Personal Statement
Hello! I am a well-rounded athlete who excels in academics as well as athletics. I am a hard worker who always continues to push herself to be her best and never stop hustling. I work well with my teammates to uplift team spirit and keep hopes high and positive. I love collaborating with coaches and players to improve our game and have the most fun we can while working hard. I play because I love the game and how I feel when I push myself to be better than before, and to see the improvement I can make when I set my mind to it.
My first time playing field hockey, I knew I wanted to keep playing and never stop. My first stick was too tall for me and gifted to me by a college-aged neighbor. I held the stick wrong and couldn't bend down without it hitting into my side, but I didn't want to put it down. I had always played sports but had never loved doing it, it was more of something I did to be with my friends. But once that first season started, I played even though most of my friends were on a different team and I asked my mom when the next practice was because I wanted so badly to go.
In sixth grade, I decided to join a club team so that I could improve my skills and keep playing after the regular season. 5 of my friends and I carpooled to a gym an hour away and showed up 15 minutes late to a 2-hour long practice with girls I had never seen before. And these girls were good. One of them had been playing for years and was the coach's daughter. Another had a sister on the high school program who had been taking her to practices with her since she was little. I was scared and intimidated but continued to play and do my best. My first day was rough, but I did my best as I stared in wonder at the girls who could lift the ball into the air and hit the ball harder than I had ever seen.
5 years later, I am the only girl from my original group of friends who still plays club, and I have never even thought about stopping-it wasn't an option. The girls who I was so scared of on that first day became some of my closest friends, and I soon learned to do what they could do-lifting and shooting, stealing the ball, and making effortless passes. Field hockey soon became my life as I spent every Sunday night miles away from home with people I would never have known without this game.
When I started high school, I had chosen to go to a Catholic School with no Varsity Field Hockey team, only a club sport. I played my first year and was surrounded by girls who had never played before. I was disappointed but continued to play travel where my friends kept my spirits and gameplay high, a lifesaving constant as I went through the dizzying process of attending a new school.
In my sophomore year, my school finally created a Varsity level team. We were a hodgepodge of players at all different ages and skill levels. Still, that season was one of the most fun times of my life. Although our team wasn't an official league team due to our Catholic School Status, we still spent the season learning to create a game that was unique to us. Those three months were the most confident, social, and happy I had felt in a long time. It was once the season ended that I knew I wanted to always be playing field hockey and to continue in college. Playing the game had always made me felt whole, where I had a place I could be myself. The new environment of being on a loving team-one where we were together all the time and had opened ourselves up to each other in order to play better-filled me up and made me burst out in joy. I never wanted to stop playing field hockey
That year I also started to volunteer with my old team. I taught 3rd graders and was able to watch them improve throughout the season and start to love the game the same way I had. Now, a year later, they're older and more capable of controlling their skills. I become mesmerized when they squeal in happiness at scoring a goal or making a great pass. I started to volunteer more, and now I volunteer with two teams and at a clinic with a club team. When I'm not playing field hockey, I'm always thinking about it in any way I can.
I am so lucky that I am able to receive a great education at my school and also enjoy playing the game that I love. The opportunity to have both my passions-my academics and field hockey-makes me more dedicated to achieve and gives me a constant attitude of positivity and gratefulness. I am always trying to help my teammates and improve our game as a whole, and love taking the lead in practice by starting drills and being ready to go at any moment. My teammates look to me for my levelheadedness during high-pressure games because I focus on the game, and not the emotions running through my body.
I want to play college field hockey, but I also know that I will continue to play after my college years. Whether it is through adult leagues or continuing to coach, I never want to lose the exhilaration I felt when I first picked up a stick.
