After an untold amount of blood, sweat, and tears is poured into honing in their skills, UC High’s Girls Field Hockey Team is ready for the challenges that await.

   Senior Rhiannon Hinkleman said, “I’ve been playing for three years, and my position in field hockey has been center forward throughout that time. I have enjoyed playing this game since my friends first told me to join. This season, I want to step up and help our team win and be ready for CIFs. For us to get there, I want our team to be very connected when playing so it gives us a better chance at winning our games.”

   Senior Hailee Calderon has been playing since her sophomore year. Calderon said, “For this year, I really want to have fun during the season and make sure that our team has good passes up the field. I joined the sport because my friends told me to join, saying it was very similar to the game of soccer, and I’m glad I did. I find it thrilling, especially when I find myself under pressure and I have to change the way I defend or where I am passing to.”

   Team Captain Senior Addy Weathers said, “Being one of the Team Captains, I try to make sure we have a positive mindset in the game and have close relationships between each other as teammates. I would like us to be more connected with our team, especially for CIFs.”

   Weathers went on to explain how the team builds on this connection. She said, “Being connected on the field would really benefit all of us to have a closer dynamic on the field. A typical practice for us are warm-ups, like a couple laps or a mile, and the struggle throughout the practice helps bring us together.”

   Team Captain Senior Gianna Stewart, who has been playing for four years, commented on areas of improvement for the team. She said, “Some things I want to improve on are working on being as involved in the play as much as I can and helping out my teammates. The sport in general can be difficult, because all sports are hard, but it’s a team so you have to have team players and you all have to have good connections to make sure that you’re staying positive so you can all succeed.”

  Coach Amber Zimmerman has been coaching for eleven years and talked about her love for the sport. She said, “I came to love it [field hockey] even before coaching and it was through that passion that I wanted to give back and build a strong community. I found out about the sport when I was in elementary school and started playing in high school and it influenced me to become a coach.”

   Zimmerman said that she wants the team to perform well this season. She said, “For this season, I would love for the team to come together and win CIF Championships. For them to accomplish that, they would need to come together and capitalize on their strengths. I know that the Division is very challenging, so the team would need to utilize our next games in our League to build on our personal strengths.”

   As of last week, the overall score for the team was 3 wins to 6 losses. The team plans to continue to work hard.