This fall marked the start of the girls varsity field hockey team season. The team was started during the 2017-2018 school year, running a few workshops and practices to gauge the interest level for the sport. It was officially inducted into the league during the 2018-2019 school year. Now in its second official year, the team has grown more cohesive and grown their skills on the field as they compete against teams such as Redwood and Marin Catholic. 

For Lili Smith, one of the five seniors on the team this year, it is her second year on the team and her second year ever playing the sport. She, along with the majority of the girls on the team, learned everything they know about the sport after joining the team. “I [chose to join field hockey] because I wanted a fall sport and it seemed fun. I knew nothing about field hockey before joining the team,” said Smith. Eighteen girls initially played during the introductory season, including Smith. Now, the team does tryouts competition for the slots on the team has increased.

Before joining the field hockey team, Smith has been involved in countless sports between middle school and high school and continues to participate in track and field and soccer at Tam. Although she had no prior experience coming into the team, her sports background enabled her to work hard and quickly develop the skills needed to be on the team. “I really like playing [field hockey] and I think the team dynamic is great. [The team] is very welcoming and supportive of each other … I’ve learned a lot from the sport and team,” Smith added. 

This season, Smith is one of the high scorers of the team, playing center forward with no substitutions and having scored a total of seven goals out of eighteen team goals so far in the season, and she has no plans of stopping anytime soon. “I’m a very competitive person and I like being active. [Field hockey] is a great way to be active … I hope to play club field hockey in college, if I have time.”

For girls interested in field hockey, Smith recommends that they should just go for it, even if they have limited experience or knowledge about the game. “[Everyone] should join field hockey because it is a good team dynamic, you will make tons of new friends and you will get to try out a completely new sport,” Smith said.  Although she is graduating this year and this will be her final season on the field hockey team, Smith hopes to see more girls getting interested in the sport and strengthening the team. Smith said, “I hope in a few years, they [the team] will be able to compete in MCALs and it will become one of those teams that every girl wants to be on.”