As the fall season starts to wrap up, so too does field hockey. With only a few games left in this season, the Norwin Field Hockey team is working hard with an overall season record so far of 1-11.
In field hockey there are 11 players on each side and both teams try to get a plastic ball to the scoring semi circle so that they can shoot it into the net and get a point. Whoever gets the most points by the end of the time wins.
“I think we’re very hard-working,’’ said senior athlete Karlie Johnson. “And we really know how to push ourselves and play till the end of the game even if we’re not doing the best and I think that we are resilient and we’re conditioned.”
The Norwin Field Hockey team dedicates itself to improving and being optimistic, even when things don’t appear to be doing as well as they would like. They have a backbone of steel that keeps them moving forward step by step, game by game.
“I think we just need to get a little bit more familiar with the game of field hockey,” said Johnson. “And like our field IQ and just knowing, like knowing the rules and knowing when to do what we need to do because we know we need to be done we just have to be able to execute it.”
The Norwin Field hockey team regularly targets their weaknesses in practice to be able to improve efficiently and effectively for next season.
One of the biggest issues the team faces is with communication,’’ said senior member Camden Reese. “It’s small, but it’s crucial in the functionality of the team. Communication is essential in building confidence within individuals, and it creates a connection between each player by trusting that what someone says is contributing to the betterment of the team. It could be a conversation at half time or simply redirecting someone on the field, but either way, it is important in achieving the goals of the team.”
Throughout the season, these weaknesses have been addressed one by one, building a bigger and more interconnected community.
“We is a team are lot more connected,” said varsity captain Addison Grimes. “And there’s less division between all of us and we are very positive, definitely even after a loss. We’re still singing on the bus and having fun, keeping our heads up high.”
Not only is the team working to rebuild on their own, but they have a new coach helping them through the journey.
“Our new coach was a D1 athlete at Michigan State,” said Maddison Bulger. “So she knows what she’s talking about and she’s very good at what she does. It’s just a matter of us taking our time and grasping all the information.”
Keeping heart and moving forward is the Norwin Field hockey team’s greatest strength and what drives them towards improvement.
Our season hasn’t been the best,’’ said Reese. “We’ve lost way more than we’ve won, causing our team to feel hopeless at times. But despite those moments of loss, we’ve remained resilient. Instead of giving up, we’ve persevered through those tough teams, showing them that we are better than how we were last time. We’ve received compliments from other coaches who noticed our change within our playing abilities. I think that just shows how we haven’t allowed for defeat to bring us down, but instead use it to fuel ourselves to play harder the next game. I have no doubt that as time will progresses, so will these girls. Norwin Field Hockey will strengthen its reputation and challenge the teams that we once lost to.”
