Farewell, field hockey

by Zoë Rader

The buzzer rang and I glanced once more at the scoreboard. The final was not changing: It read 3–1, Ridge over Westfield. The result slapped my sweaty face. I sank into the field knowing that this was it: I was officially done with my field hockey career.

Field hockey has a bad reputation at WHS. I’ll be honest, we’re no LBD soccer players who wear matching practice shirts, nor are we football state champions who have played at MetLife Stadium. Our record has never been great. Nevertheless, field hockey deserves more respect than it gets. I’ve played for five years and have had my fair share of jokes made at the sport’s expense. Those people don’t understand how hard it is. They don’t know how much passion we have. And they don’t know how much support, love and positive energy pumps through our team.

Having to say goodbye to all that and more was devastating. I collapsed into a group hug with my team and couldn’t stop crying. We weren’t going to have weekly psych parties or team huddles or bus ride sing-alongs anymore. We had to say goodbye to that sense of daily belonging, that togetherness. I was saying farewell to all my best friends at once and it was overwhelming.

I walked off the turf that day feeling nothing but sadness. My pride and gratitude came later. In a time of reflection, I realized how much this program had impacted me. I was never the fastest or the best ㅡ in fact my temperamental muscles and mild asthma became a common joke with my team ㅡ but that didn’t matter. Of course, field hockey values speed and skill, but the point of our program is more than that. It’s about having fun and learning how to work hard with people you love. It’s about competing and putting in our best effort, even if we don’t get the results we hope for. It’s about pushing yourself to new limits and not being afraid to make mistakes.

I hope other athletes feel this and cherish it. Being on a team is something everyone should be able to experience because it changes you for the better. I’m going to miss the field hockey program. Not so much for the black and blue marks or the shin splints, but for the people and spirit of the team.