Going the extra mile for someone is a characteristic I not only value in others, but a characteristic I pride myself upon. I found this characteristic inside myself when I had someone go the extra mile for me and show me how much of an impact it can make in someone’s life. Growing up in Connecticut and moving to Pennsylvania, I had a coach that went the extra mile for me. We did not have a coach for field hockey going into my 8th-grade year. So our math teacher, the track coach at the time, offered to become the new field hockey coach. He knew nothing about the sport. So he watched Youtube videos on drills, read books about the rules, and did everything he could to help us have a successful season. He even went the extra mile to buy about 5 different sticks, shin guards, and a mouth guard so he could hop in drills to make sure we understood them. His going the extra mile for me and my teammates has had a forever-lasting impact on me. Now coaching a U14 club team, he showed me that doing a little bit extra is one of the best things to do for someone and something I want to do for all the girls I coach further down the road. Even with the girls that feel like the outsiders of the team, I try my best to bring them back in with everyone, by buying valentines for everyone, baking cookies for one of their games at Nationals, and even just something small by texting one of them after the game to tell her how great she is doing and that I am proud of her. So going the extra mile for someone is my characteristic. My way of showing someone how much I care. With me going into nursing, taking that extra step to get to know my patient or their family more will help me a lot in my career. Being in a hospital is no fun for anyone. Putting a smile or a laugh into someone’s day, while them being in a hospital, is all I would ever want. I know, through personal experience with several doctors and nurses, that going that extra step to put a smile on their faces or just make them laugh makes it feel like all the negativity has gone away for that split second. So, going the extra mile is something I will always pride and harp upon as my characteristic. I will always stand with my head held high knowing that I will always do that extra step even if it is to just make someone’s day for 30 seconds.

Imagine the first time you fell in love. I bet you remember every little detail about that moment. I remember the smell of the grass, the turf ants that piled in my shoes, and the feel of the wood stick in my hands as I touched a field hockey stick for the first time. For the first time, I had been completely enchanted. Throughout this journey, I have had the pleasure of working with numerous coaches, all of whom have different coaching styles. However, none of those coaches have had the same impact as my middle school coach, Coach Jackson, has had on me. Coach Jackson had no previous experience with field hockey – he never coached, watched a game, or touched a stick. He only got involved because the former coach stepped down and there was no replacement. A lot of his students, many of them players, asked him to try coaching since they wanted to have a team. Coach Jackson decided it was worth a shot and watched as many YouTube videos as possible. He learned how to hold a stick, drills to set up at practice, and most importantly, the rules of the game. I was not there for his first two seasons of coaching; however, I heard all about him. The longstanding issue with York Suburban Field Hockey is that it is not a strong program in comparison to others. Despite the efforts that the players put on the field, they sadly do not receive exposure to the game early enough. Therefore, when I reached seventh grade and could finally join the team, I did not have very high expectations. And true to form, our season was not great – we lost the majority of our games by high margins. However, the one thing that I remember most from my time on the team was Coach Jackson running the drills and scrimmaging with us. He took practice as the opportunity to learn alongside us – and he took it seriously. He wore shin guards and a mouthguard during every practice. Although I moved on to high school field hockey and changed coaches, Coach Jackson still supported the team this season when we made it to counties and districts for the first time in fifteen years. He came to our practices leading up to the first county game, Chocolate World with us before our district game at Hershey High School and he was at every postseason game supporting us. He was even included in my signing picture when I committed to play field hockey at Western Connecticut State University. Thanks to his supporting nature and huge heart, Coach Jackson inspired me to become a field hockey coach. I had an opportunity through my club team to get certified as a Level 1 USA Field Hockey coach and then coach an under-14 team. I received my coaching certification in October and have been coaching twice a week since November. I truly love coaching and forming connections with the players. They are so funny and full of heart. I adore supporting them at every practice and game. I even had one of my player’s parents approach me and say that his daughter always talks about me, further telling me to keep doing what I am doing because the team looks up to me. What excites me the most is that the girls seem to have the same relationship with me as I do with Coach Jackson, and it completely warms my heart. Without Coach Jackson, I would not be the person, athlete, and coach that I am today.