Hockey's (double) vision

The 23-year-olds are identical twins. Julie joined the Hockeyroos after the Olympics in 1996, Kristen after the Junior World Cup in 1997.

Luckily they play different positions: Kristen is a midfielder and Julie a forward.

The Hockeyroos have never lost their international dominance after their sensational gold medal at the Atlanta Olympics in 1996.

Since their World Cup win in 1998, the Hockeyroos have continued their world-beating form with a win in the Champions Trophy in Brisbane in May against Argentina, Netherlands, Germany, Korea, New Zealand.

They also won the SOCOG test series against the US, China and Spain in Sydney last month.

Coach Rick Charlesworth, himself a former hockey Olympian, is the reason for the Hockeyroos' success, Towers said.

According to Women's Hockey Australia, Julie has uncanny elimination skills, is aggressive and a talented and skilful striker.

In the 1996 senior youth squad tour of Europe, she scored12 goals in 11 games.

For part of 1996 and all of 1997 and 1990, Towers was a full-time scholarship student with the AIS in Perth, making her senior debut with the Hockeyroos in 1997.

The highlight of her senior career was the Hockeyroos gold medal triumph in the 1998 World Cup in Utrecht, Holland. During the tournament, she scored seven goals.

Towers is currently ``back home'' in Sydney for a rest period after the SOCOG test series.

She lives in a neat, white weatherboard house in a leafy street in West Ryde.

She and her partner of six years share the house with two friends.

Greenery enfolds the house and the scent of jasmine is heavy in the air. There is little to disturb the tranquillity except the burbling of pigeons and the hum of lawn mowers.

Sun streams in the front windows on to polished wood floorboards covered with coloured rugs.

Towers says she is still in the process of unpacking after arriving back from Perth. But wall shelves have been stocked with videos, trinkets and African carvings.

As she hands me a mug of tea, she glances sadly across at the fish tank _ the lone gold fish is floating belly-up in the water.

``I'm just starting to set it up ... I haven't really had time,'' she says by way of explanation.

Dressed in black shorts and a black singlet top, blonde hair and tan shining, she looks the archetypal Aussie golden girl.

She is just home from work as an administration assistant at Sydney University Women's Sports Association.

Her hours, 6.30am to 2.30pm, leave time for training. She doesn't mind the early start because it leaves her so many daylight hours and so much sunshine to enjoy.

Until she returns to Perth next February to begin preparation for the Olympics, her schedule has eased and involves runs after work.

A training schedule is sent from Perth and she expects to start stick training soon with NSW Institute of Sport coach Judy Laing at the Homebush ground.

Born in Taree, NSW, on October 12, 1976, Towers grew up in Newcastle.

Aside from her twin sister, she has an older sister, Angela, who is not into sport.

As a kid, Towers was ``always on the go, always wanting to play sport''.

She and Kristen spent many hours practising hockey in the backyard. ``We put a hockey ball through one of our windows one day. Mum made us pay for it,'' she giggles.

Towers started hockey when she was about seven years old.

``It was just the thing to do in our town _ either that or netball.'' Initially her real love was netball, because her friends played it.

But after she made the State hockey team at 12 years of age, the stage was set for her career.

Both her parents played hockey but never beyond club level.

``Back then there wasn't the opportunity. Coming from a little country town as they did, it was financially quite hard. Mum was from a really big family.''

While her parents have always been very supportive, they never tried to push her, she says.

From 1993, Towers continued to be selected in under-age national teams.

But she found there's a world of difference in terms of speed, strength and fitness between state and national senior hockey.

The training schedule involves skills, weights, yoga, which she hates _``it's too tedious _ and ``they're just totally physical and running all the time''.

Pre-season, the team does more distance runs, perhaps four to five runs a week of 40-50 minutes duration, but during the season the team does more as a group, with a 4-6km run after a full game.

``The biggest change (from juniors to seniors) was the intensity of training. I remember my first training session, I was going to die I was so exhausted,'' Towers said.

Compared to her junior game, she believes she's now a lot stronger on the ball, has more game awareness and is more of a team player.

In the distance there is the sound of a siren and suddenly there is anguished canine howling and yapping from the depths of the house. ``That's just my shih tzus, they go crazy when they hear a siren.''

Not that there are many sirens in this discreet corner of Sydney. Olympic construction madness is going on elsewhere.

Towers has been with her partner since she was 16. He was also a hockey player in Newcastle.

He's a workaholic, she says, which with her comings and goings for hockey certainly puts pressure on the relationship.

``It's a big struggle because you find when you go away for a while and then you come back and it's like starting again, I guess.

``He gets sick of it but he has (supported me) so far.

``It's hard on me too, though. All the girls find its a real struggle to be away from their partners. You get used to it _ you just have to deal with it. It's only a short time in your life, really.''

In saying that, Towers also hopes to be still playing at international level when she's 30.

Meanwhile, she's relishing the four-month break from competition and loves being home. It gives her time to restore the balance in her life.

``Balance is a big thing. That's what keeps you going _ you need your partner, social life, friends, job.''

She loves to be home; hates cooking, which her partner loves, but loves cleaning and organising things.

When she's not training, working or recovering from both, she loves shopping, water skiing, walking the dogs _ her babies, as she calls them.

Babies of her own are a definite future option but she's not intending to have a hockey team. ``I'll let them do what they want,'' she says firmly.

Like many potential Olympians, she's had to put any thought of a career outside sport on hold.

Focussing on your sporting career from a young age leaves little time for finding out who you are and what you want to do afterwards.

But in Towers' case, the hiatus hasn't been a bad thing.

``I don't think I knew what I really want to do. I know I've changed. When I came out of school I did nursing and I know I don't want to do that.

``After the Olympics, I want to travel and then think about a career and settling down. This (hockey) is not going to last forever.'' Towers is non-committal about the Hockeyroos calendar showing the players in their Bonds underwear. Her sister, Kristen, appears in it.

There's not likely to be a nude sequel, she says, the girls are too conservative.

She agrees that women's sport has a comparatively low profile in the community even though Australia's sportswomen _ the netball team, Hockeyroos _ are among our most successful teams internationally.

At the same time she's realistic. ``Generally most people like to watch men's sport and in a way I don't blame them because it is faster and stronger.''

Her favourite athlete though, is a woman _ tennis player Steffi Graf.

``I like her attitude and she's a brilliant tennis player.''

Next August, the Olympic team of 16 will be selected from the squad of 24.

``Between 16 and 20 players are pretty even and it could be any four of those could go. Which is good, I guess, for women's hockey in Australia but not good for the people who miss out.''

Most of the other Hockeyroo squad members only have to worry about getting themselves into the Olympic side.

Being a twin whose sister is also in the squad has its own unique problems.

``It will be a bit hard if one of us gets in and the other doesn't,'' she said.