Samantha Harrison

Samantha Harrison

File:Samantha Harrison, NZL vs CHN women's hockey, 18 July 2009.jpg Samantha Harrison, July 2009
Personal information
Born	(1991-08-29) 29 August 1991 Whangarei, New Zealand
Height	1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)
Weight	60kg
Playing position	Forward / Midfield
Club information
Current club	Southern Districts Hockey Club (Papatoetoe, Auckland)
Senior career
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
?–present	Auckland Fury
National team
2009–present	New Zealand	93	(17)
Medal record Women's field hockey Representing New Zealand Commonwealth Games 2010 Delhi Team competition Champions Trophy 2011 Amstelveen Team competition Champions Challenge 2009 Cape Town Team competition
Infobox last updated on: 16 August 2012 (national)

Samantha (Sam) Harrison (born 29 August 1991) is a New Zealand field hockey player. She has competed for the New Zealand women's national field hockey team (the Black Sticks Women), including for the team at the 2010 Commonwealth Games and the 2012 Summer Olympics.

Harrison was first selected for the Black Sticks Women in June 2009, along with ten other players as the Black Sticks squad was overhauled following its last place finish at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, joining her older sister Charlotte, who had been in the team since October 2005. She played her first official match for the Black Sticks on 3 July 2009, against Argentina in her hometown of Whangarei, as part of a series of games against Argentina and China.

Born in Whangarei to Steve and Zanna Harrison, Samantha is the second of three sisters, between Charlotte and younger sister Anita. Samantha attended Whangarei Girls' High School before moving to Diocesan School for Girls in Auckland in Year 11 (Form 5). As of August 2012, Harrison is studying psychology at the Auckland University of Technology on Auckland's North Shore.

Despite Samantha being two years younger and three centimetres (1 in) taller than her sister Charlotte, once the two competed together for the Black Sticks, their similarities in appearance became apparent and were often mistaken for each other by comentators and match officials. In mid-2010, Samantha dyed her hair brown to help alleviate the problem, but within a year had reverted to her natural blonde colour.

At club level, Harrison is a member of the Southern Districts Hockey Club, based in Papatoetoe, Auckland. In the National Hockey League, she is a member of the Auckland Fury women's team.

In November 2012, Harrison was demoted from the Black Sticks national squad to the development squad for the 2013 year, after national coach Mark Hager felt she was suffering from burnout. At the time, Harrison spent three months in Cambridge, England, coaching hockey at The Leys School.