Field hockey players decide to train at home instead of campus
Normally over the summer a handful of field hockey athletes will remain in Mount Pleasant to attend summer classes and train for the upcoming season.
Not this summer.
Internships and summer jobs have pulled the team apart for the time being, something coach Cristy Freese said isn’t a bad thing.
“Everyone is doing their own thing,” Freese said. “They need to get away and I think the break is good for them.”
Most of the defending Mid-American Conference Tournament champions have taken it upon themselves to train by themselves without assistance from coaches or teammates.
But that isn’t the case for sisters Allyson and Jessyca Doan, who are training together in their hometown of Ann Arbor.
“It’s really beneficial,” Allyson said. “She’s (Jessyca) always around to run with and I think I have a real advantage there.”
This summer Allyson is busy with a landscaping job at Eastern Michigan University. She also works in an Ann Arbor sports bar.
Even with two jobs and training, the time away from school has been just what she needed.
“I definitely needed a break,” Allyson said. “My body was exhausted.”
Nicole Rao is working in a recreational building in her hometown of Pendleton, N.Y. She had the opportunity this summer to visit two of her teammates in South Africa.
Samantha Sandham and Courtney Blanchard of Cape Town, South Africa welcomed Rao for a six-week stay.
During that time Rao visited with Sandham and Blanchard’s families while also checking out tourist sites.
“I got to see what life is like for them,” Rao said. “It was very rewarding.”
Freese said summer pick-up field hockey games are popular for her athletes to participate in, especially the ones from New York and Pennsylvania.
The Doan sisters also plan on trying to compete in pick-up games at the University of Michigan. Allyson said they happen over the weekend with nearby Ann Arbor Pioneer High School and U of M field hockey athletes participating.
The team will report Aug. 10 for the season’s first practice as Central prepares to defend its title.
“I love it (in Pennsylvania), but I’m excited to get back and defend our title,” Rao said.
The season starts Aug. 27 with a home game against Syracuse.
