The Berkeley High School (BHS) women’s field hockey team has a number of reasons to be excited for this new school year. With a new coach and an optimistic team they are ready to take on the challenges of the 2017 season.
Last year the varsity team only won one of their games in the entire season, leaving significant room for improvement. Despite only playing three games this season, varsity has already improved last season’s record by beating Marin Catholic High School. Players have already gelled together, determined to rely less on individual skill and more on team work.
The new coach, Siobhan Rigby, is extremely passionate about women’s field hockey. Her goals for the girls this year are “to enjoy hockey, to enjoy playing together and to grow as both players and as students.” This sentiment is shared by the three co-captains of this year’s team, Rosemary King, Abby Eng, and Maggie.
They emphasized that they can take the skills they learn in field hockey and apply them to their lives off the field. Junior team captain King said that, “Field hockey requires you to have very good time management, as we practice very early in the morning on Monday and have practice every evening from Tuesday through Friday.” She expressed that the busy schedule, has helped create a strong support system among her teammates and promote the value of commitment in not only the sport but other aspects of her life.
The team has made clear that girls who play field hockey gain more than just fitness. Captain Eng emphasized that through playing the game, the players train themselves to think before their actions and to develop a strategic mindset.
King praised the dynamics of her field hockey family, “Everyone on the team knows how to help each other out and give them the support they need. Field hockey was personally really great for me in my freshman year because it allowed me to have good friends right at the start of the school year, many of them being older, so I got a lot of great advice.”
Another reason for excitement this fall is a very talented set of players. Maike, a German exchange student and new member of the team, has gotten a lot of praise from her peers. She has been recognized to have “out-of-this-world” ball control.
Another highly lauded member of the team is their very own junior captain, Rosemary. Not only has she been acknowledged by the coach for her great leadership, but she has been praised by her co-captains for her motivational skills. In addition, her outstanding defensive expertise and overall familiarity with the sport has been widely appreciated by the underclassmen on the team.
This year, “the team hopes to improve their record by giving one hundred percent at practice and games,” according to Eng, senior team captain. Talking with the coach, captains, and individual members of the BHS women’s field hockey team, it is clear they are there to grow together, play hockey, and form bonds on and off the field.