Behind the Line: MHS Girls F'ockey

This week Behind the Line we reached out to MHS Field Hockey Captain, Brianna Fortin. Thank you for your commitment to your team and classmates.

BY ALYSSA QUACKENBUSH

PHOTO CREDIT PATTY AHEARN

As the class of 2020 prepares to finish their senior year in the most unconventional way, the class of 2021 is preparing for an equally unconventional start to theirs. An underlying cultural symptom of this pandemic is the way in which these rising seniors’ sports seasons will need to be adjusted or, in the worst scenarios, canceled. Especially for student-athletes who are banking on the college recruitment process, the classic scouting and commitment routine will very likely be disrupted and this could, in turn, result in a loss of opportunities for some of these students by no fault of their own.

Luckily, some fall sports have been able to operate in a relatively normal way as the players prepare for their return to school. Marshfield High School’s field hockey team, for example, has been able to meet for captain-run practices and may even still get to play a regular season because of the moderate-risk status of the sport.

Brianna Fortin, one of the senior captains, mentions that the girls currently meet twice a week for captains practice, where the focus is on “bonding, fun drills and skills, and some small scrimmages to get used to playing again.”

The team-building element of these practices will be a major morale-booster for the team, particularly for the seniors who could otherwise feel like they’ve missed out on their final opportunity to work with these girls and their team. Even through the uncertainty of whether or not they will be playing their season this year, the girls on the field hockey team are maintaining the important social and physical benefits of being a part of a team like this. Brianna recognized that field hockey isn’t necessarily a top sport, but they don’t waste their energy scoping out who gets more attention. Instead, the girls just focus on enjoying the game and their teammates.

In addition to organizing these captains practices, the field hockey captains are responsible for organizing fundraisers for the team. Of course, their usual fundraising activities are compromised because of the virus, so they’ve had to come up with a new idea to compensate for the loss of their traditional fundraisers.

As a solution, the team decided to start selling MHS field hockey masks to raise money. A relevant and useful investment, face masks will obviously be an important part of everyone’s daily routines through the fall (at the very least), so it seemed like the perfect way to fundraise. Already having sold 335 masks, the field hockey team hopes to reach 400.

The masks are $10 each and can be purchased from any field hockey player or by

Venmo @Marshfield-Fockey.

PHOTO CONTRIBUTOR PATTY AHERN