By: Dan Buser
Michael Jordan once said, “Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence win championships. “According to the Hershey High School field hockey players, this couldn’t be more true.
After the 2014 season, the team finished with a respectable 15-5 record. On the outside, the team looked stable and ready to compete again next season. According to the players, there was lots of drama that occurred when coach Megan Eckenrode resigned. After her resignation, the players were left with a lack of chemistry and the 2015 season looked anything but stable.
However, the team beat the odds and finished 14-6-1. They came in fourth place at districts and made it to states.
Kieran Holley, a sophomore on the team, said they weren’t expecting their record.
No matter who you asked whether it be the coaches or the players they would most likely tell you that the key to their success is their new sense of being a team and the lack of off field drama
Mya Christopher, a junior on the team who recently committed to the University of Iowa, said that she was impressed with the team’s focus. She said even though there were a lot of great players who already committed to colleges, “They were always thinking about the team they were on now.” Christopher says that it was this focus that helped improve the team’s chemistry.
Holley says that their improvement in team’s chemistry started all the way back in the summer at a camp in Maryland that the team went to. The players did many team and skill building drills. They also played well in the tournament held at the summer camp, coming in second place. Holley admits, “[winning] gave us a little boost heading into the season.”
Ellen Ott, an assistant coach and HHS guidance councilor, said, “We [the coaching staff] are very proud of how far the girls have come and what they have accomplished.”
Ott said that another crucial part of becoming a better team was taking things, ”one game at a time.” This strategy led to there being less conflict in the locker room. When conflict did arrive, Ott said the coaches would find the problem between the players and make them work it out at practice.
Holley also said that being able to tell the team captains about the issues they were having was helpful because they acted as representatives for the team.
One goal that was important to the coaches was making the JV and the varsity team feel like one. According to Ott this year was the first time the girls said, “They actually felt like a team.”
The coaches and the players are looking forward to competing again next season. Ott said that the team, “has the skill to achieve any goal they set their mind to.”
Holley also thinks they will be able to make it even further next year as this year was more about building a foundation for their program.
