Laurel H

Is that field hockey?

Yes.

Is that Sarah Woods holding you?

Yes.

Why are people holding you?

Because we had just won and done our eighth grade ceremony so they all wanted to pick me up.

What was your favorite part of field hockey season?

Playing goalie.

What was special about playing goalie?

I got to play on the A team and the B team so I got to play with pretty much everybody.

How did it feel to play with the eighth graders who have done this for years?

It felt accomplishing but it was also a really good experience to play goalie and also see what older teams and older grades are like.

What were your uniforms like?

My goalie uniform is really uncomfortable. We had leg paddings, a different pair of shorts, something that goes over your stomach, shoulder padding, a helmet that was really uncomfortable and big, and we called ourselves “the waddle team” because you had to waddle to walk in it and not fall over and kill yourself.

What skills in field hockey will help you in life?

Communication skills because you have to communicate who is on goal, who’s got goal post and stuff like that.

Did you know you were going to be this good at field hockey when you started?

Well we didn’t have a goalie at first so I volunteered, then a different girl volunteered, so I was sort of playing field for B team and goalie for A team and she was goalie for B.  I got better throughout the year. At first I thought I was going to be really bad but then I got comfortable.

How long have you been playing field hockey?

Five years...actually, four!

What season is field hockey played in?

It’s played in all seasons. If you’re on a travel team, most are full year. But school teams are fall.

Do you prefer playing goalie or field?

I like them both, but they are totally different things so it’s sort of hard to tell.

Who was your coach?

My coach was Miss Alber, the 6th grade science teacher, and Mrs. Dahler, the 7th grade social studies teacher.

Did you form any special bonds while playing?

Yeah, I formed a really good bond with the eighth graders: Becca Woods, Sarah Woods, Jessica Bell, and Emma Matza.

How did you feel when the season ended?

I felt really sad because I knew I wasn’t going to be with the eighth graders again, but I was also happy that we had a really good season and that I’m going to play again next year with the sixth graders and seventh graders.

When you were playing with the eighth graders, did they ever coach you?

Since I was playing in goalie, I sort of coached them at the same time as they coached me, because we would tell each other to go get number nine, go get number ten or whatever. Or they would tell me to move over.

Which did you have more playing time?

I played goalie more but I played field a lot too.

Do you think that in the future you will continue to play field hockey?

Yeah.

What was your favorite part of being a goalie?

My favorite part was trying to stop all the balls the other team was trying to score, especially in the semi-final game.

Was there any moment that you felt especially proud of?

In the quarter final games, I had sixteen saves!  And my team won the quarter finals and moved on to the semi-finals against the number one team.