The field hockey team earned second place in the Gateway Tournament and their current record is above .500, meaning they have won more games than they have lost. Last year, the team almost had twice as many goals scored on them as they scored.
Senior Olivia DiCampo has played field hockey since freshman year, and was voted a captain.
“I wanted to play a fall sport and none of the other sports seemed interesting to me,” DiCampo said.
DiCampo on the varsity team since sophomore year and witnessed the changes each year.
“My freshman year was not productive. Sophomore and junior year we had a new coach and basically a whole new team but this year, senior year, we got another coach who’s more dedicated to improving our skills,” DiCampo said.
Junior Emma Ratliff inserts the ball for a planned corner Sept. 8 against Clayton as her team sprints into the circle.
The team has changed their training regimen by including more scrimmaging and stick work.
“Dawn, the coach that came, helped us develop our skills at practice through new drills and plays. Personally, I’ve improved in passing, making runs and I’m in better shape than last year,” DiCampo said.
Freshman Sam Walkoff is the only freshman to earn a spot on the varsity.
“I really like being on the team because I can look up to the older girls. They are really nice to me and never make me feel intimidated,” Walkoff said
Team bonding activities include a trip to Sports Fusion, a sleepover and a henna party.
“I’m really looking forward to the sleepover, that should be fun, and I’m also looking forward to the henna because I’ve never done that before,” Walkoff said.
Even though she is the youngest on the team, she has experience with the sport.
Freshman Sam Walkoff drives the ball Aug. 30 at the Gateway Classic Tournament, her first with the varsity team.
“I started playing field hockey in first grade when I lived in Kentucky, so I already knew how to play and my sister was playing at the high school,” Walkoff said.
Kaleigh Riggs, a sophomore, is another new addition to the varsity team, a transfer from MICDS. She was on the field hockey team at her old school, and there are significant differences between the two programs.
“It’s more of a growing program which is interesting because then I get to see everybody else improve. I think that I have become more of a leader at field hockey. I get to teach other people some things that I’ve learned in the past few years,” Riggs said.
When the season ends, the team plans to host open gym sessions during the spring season and will host camps over the summer. The program is also considering introducing a middle school camp to involve students before high school.
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