When Menzies College deputy principal Dean Ritani is not playing hockey for his beloved Phoenix Orange Hockey Club, he coaches children to play the sport, which he says has brought him a lifetime of joy.
Passing on his hockey playing knowledge to Southland students is his way of returning the fulfillment hockey has given him for over 20 years.
Mr Ritani said teaching linked in nicely with coaching, because he was able to upskill people and got enjoyment out of seeing students improve.
"There were a lot of crossovers here; you needed dedication and commitment for both," he said.
"I wanted to pass on my knowledge . . .and thought that if I could give back a little bit . . . then I would."
This year he has marked two decades that the 44-year-old has played for the Phoenix Orange hockey team.
He said it was his passion and enjoyment of the game that had kept him involved in the sport for so long.
"If you're passionate about something, you enjoy it, you're going to give your time and energy to it, and that is what I had found with hockey," he said.
The hockey stalwart had lost count of the hundreds of games he had played in Southland since moving from Christchurch to Invercargill in 2005.
A teaching job at Aurora College gave him the chance to keep playing his favourite sport around his teaching work, while coaching school teams on the side.
He caught the bug for the game as a 12-year-old in Christchurch.
A stint in the under-21 New Zealand hockey team as an 18-yearold took him to a World Cup tournament in Australia in 2001.
If his "old sore legs" had not have given him trouble in 2017, he said he would still be doing the nationals circuit.
In his younger years he had played in the midfield. He now plays in the back, letting his voice "move the young fellas around the field".
Despite having to keep up with playing against opponents half his age, his passion for the game had not waned.
He was motivated to see the next generation get the same satisfaction from the sport that he had gained.
Coaching his daughter’s under-15 squad this year and supporting his son play hockey has spurred him to keep giving his time to the sport.
He hoped playing in the premier team final this week would give his side a chance at winning the title five years in a row.
