Striking Feature in Field Hockey

Striking Feature in Field Hockey Varsity field hockey player, sarah smith, looks to continue her success in her junior season. // by Brandon pinto

Sarah Smith is a sophomore at Antioch Community High School, as well as a varsity field hockey player for three years. She has used the past three years to earn her way into the starting lineup, and is one of the teams' most valuable players.

Smith was first pushed to attempt the sport by her older sister. She was always encouraging her to try something that she might end up enjoying. In the end, her sister succeeded and convinced Smith to start playing field hockey her freshman year, even though she was unfamiliar with the sport.

"I have been playing floor hockey since first grade and a few of my older friends started field hockey when they got to high school," Smith said.

Besides growing up with floor hockey, her main sport was playing soccer. Smith has dedicated almost all of her free time to playing both sports and has worked hard to advance her skill. In her opinion, field hockey is much like a combination between the two sports, which is one reason Smith finds it so enjoyable.

Smith plays as a center midfielder and goes under an immense amount of physical stress having to transition from a defensive to an offensive position. Yet, she still finds the position to be one that she loves. Just being out on the field, Smith finds her self involved at almost every point in the game.

"I like my position because I get to make a lot of the plays happen and I have to make decisions that can sometimes make or break the game," Smith said.

"My job on the field is to make passing decisions to advance the ball up the field and to keep the other players on our offensive half and away from our defense when we are not in possession," Smith said.

As a midfielder, Smith has an imperative job to the teams success. Without a midfielder, there would be no way for the team to progress up the field, nor would they have any support when defending or attacking. Her position is very vital to the team and requires every ounce of energy being put forth to make the game go in their favor.

Most athletes have some sort of pregame ritual. For some, this may be to do a specific warm up or stretch to get them motivated.

"To pump myself up I usually listen to music and try to forget about everything else," Smith said.

Both her younger and older teammates are people whom she looks up to. The skill level some of her older teammates have and the heart of her younger teammates is very admirable and inspiring to Smith. This adds to her desire to work hard for her team every game.

Smith is progressing this varsity season by gaining her very first varsity goal against Deerfield on September 13th. She continues to work hard and is more motivated than ever to continue bringing the same energy to each and every game.

Created By

Brandon Pinto

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Striking Feature in Field Hockey Varsity field hockey player, sarah smith, looks to continue her success in her junior season. // by Brandon pinto

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