experience. "You stayed with your team 90 per cent of the time. You formed a real close bond with everyone. You form the kind of friendships that stay with you."
Baxter added that she was "really excited" to be selected for the 2019 National Championship, and that it "good" that is was being staged closer to home.
"It's good that it's in NSW because my family can come and watch," she said.
Grace currently plays for Central West in the Newcastle hockey competition. The new season is due to kick off in two weeks.
Last year her team won the B-grade under-15 grand-final. This year she will play A-grade under-18s.
Baxter, a Tomaree High School student, played touch football with Nelson Bay last year and representative touch. She was also selected to play for Hunter in the Combined High Schools squad.
Ellie-Marie Watts
A journalist with 10 years experience, Ellie-Marie connects readers to the stories that matter in their communities. A Port Stephens-based news, sport and event writer and photographer with a passion for human interest features.
A journalist with 10 years experience, Ellie-Marie connects readers to the stories that matter in their communities. A Port Stephens-based news, sport and event writer and photographer with a passion for human interest features.
