When I first started high school, I tried out for the soccer team at my school. However, due to the surplus of girls that tried out, myself, along with others, didn’t make the team. Having played soccer my whole life, I was devastated. What would I do now!? I played in my elementary school league, our town’s travel league, and an indoor league. Soccer was all I knew. I went home feeling defeated.
Then my friend Gabby decided to drag all of our friends that didn’t make the soccer team to field hockey tryouts. I had never played before. I seriously didn’t want to go or have any interest, but I had to play a sport. So I went. And honestly, that first day, we all had so much fun and I fell in love with the sport. It was crazy to me that being cut from the soccer team ended up being the best thing to happen to me, because it introduced me to a sport I felt even more passionate about. So thanks Gabby, I owe you.
Fast forward to college. I knew I wanted to keep field hockey in my life and when I discovered the club team here at Stony Brook, I was thrilled. I wanted to get involved instantly. But little did I know how much this team would really mean to me and how much I would contribute to making the program grow and get recognized. It was my second semester when I joined the field hockey executive board. The President at the time, Rachel, gave me a packet of all our important contacts and what running the team really entailed. I didn’t really know what to expect, but I said yes and went with it. I started working right away. I made connections with so many administrators at Stony Brook and with other teams that we could play against. I scheduled meetings and sent emails constantly. I wanted to get us somewhere. I wanted to get us recognized. That’s what we deserved.
Since then joining as our Secretary, I have been Treasurer, Vice President, and now, President for the team. When I first joined, we played around for fun and every Sunday, played pick up games in this adult league. I wanted to make field hockey not just a “club” but a “club sport” and give it that competitive aspect. The following year, we joined the National Field Hockey League and now, we play against other competitive universities in the league. We have raised our budget and have gotten more recognized by Stony Brook as an official club sport. We travel to other schools. Other schools travel to us. Looking back, it’s amazing how far we’ve come. I know the program still has a long way to go, but I’m so proud of my team. I’m so proud of every individual that has been a member and contributed to the success and growth of the club.
Last month, we went to Nationals down in Virginia Beach for the first time in the program’s history. It was the best way to end my field hockey career at Stony Brook and an amazing experience for the team. We put everything out on that field and worked so hard. We came in 2nd in our pool and 9th overall out of the 24 teams in attendance. I was so proud of how well we did and how hard we worked in every game! It was also such a fun and bonding weekend for us. I love this team so much. My experience at Stony Brook wouldn’t have been the same without the influence of being a part of field hockey.
Being on the executive board for field hockey and helping run the team has shaped me in the best way. I have grown so much as an individual and learned what it means to be a leader. This team, no matter if the members change from year to year, always feels like family. And I am so grateful for everyone. I’m honestly going to miss field hockey so much and every member of the team. But I can’t wait to see what the future holds for them.
Field hockey forever.
The World Is Spinning 