I sat down with two Big Green field hockey players, Katherine Cobb '12 and Sarah Alderman '12, and discussed what would happen if I were on the team.
First off, how annoying is it that you can't hit the ball with the other side of the stick?
KC: Well, we've always been trained to play like that, so it's something that we're used to. It's the first thing you ever learn how to do when you play field hockey.
SA: Yeah, it's like a rounded side, so it'd be all squirvy.
Not sure that's a word, but ... moving on. Since field hockey is an Olympic sport for both men and women, do you think guys should be allowed to try out for your team?
KC: Yeah, I think it'd be sick. It would change the game a lot, but I think it'd be really cool.
How would it change the game?
SA: It would change the game a lot but it'd be really fun. We scrimmage the hockey boys sometimes, and they're just faster than us, so it's definitely a faster-paced game. They also bring skills that we haven't seen before.
What kind of skills?
SA: It's just like really fancy stick work, they play a lot more in the air, they're more unpredictable. I'm talking about hockey guys specifically, though.
So you don't think I'd be a valuable contributor?
KC: (Laughs) You might, but I don't know how your hand-eye coordination is. If it's good, you might be alright.
Alright, let's get down to it. How's the season going so far?
KC: Overall, we're doing well, but we had a tough loss today to Yale. We were the same rank as them in the Ivies [second], so it was hard, but we should beat Columbia [on Oct. 24].
How many games do you usually have a week?
SA: Normally two days a week either Saturday and Sunday or Wednesday and Saturday.
And how does the practice schedule fit into that?
KC: Well, one day off a week, usually Sunday or Monday, and we practice for like two and a half hours. Lift is all year, twice a week, and video sessions are twice a week, but that's built into practice time.
SA: Well, this week and last week, we've gotten two days off because we're playing well.
KC: Yeah, we have a really small team. We have 17 girls total, but there are always people injured and there are two goalies, so it's basically reduced to like 13 or 14 field players per game. Everyone plays.
Tough, how do you guys scrimmage, then?
KC: We hardly ever scrimmage full-field. If we do, the hockey guys help.
How well is Kelly Hood '12 playing this year?
KC: She is playing really well. She rips mad G's. She's just like a really strong player in every aspect.
SA: She's always the most reliable. When she gets the ball, you trust that she's going to make something happen.
Any big games on the schedule coming up?
KC: Definitely Homecoming next week against Columbia. And apparently they're getting a Mean Green bus to go down to Harvard the week after that, because I think there's a football game and a soccer game down there too. But yeah, Columbia is home, and our last game against Cornell at home should be a good one, too.
Do you guys encourage rowdy fan behavior?
SA: Absolutely, especially because we don't get a lot of fans the ones who are there need to make it count.
KC: Yeah, I don't see why anyone would want to go to a football game over ours anyway.
That's crazy that the season is almost done, do you guys play most of your games when no one is on campus?
KC: Yeah, before school starts. We took a lot of big trips then. It was great, because we don't have to miss classes, really.
SA: Road trips are stressful on all parts, and it sucks because we were home a lot last year and it alternates.
Where were your big trips to?
KC: We went to Maine, that was one of our first trips, which was like six hours. We went to Penn pretty recently, and we had a doubleheader at Syracuse.
So no cross-country trips?
SA: No, we haven't done that, but apparently we are going to California next season.
So no shot for me trying out next year?
KC: Probably not. Maybe down the road, keep your hopes up.
