Mineola Natives Seek Gold in Ball Hockey World Cup as Members of the US National Team

In 2007, for the first time in its 11-year history, women will be competing in the prestigious Ball Hockey World Cup. This year's event, taking place in June in Ratingen, Germany, will include women's teams from such countries as Canada, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Switzerland and Germany. The USA Women's team was recently formed and includes Mineola natives Colleen McGowan and Karen Krawchuk.

Over the past five years, Women's Ball Hockey has grown significantly throughout the United States. Players named to the 2007 USA team were identified through a comprehensive selection process:

Colleen McGowan participated in the 2006 North American Ball Hockey Championships and represented the United States (Long Island) in the 2005 ISBHF World Cup of Ball Hockey. She was a defenseman for the New York Flash Championship team of the Professional Women's Roller Hockey League. She also played center midfield for the Division I Women's Soccer team at Stony Brook University where she was named Scholar Athlete of the Year her senior year. Colleen was a two-time member of the New York State Women's Soccer team and participated in the New York State Olympic Development Soccer Program.

Karen Krawchuk was a key participant in the 2005 ISBHF World Cup and in the 2006 North American Championships. She earned All County, All Conference and All American Honors in both field hockey and lacrosse and received a scholarship to Providence College in Rhode Island, where she played Division I field hockey and earned Division I All American Honor. She helped Providence in gaining its first ever NCAA National ranking and winning its first ever Big East Field Hockey Championship in OT against the University of Connecticut (Karen scored the tying goal with less than five minutes left in regulation and scored the winning goal in OT).

The athletes on the USA Women's Ball Hockey team range in age from 18 to 45 and include Olympic gold medalists, students, mothers, lawyers, law enforcement officers, teachers and entrepreneurs.