Hockey: Balme provides relief to Black Sticks players

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You could call her a soothing balm - and Black Sticks manager Debbie Balme definitely has a calming influence on her team with a presence that goes beyond mere hockey.

She is not just a hockey manager; Balme is something of a sports fanatic. With husband Geoff, she was a driving force behind the development of the luge track in the small southern town of Naseby. It is a natural luge track - unlike Olympic luge tracks, it is built on existing paths and trails and there is no banking or use of artificial refrigeration.

Every winter, the Balmes run luge camps for groups of eager youngsters and Geoff serves as president of the New Zealand Luge Association. Geoff was also chef de mission for the New Zealand Winter Olympic teams in Nagano (1998) and Salt Lake City (2002), while the couple were both volunteers at the Calgary Winter Olympics in 1988.

But Balme's focus has shifted from luge to looking after her hockey charges in Argentina. The Black Sticks team currently preparing for the Champions Trophy there is one of New Zealand's most well-travelled sporting outfits and Balme is with them every step - from Azerbaijan to Argentina.

As well as the usual logistical duties, Balme does daily supermarket shopping for the squad, helps them put together lunches in her hotel room, takes care of the team laundry, writes motivational cards for every squad member and even does the occasional foot massage.

"She does a lot for us and is always there is help," says captain Kayla Sharland.

"Debbie is like 'camp mum'," agrees Stacey Michelsen. "She is very good to us and spoils us really; especially when it comes to finding the food we like."

Balme took on the role five years ago and has faced many challenges in that time, especially as hockey adheres to a strict budget on every overseas trip.

"Our philosophy is that if we can limit costs on meals, laundry and other things, we can put that money towards bringing another player on the tour or buying some equipment," says Balme.

It has led to some interesting situations over time. The strictly Muslim nation of Azerbaijan for the Champions Challenge in 2007 brought the biggest challenges.

"Over there, women don't have any say," remembers Balme. "There we were, a group of 20 females and we weren't allowed to do anything for ourselves. Eventually we got together with the [United States] and English teams and insisted that things had to change. I don't think they knew what had hit them."

Meal times on tour can create the biggest scenes, with the players filing into Balme's room to assemble lunches (and sometimes breakfast) from the supplies laid out across the bed and desk. After arriving back from their 6-4 loss to South Korea on Friday, the team gathered in Balme's room to refuel and reflect on the loss with toasted sandwiches, complete with Watties spaghetti carried from New Zealand.

"The food can be quite different in each country but our girls like to stick to the basics," says Balme. "That is why we do all of our own shopping. In Europe, they often serve hot meals in the middle of the day [at tournaments] but 90 per cent of our players prefer something light before matches."

Over the next few weeks Argentina will present its own challenges. Most shops and business close for a few hours during the day as locals take a siesta, temperatures will hit 30 degrees Celsius and above even in the evening and the journey from hotel to stadium can take over an hour.

Some matches at the Champions Trophy won't start until 10pm, usually bed time on other tours, while 'Hola, como estas?' is the limit for most of the New Zealand group in terms of Spanish language ability.

"It has been a lot easier than I thought it would be," says Balme. "Our liaison officers are fantastic and the locals treat the team like superstars."

For now, Balme is focused on the day-to-day realities of life on tour: "We have 18-20 females so there are going to be some issues but this group is pretty good," says Balme. "Sometimes there is a boyfriend problem or other things that just don't need to involve Mark [Hager] - he has enough on his plate. A long time ago, I realised I would never represent New Zealand as a player but this job is the ultimate as far as management goes."