Field Hockey’s Return to Glory

The Sutton Varsity field hockey team looks to be as strong as ever leading into the 2021 season. Led by seven seniors, the field hockey team looks to be DVC champions just like in 2019.

During the school week I got a chance to talk to Jenni Gramstorff, a senior and captain. I wanted to hear her thoughts on the upcoming season and expectations for the team. 

Myself: “So Jenni, how does it feel to finally become a senior and take on their responsibilities?”

Jenni: “After missing out on a majority of last season because of COVID it is nice to be able to take charge to make this season as good as it can be for one last year. There are seven seniors so we are able to work together and be the leaders of the team.”

Myself: “What younger players do you believe will step up and have an impact on the team this year?”

Jenni: “We have three juniors that are also really important to the team, one being our goalie, Cara Lambert, and also a lot of freshmen and sophomores have been able to step up this year because of how many players we had graduate last year.”

Myself: “I do not know a lot about field hockey, so what would you say an average practice would look like?”

Jenni: “For our practices we typically do a mile and a half to warm up along with some stretches and strength and core exercises. We than typically run drills or plays and end with some more conditioning, usually sprints.”

Last year, field hockey was hit with the most restrictions of any sport in our high school. The COVID restrictions limited the number of players on the field which really impacted the way their team prepared. 

Myself: “Obviously last year was a mess and many COVID rules restricted the level of excitement towards the season, but how has that changed coming into the season this year?”

Jenni: “Last year we weren’t able to have penalty corners and we only had seven players on the field. This year we had to re-learn our corner plays and even just adjust to having a full team on the field again. It is a lot more exciting being out there with everyone though and being able to play normal games again.”

The scheduling for this year’s sports team seems to be all over the place. There are several stretches where teams have multiple games with minimal time to prepare. Field hockey, similarly to soccer, has their first three games in four days. I wanted to here Jenni’s thoughts on it and how she prepares for odd situations like this.

Myself: “I noticed that your first three field hockey games are all in a row. How does your team prepare for so many games in such a short time?”

Jenni: “We have been working a lot on technical stuff like corners or drills to help with our game plan. We also have to plan if our game is on grass or turf because that plays into what corner plays we use or how we have to play in general.”

Myself: “Overall, what are the expectations for this season?”

Jenni: “Right now our team is looking extra strong so my hope is that we will go far this year. We have a lot we can still improve so I hope we can continue to grow and get better throughout the season.”

Myself: “All right, that’s all the questions I have for you. Good luck on the season.”

The Sutton Varsity field hockey team has a lot to look forward to this year. They are very senior-heavy and have a lot of young up-and-coming players. I am very excited to see what this team has up their sleeve and wish them good luck, but fortunately, it doesn’t look like they need it.