Following a fantastic run in field hockey with the University at Albany Great Danes, ISBHF play has provided Katharina Helling with an exciting new chapter of competitive brilliance. Considering that field hockey brought Helling from Germany to Australia, Czech Republic, Hong Kong and finally the US, it is only fitting that ball hockey has also seen her excel internationally.
Certainly, Helling’s greatest legacy in ball hockey is a dazzling double gold earned as a member of the United States Women’s National Team. Starting with a place atop the podium at the 2022 ISBHF Masters, plus a golden finish two years later in World Championship play, the path to ball hockey prominence for the blueliner is a narrative ten years in the making.
After relocating to Philadelphia, the 2014-15 season marked Helling’s first experience in ball hockey. Competing marked a means of necessity. Unable to find a highly competitive level of field hockey in her new city, ball hockey allowed her the opportunity to meet people, simultaneously allowing the prospect of remaining active.
Acknowledging a difference between field and ball hockey with regards to shooting, positioning, and tactics, Helling is a highly keen student of the game, committed to bringing her best game. Discovering a compelling community within the sport, it has fuelled her love of the game.
Participating in numerous more leagues, including the exhilaration of national tournaments, Helling rose through the ranks, earning a national team tryout in 2018. Despite moving back across the Atlantic for a few years, her current home base is Philly Ball Hockey. A league that shaped her into one of the game’s elites, the seasons spent simultaneously brought lasting friendships with other luminaries in the game.
“My first national team tryout took place in 2018 for the 2019 ISBHF World Championships in Slovakia. Having made the team, it was the first time I was formally coached in Ball Hockey. We won silver and I learned a ton from that experience.
Moving back to Germany for work, I resided there from 2019 to 2023. I started playing a lot more field hockey again (I played with a smaller club in the 2nd Bundesliga in Munich). Nevertheless, I often came back to the US for ball hockey tournaments and had the intention to try out for the 2022 ISBHF World Championships.
However, I tore my Achilles in the summer of 2021. It took me eight months to be able to sprint again, so I missed the official tryout date.
Pam Bilger was in a similar spot, having missed the tryout, so she spearheaded recruiting for the Masters team. In 2022, due to COVID, Worlds for Masters fell for the first time into the same year as the Senior competition.
This way, I ended up playing at the Masters Worlds in Czechia in 2022, where we won Gold. I came back to play at the 2023 Masters in Buffalo, with pretty much the same roster we had from 2022, where we won Silver.
In 2023, I moved back to Philly and tried out again for the US National Team. I earned a roster spot, making the 2024 ISBHF World Championships my fourth ISBHF event.”
Winning a pair of ISBHF gold medals for USA Ball Hockey stands as the most cherished career highlight for Helling. Achieving this plateau in the Stars and Stripes for the 2022 Masters and 2024 World Championships, she belongs to a gregarious gathering of golden girls that starred on both rosters. Along with Pam Bilger, Meghan Lavery and Karen Levin, their place in program history reflects an empowering prominence, adding to a compelling narrative.
“I feel honored that circumstances made it possible for me to be part of both teams that have won a gold medal for USA Ball Hockey. The first gold medal was very special because we went in with uncertain expectations. Throughout the tournament, all the pieces just came together in a way that we truly believed we could win Gold.
Certainly, I know that our coaching and player leadership, led by Pam Bilger, went into the Masters tournament with a clear vision that we could win. However, I do not think we as players had the expectation of gold. Once we got to Czechia, the team, particularly on the personality and team chemistry side, just came together perfectly.
Each player had found their own unique and important role (in order) to build a team that was able to surprise Canada in the Gold medal game. After we scored the game winning goal, it became clear we could win it.
Everyone was fighting until the last second of the game. It was just pure joy and excitement mixed with immense exhaustion the moment the final whistle blew, which I remember so vividly to this day.”
Reflecting on the milestone of the 2024 World Championship, an historic first for the US Women’s National Team, golden objectives were clearly evident. With the combined elements of confidence and determination, Helling observed how the roster’s overall skill set placed the team in a position for greatness.
“With the senior team in 2024 the experience and feeling were very different because the expectation was clearly laid out as gold. The 2024 USWNT is incredibly skilled, the most skilled I have ever seen over the years. The year leading up to Worlds, I worked very, very hard on my shot along with my stick handling to gain consideration, as I knew it would be very hard to make the roster.
We never had this depth of skill and experience before, so it was truly an honor to be selected. It is still a lot of work to come together and live up to the expectations, so I am very proud that we were able to achieve what we had envisioned from the start.
Each player, as with the 2022 Masters team, was an important piece in the puzzle to be able to get through the group stage and to the Gold Medal game. In a week-long tournament, there are a lot of obstacles to overcome but when it all comes together in the end it is just pure joy.
Overall, the journey to each Gold medal as well as each team and the experience you make are very different and I am very fortunate that I was part of both these story lines.”
Beyond the jubilation of the gold medal, the greater glory of the 2024 ISBHF Worlds involved a familial presence. Displaying a strong sense of commitment, the endless show of support displayed by the friends and families of Team USA players reflected national pride.
Such feelings enveloped Helling, providing a combination of encouragement and motivation. The attendance of her mother and sister, among others, added to a sense of fulfillment, one that began with a hard earned place on the roster, concluding atop the podium.
“I always enjoyed coming out of the locker room after the games. Seeing the family and friends of all our players, all cheering us on during the game, meant a lot. A lot of them traveled quite a long way to Switzerland to watch and support us.
My mom came from Germany, my sister from Hong Kong while my boyfriend came from the US. I have known a lot of my teammates on the US team for a while, so it is always great to see everyone, chat and enjoy our time together.”
Throughout Helling’s ball hockey sojourn, the one constant involves the highly empowering presence of Pam Bilger. One of the legends in Philadelphia ball hockey, Bilger is equally celebrated among the pioneers for female ball hockey in the United States. Having donated so much of her own time towards the growth of the game, the level of dedication by the amiable Bilger stands as impressive and inspiring.
Serving as the team captain for the US at the 2022 Masters, it marked a fitting honor for Bilger. Nicknamed “Captain Pamerica”, she has been a teammate of Helling every time that she played for Team USA, adding a touch of serendipity.
In addition to international play, Helling’s other competitive experiences has intersected on numerous occasions with Bilger. Akin to Helling, Bilger’s background involves field hockey, starring for Saint Joseph’s University. Calling each other teammates in local leagues, along with the highly elite NBHL, plus the prestige of the US National Team, the opportunity to win a pair of ISBHF gold medals represents a fascinating parallel bound together by destiny.
“Pam has been my teammate on nearly every other Ball Hockey team I ever played on. We are extremely lucky to have Pam as an integral part of Women’s Ball Hockey in the US. Because of her, I started playing Women’s A and did not “just” stick with playing on coed teams.
Since I was paired with her as a D line at Worlds in 2019, I learned so much from her on the rink. Also, off the rink, I learned to be the best teammate I can and help support the program for further growth in the future.
Due to Pam, we are constantly able to recruit more players for the sport and keep them engaged. She is one of those players that brings people together for teams, drives players to tryouts or tournaments.
She also coaches and motivates everyone around her on the bench. Plus, Pam will always be the first to donate if other teams or the youth program needs support. We owe the growth of the sport to players like Pam and other women before her like Nancy O’Halloran, who was also on our gold medal Masters team in 2022.”
In the aftermath of the 2024 World Championships, Helling remains humble in light of such wonderful achievements. Committed to further growth as a player and leader, Helling’s perspective and studious approach comprise a down to earth demeanor which is highly admirable.
“I enjoy the opportunity to play at the highest level with players that have played ball or ice hockey since they were very young. Every time I play, I continue to grow and learn. I truly enjoy getting coached by everyone around me, who has so much experience.
Geared towards a greater future for the female game in America, Helling definitely holds standing as one of its heroes, as the double gold speaks for itself. Bringing a work ethic and willingness to learn, Helling’s effort demonstrates how perseverance, fuelled by hard work and desire, can bring fulfilling results.
Certainly, the drive for greater results takes on a larger scale. Pondering the future with a look towards the big picture, Helling hopes opportunities will expand in order to gather elite talent more often. Jubilant at the opportunity to grace the slab alongside the nation’s finest, especially in the Team USA colors, it adds an element of excitement and achievement for Helling. Undeniably, the quality of talent and the recent successes indicates that growth, whether it be in the form of a national league, more tournaments and/or more talent evaluation camps, could lead to the development of a dynasty.
“On the women’s side, we are still growing the game. We do not often get the opportunity to play the game at a level that makes it strategic, physical and fast. We are still behind the men’s game because we do not have club teams that play together year-round (across various league and tournament play), practice regularly and have consistent coaching.
The best level of play we currently have on a national level is the Women’s A Division at national tournaments. However, we are all scattered throughout the country. Not all the players can make it to every tournament. Therefore, the rosters as well as the level of play vary every tournament.
Playing for the national team is the opportunity to bring the best of the best together. To build something over multiple months ahead of the World Championships through team camps and tournaments. The extensive skill was truly visible in this year’s Team USA roster. There is no greater feeling than when you come together and are able to improve game by game to reach a common goal like winning the gold medal.”
“All quotes obtained first hand unless otherwise indicated”
Featured image by Rene Weisz (www.jamandjellyproduction.com)
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