The girls varsity field hockey team has had some ups and downs this past season but made a comeback. According to MaxPreps, Varsity is ranked 11 out of 18 schools in D2. They’ve persevered and finished strong.
Field Hockey is a complex sport that has taken the world by surprise. Originating from England in the mid-1800s, it made its way to America and has dominated schools ever since. MaxPreps reports that there are 1,247 official high school field hockey teams that participated this season. Sage Creek has established its own field hockey program back in 2016, including a JV and Varsity team.
After a rocky start, the girls made a tremendous comeback towards the end of the season. Junior, Izzabella Welken shares how she thinks the team continued to improve from practices to games.
“Our main focus this season is to build better teamwork and communication on and off the field,” Welken said.
The girls field hockey team is a recently added sport to Sage Creek. With incoming freshmen on the JV team, they had the determination to win and try their best. The girls continued to work towards their goals and enhance their team dynamic.
That positive mindset flows through the whole program, including the JV team. Lia Zawacki, a freshman on JV, shares positive input on her team’s season.
“Our team is doing pretty well. We keep improving, which is great.” Zawacki said.
The varsity team has had many challenging games. Yet they find ways to keep pushing forward and get the win.. The girls had a much stronger season compared to last year. Welken provides some insight.
“The team has done better than last year; I wouldn’t say that we are great because we are a new program but we’ve definitely improved,” Welken said.
The girls’ passion for the sport stands out with the effort they had put into practicing every day after school from 4:00 to 5:30 p.m. This shows how hard they worked despite setbacks earlier in the season when the team was still establishing its plays and positions.
While having to practice Monday through Friday, it can be difficult to get homework done, have a social life and continue to be a great team player on and off the field. Being a student athlete is not easy as it seems. It’s important yet it can be very strenuous to juggle homework and sports.
Zawacki explains how at times it can be tough to balance these aspects of student life, yet she incorporated her workmanship both in class and at practices that had taken place during the week:
“Sometimes it’s hard to balance school and sports. I try to get most of my work done in class and whatever I don’t finish, I will complete it later when I come home from field hockey.”
The team worked together every day during practice and it paid off in their games. Sage has created a great program with amazing players who put the time and effort into this sport.
This season has been tough, but the girls stuck by each other’s side and supported one another until their final match.
“What I love about playing for Sage is the environment; it’s very friendly and welcoming, and I love all the girls on the team,” Welken expressed.