Milton's Babineau a quick study in her field

It is an impressive list of accomplishments — a national championship, an Ontario Games medal, an invitation to tryouts for the national junior team.

You would assume it belongs to a field hockey veteran. Yet, it was this time last year that Madison Babineau first picked up the odd-looking, flat-on-one-side stick that resembled a giant letter J.

Babineau was familiar with the sport. Her aunt Josette was a four-time Canadian university all-star who now coaches the University of Maine women’s team. Babineau had played soccer since she was four, but it wasn’t until she started at high school at Craig Kielburger Secondary that she first gave field hockey a shot.

“It’s very exciting,” the 14-year-old said of her recent successes. “It’s all happened so fast.”

Babineau said her days as a midfielder in soccer were very helpful as the positioning and spacing translated well between the two sports. But she also worked hard to learn the skills that were new to her.

“She was one of the few who asked, ‘Can I take a ball and a stick home to practice,’” said Jen Parker, one of her coaches at Kielburger last year. “Taking that initiative really helped speed up her success.”

Parker said Babineau was very coachable and despite being new to the sport, quickly took on a leadership role and encouraged her teammates.

In addition to playing at Kielburger, Babineau also signed up to play rep with the A&C Field Hockey Academy in Brampton.

And though she showed promise early, she still had few expectations when she went to tryouts for the provincial team in May. Soon, making the Ontario squad became a little more realistic.

“When I made the first cut, I started thinking, ‘Maybe I can actually make it,” she said.

Babineau not only made it, she was a key member of the Ontario team that dominated, outscoring its opponents 37-4 and claimed the national title with a 3-0 victory over British Columbia Blue in the final. Babineau played all but 17 minutes and made enough of an impression that she was among the 35 players invited to the junior national team camp in November.

Babineau wasn’t done for the summer, though. Two weeks after nationals she helped Halton-South edge Western Ontario in a shootout to take the bronze medal at the Ontario Summer Games.

Her experience on the provincial team will serve her well when it comes time to tryout for the junior national squad.

“It was a big confidence booster,” Babineau said. “I’ve still have a lot to learn, though.”

Given her track record so far, that shouldn’t take long.