Kellie York, Class of 2005, recently returned to SHS to coach field hockey.  A Political Science major from UC Berkeley, Kellie was recruited and played all four years at Cal.  For this interview, Falcon Sports News asked Kellie to talk about what playing a D1 sport at a Pac10 school was like.

 

FSN:  When did you fall in love with field hockey?  What other sports and activities did you do?

KY:  I fell in love with field hockey literally when I first started playing. It was the weirdest sport; I had never even heard of it, but it was so much fun. I was used to playing soccer, which I did for about 8 years so it was a fun change.

FSN:  Did you know that you wanted to play in college?  Did you start the sport with that goal in mind?

KY:  I never thought I could go to college and play field hockey. That kind of idea never crossed my mind. I was so in love with soccer that it was not even my number one priority in the beginning. Then, when I started to realize that I could actually have a chance at playing for a division 1 field hockey team, I started to think more about it and I really wanted to do it. I quit soccer and focused more on hockey, and it really paid off.  Amber (Wilson) was my coach at SHS as well, and she played for Cal and emailed the coach about me. Then from there, I got scouted and committed first semester of my senior year. It was nice; I only had to apply to one college!

 

FSN:  Can you describe what it was like playing D1 all four years?
KY:  Playing a division 1 sport in college is not easy, no matter if it’s field hockey or football. You are brought there because you committed to a team, to work and push yourself every single practice and be an important and trustworthy teammate. That is a full time job in and of itself, so managing your time with academics was a task I had to learn really quickly. UC Berkeley is a very challenging academic school, so putting a lot of effort into classes as well as on the field was very tiring, and didn't often leave me with a lot of free time. People don't understand that playing a sport in college is not the same as high school, meaning that it’s not just practice and games. It is film sessions, coaches meetings, athletic meetings, dinners, traveling, and most importantly you are
representing your institution - which means more serious responsibility.  The great thing about being a student athlete is that more often than not, the school and professors accommodate you and we get free tutoring services, which come in handy when you are on the road. Since field hockey is not a very popular west coast sport, we were required to travel to the east coast anywhere from 3-4 times during the season and the trips would be as many as five days long. I think in my last season we missed almost a month of school...it really takes a toll on your ability to keep up in classes.  But, you do what you have to in order to make it work. When we do have free time, we do have some chances to have a "normal" time, but we have more responsibility as athletes to behave, and trust me, we had our share of fun times. I think just being best friends with everyone on your team makes the experience ten times funnier. We played endless pranks...on each other and our coaches.

 

FSN:  How do you think sports have shaped you?  How D1 sport has shaped you?
KY:  Playing a division 1 sport has definitely helped shape me into the type of person I am now. I know the meaning of responsibility. Belonging to something so special means you do anything for it, you sacrifice for it, and I don't regret any second of that experience. I've learned time management, and most of all not complaining. Coaches don't like complaining, and that rubs off - on the field and off. I never liked to complain about how much work I had - you had to believe the mantra of "its my job; I have to do it. I'm going to do it and do it well."  Pulling all-nighters in order to stick to this mantra was pretty commonplace in my house with my teammates.

FSN:  You have returned to SHS as a coach; how did that happen?

KY:  I came back to coach because I got an email from Amber saying she might need help since she was having her baby. I didn't have any jobs lined up after I graduated, and I do enjoy coaching camps and I thought it would be a great experience for me, and that I had a lot that I could teach these girls. I think it will be very rewarding.

FSN:  What suggestions do you have for current SHS athletes who aspire to play in college? 

KY:  If there is anyone who wanted to play in college, I suggest that you practice. Then practice again. And when you're done practicing, go practice. I learned so many new skills in college that took me weeks and weeks to master. By doing this, you make yourself a better player individually and that helps you become a better team player as well. Don't be afraid and think that you won't be able to make it in college, because you will be cheating yourself. Become proactive by initiating talks with coaches and sending out video clips to get yourself on the radar screen. I had it a little easier because of Amber, but hard work really pays off.

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