It’s Aurelia Porto and Kayce Himmelberger’s sophomore year at Park View, and the girls just finished their first game for a new sport they decided to join: field hockey. Losing their first game against Tuscarora, the girls felt disappointed, hopeless, and generally down; however, the rest of the team and the coaches had a completely contradictory reaction to this loss. 

“The coaches were so proud of us because we had just played all four quarters, and me and Kayce just looked at each other baffled,” explained Porto.

Little did Himmelberger and Porto know, in a few years time they would be the captains of the Park View field hockey program, and this achievement of playing all four quarters would not be where their team stopped growing. The team went on to achieve four wins in the2022 season, the most wins the program has earned in its history. The team also scored the most goals in the life of the program. 

“[The field hockey program] has grown tremendously, both in numbers and our wins, of course,” claimed Himmelberger.

The growth in number of players is a large factor for the success of the field hockey team; the program went from barely having any subs, to a large number of players they were able to sub in and out. As a result of this, the players were able to take breaks, so they can perform to their best ability due to not being exhausted from overrunning themselves.

“The growth from our team definitely comes with how welcoming our team and coaches are,” claimed Ash Strayer, a sophomore who joined the team this year.

Recruitment was the primary reason for the growth in numbers. Coach Monica Szymanski created a club at Sterling Middle School, teaching students who joined the basics of field hockey, which sparked interest and led a few players from the club to play for Park View. Many returning players also encouraged their friends to join the team, growing the field hockey program even more.

“Unfortunately with growing numbers [of players], I feel like drama is bound to happen unfortunately,” Porto relayed. 

Field hockey plays with teams of 11, which leaves some players benched, bringing some competitiveness to the team. Unlike years before where most players were on the field, this year players had to work for playing time, which upset some players.

“We had some issues throughout this season with feeling all connected to each other. However by the end of the season, we honestly felt like a real team, and really connected,” Strayer explained. 

Despite the challenges of competitiveness, and playing time on the team, the field hockey team still managed to push through these struggles and bond together to improve the team. However, the field hockey team doesn’t plan for this to be their biggest achievement, and are determined to keep growing. with a goal of winning more games next season.

“Each year the team gets better and better, so I believe that with our new numbers, and returning players, we will be even more accomplished next season,” exclaimed sophomore Alison Martinez.