When I was a sophomore or junior in high school and I was looking for my dream college, I had no intentions of participating in inter-collegiate sports. Despite my involvement in three high school athletic teams, I felt no desire to continue my athletic career in college as I had more interest in focusing on my academics, as I have big plans for after my Undergraduate degree that requires the best grades possible in all of my classes. That all changed upon my arrival at Immaculata University, for an Accepted Students Welcome Day, when I met some of the current field hockey players and was assured that academics always come first in Division III athletics. At that point, I figured that if field hockey ever interfered with my school work then I could let it go, after all I was willing to drop the sport for good after high school and that this is more time than I had anticipated having with one of my favorite sports. Taking that leap of faith, that I could handle a heavy load of classes and pile hours’ worth of field hockey games and practices a week on top of that, was the best decision that I have ever made. That is, playing collegiate field hockey is the best decision that I’ve ever made.
Preseasons aren’t easy. They’re actually very hard. There, I said it for the whole world to read. Two-a-day practices are absolutely, positively, no fun at all. Actually, that’s a lie. Getting to know your teammates and becoming more of a family with every minute that passes is actually a ton of fun, but waking up at 6:30 in the morning for your first practice of the day is not all that enjoyable. That being said, all of that exhausting running and working out is actually a fabulous way to relieve the stress of being a college student. Seriously. There are times that I’ve had a very bad day in the classroom and need to hit something that is socially acceptable to get some aggression out. Thankfully for me, field hockey balls are something that is socially acceptable to hit with all of my might. I really do feel much less stressed post field hockey than I do before I go to the turf. I often say that “No matter how bad a day it has been, it always gets better when I get to play field hockey.” And that’s the truth. When it’s the off season, I never know what to do to relieve the stress of college. Gym time doesn’t work nearly as well as getting out onto the field hockey turf.
The women that I have met and gotten to know have made all of the crazy hours of preseason and relative practices worth every minute. I have an entire family built through our love of the sport and I never want to give that up. The team dinners, whether they take place in the school cafeteria or in a teammate’s apartment, never fail to keep things interesting. These women are some of the best friends that I have ever had and now almost anything that there is to know about me. They can see when I am down and know how to pick me back up, or when I’m going crazy working on a paper for class and when to drag me away from my computer. We laugh together at the jokes of our teammates, complain together about some of our opponents, and all cry together when we see a senior class play their last field hockey game as a Mighty Mac of Immaculata University. I don’t know where I would be without the ladies that I have gotten to know on such a deep level through field hockey.
Next year, next season, will be my last as a university field hockey player and I know that I’m going to miss everything that comes with the sport. I know that I would have regretted passing on field hockey every day that I didn’t play it. I would have walked out to the stadium to watch a game and been incredibly upset over the fact that those girls down there were playing a sport that I loved without me. That’s just the way that I am. I found a way to relieve stress, made the greatest of friends, and played the sport that I love in one fell swoop. All because I made the decision to play collegiate field hockey. It’s the best one I’ve ever made.
