Girls Field Hockey: The Balance of Sports and School

Leah Ertel, Staff Reporter|Jan 18, 2022

The girls’ varsity field hockey team has grown stronger together and learned many new skills during their 2021 season. They poured their hearts and souls out on the field during games and left with stronger relationships with their teammates.

As of Nov. 5, 2021, field hockey’s season had come to an end with a win against Escondido High, 2-0. Their highest score of the 2021 fall season was also against Escondido. Their record was 3 and 13, and their league record was 3 and 9.

The field hockey team has had four head coaches over the last eight years and nine seasons. 

The team chants, “Let’s win this Bobcats,” all huddled together before the start of the game. The team shows an immense amount of teamwork and dedication on and off the field. (Photo Courtesy of Barbara Castano)

Andrea Fett, who is an English teacher at Sage Creek, currently coaches field hockey and knows the benefits it can have on high schoolers.

“I am inspired to coach because I know the positive impact being on a team can have on students going through high school,” Fett said. “Athletes get to learn teamwork, sportsmanship, communication skills, get to be physically active, and much more.”

With everyday practices after school and then going home to do homework, having a stable work-life balance can be hard. 

Kailynn Merino-Ott, a freshman on the team, explained how she managed to balance her sports schedule with her schoolwork.

“It’s hard,” Merino-Ott said. “We’re given an hour after school until practice comes and usually I have a little bit of time to do some work there. Two hours of practice, go home at seven, do the necessities… and then get the work done.”

Seniors on the team and the goalie huddle up to discuss their next plays. This was the last game of the seniors’ high school career before they graduate. (Photo Courtesy of Barbara Castano)

Izzy Welken, a sophomore on the team, shared how she also managed her schedule every day.

“It’s really hard,” Welken said. “As soon as you get done with practice, you go straight home and start your homework immediately, and then no phones, I literally go straight to bed after.”

An invaluable skill the team has learned from their 2021 season is teamwork and communication. Along with that, the relationships they build on and off the field keep the team going strong throughout their games and all of their practices.

Brianna Fuller, a sophomore on the team, explained how teamwork and working together will help them improve for future plays.

“We’ve learned to work with each other and learn how our hits are so we can work better together,” Fuller says.

The long hours they have dedicated to their sport, and the lessons they’ve learned, are what make this sport appealing and worth every hour of dedication.