Spring into action

As many college athletes can agree, there is no tougher season than the off-season. The off-season requires getting oneself mentally and physically prepared for the next season. It is all about forgetting past mistakes, close losses, and even big wins. It is about setting new goals and higher expectations. It means getting up at the break of dawn and practicing when the rest of the people in the same time zone are sleeping. It means harder runs, longer practices, and tough lifts. It means pushing oneself above levels ever expected, so that one can perform at peak level next season. It's all about dedication and commitment. And it all feels like hell while its happening.

For many athletes, the off-season can serve as their season. Seeing as not all college athletes are starters or second-string, many college athletes see their off-season as their one chance each year to get to play and prove oneself for the following year. It is the athlete's opportunity to get playing time and remember what it felt like to be on the field when he or she was the star athlete at their high schools.

Spring season is that opportunity for college field hockey players.

Many college field hockey players can attest that the spring season is no walk in the park. However, playing in spring tournaments is the huge pay-off after all the early mornings. 

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to go to Princeton University to watch a spring field hockey tournament. Six teams competed in an all day tournament. Among these teams were: Princeton, UConn, BC, Temple, PSU, and Syracuse. And each team looked great out there--sure each team had things to work on, but if this is a prequel to the Fall 2010 season, then people should be getting really excited over the growing sport.

First, the sport has evolved this year, as new rules have been implemented at the NCAA level. Originally, when a foul occurred players would have to place the ball where the foul happened, and then pass or hit the ball to a teammate. Now, players can take the free hit and turn it into a free dribble. Instead of passing, players can now take the ball themselves to new space. The pace of the game is now faster, and the players seem to be getting acquainted  with the rule very quickly. However, the rule is subjective in the eye of the ref, meaning refs are going to call the rule differently, because there is no exact science to the new rule. 

As the competition went on through out the day, players tested out their practiced chip shots, reverse chips, passes, and new spin moves. Everything looked smooth, and the girls seemed genuinely excited to be out on the field playing.

There was however one "casualty" during the day. The tournament lost a ref for the day following a ball hitting him in the face. The ref needed to be removed from the field and stitched up. This wasn't the only wild ball that caught someone off guard. #6 for Princeton took a chip shot off the head, from a BC player's stick, in the first game of the tournament. She went down, but within minutes was standing again. When Princeton took the field again for their second game about an hour and a half later, #6 was back on the field playing. 

That's what these tournaments are all about--being tough and showing that you didn't go through the spring training for nothing. More teams need athletes like that, ones who aren't afraid to get back out there after getting taken out--literally. 

Spring season is a time to fines the skills, but also to prove how tough one really is. With a stellar spring like this, one can only imagine how fantastic the fall will be.