Written by Amanda Magadan With the Fall 2020 season quickly approaching, it feels as if we’ve flown through a time machine. A new normal where public gatherings are limited, face masks are the norm, and personal space standing in line is a common courtesy. Although seven months have passed since the start of the global pandemic, it’s as if we’ve come so far, yet gone nowhere at all. Probably because that’s been the case. Restaurants were closed, sports were cancelled, travel was restricted, mandatory quarantine was implemented, and more. Time, for various reasons, became common for most. It did for me, and this time I used to think, reflect, process, and challenge myself. Time to write a new story. Prior to the global pandemic, a lot had unfolded. We didn’t qualify for the 2020 Olympics back in November 2019, had a huge team and staff transition, were in the process of relocating facilities, and faced the tragedy of our beloved assistant coach turned team manager passing away. With so many emotions to unpack and the 2020 Pro League season underway, naturally you did your best to shove your emotions to the side and move on. That is until COVID-19 shut down the world. With lots of time to think, quarantine became a time period of self-reflection. A time to rehash the past, anticipate the future, and heal in the present. I was fortunate to be quarantined at the beach and spent most of my time on the first floor porch looking over the bay thinking about the past and practicing my mindfulness most mornings. The extra time I finally had become an opportunity for me to make my individual growth and healing a priority. Quarantine wasn’t all “soul searching” so to speak. It was also valuable time spent with family— morning runs, night time bike rides, game nights, and Netflix shows. It was a time I launched a business with my teammates turned best friends Ashley Hoffman and Lauren Moyer called Become Uncommon Co. It was a time I was able to give back to the Lafayette College Field Hockey Team by joining them as a guest speaker. It was a time I sold my house in Lancaster, Pa. It was a time I learned how to cut hair, make new recipes, and enjoy new things. But most of all, it was a time when I closed a chapter and started a new one. New beginnings don’t always mean we know what’s to come. In fact, we’re all venturing into a new beginning together. A re-entry into everyday life. As the Fall approaches, we’re still burdened by the uncertain of tomorrow. The unknown might bring individually angry, frustration, sadness, and/or anxiety. But as we approach the Fall and head into a hopeful Fall season, we can practice these 5 tips to help us no matter what gets thrown our way. 1. Give Yourself Grace: Practice kindness with yourself. You’re going to make mistakes. You’re going to get upset, angry, anxious, and/or frustrated. Give yourself kindness and empathy in those moments.
2. Be Smart & Safe: Be smart. Wear your mask and follow protocols the best you can. 3. Be Flexible: As athletes, this one isn’t new to you. You’re always adapting on the field to different circumstances and this is no different. Things will be different than previous seasons— we know that and that’s okay. You’ve been flexible in the past and you’ll do it again. Not only will your flexible attitude be greatly appreciated by those around you, but it will set you up to have a more pleasant experience and tackle any obstacles you may face. It will help you be resilient. 4. Be Present: Take everything day-by-day. I’m a huge proponent of mindfulness and if there is one thing almost everyone can learn from the global pandemic, its take it day-by-day, moment-by-moment. Reliving the past or anticipating the future is wasting away the present. Be in the here and now. You’re at practice with your teammates, enjoy it. 5. Practice Gratitude: In the beginning of the year, at some point, you probably felt like you were too tired to go to practice or you didn’t want to do that one drill or play in that position on the field. Practice gratitude for what you are allowed to do. You’re allowed to practice in small groups? Great, be thankful and enjoy the moment. Don’t be wishing you were playing full field games. Don’t wish you were anywhere else. Remain in the moment and be thankful for it. Practice thankfulness and you’ll be happy and more present.
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Longstreth Sporting Goods proudly announces a special event to kick off the Lacrosse Season. Professional women’s lacrosse athlete, Marie McCool will run a demonstration and meet and greet at Longstreth’s Spring City, PA campus.
Register for the Marie McCool meet and greet before the event. Marie McCool was the second overall pick of the 2018 Women’s Professional Lacrosse League College Draft. McCool who was the two-way midfielder from the University of North Carolina, became part of the WPLL’s Baltimore Brave. Marie was named the MVP of the WPLL last summer, in its inaugural year. Marie is perhaps the most decorated player in UNC women’s lacrosse history. She is the only two-time Tewaaraton Award finalist in Carolina history (2017, 2018). One of eight UNC players to be named first-team All-ACC three times and one of three to be a three-time first-team All-America. McCool was named 2018 National Midfielder of the Year and is the first player in ACC history to win the ACC Mid-fielder of the Year award twice. She was and still is a member of the US Lacrosse World Cup team. She played in England in July 2017, one of two college players on the squad. “It’s our mission to support and grow women’s lacrosse. Bringing professional female athletes to our site is a great way for young girls to meet players who are role models in the game – on and off the field,” stated Nikki Stevenson, Longstreth’s Lacrosse Manager. “We’ve hosted many of these events. It’s always inspiring to see young athletes meeting some of the greatest women in their sport.” Dedicated to female athletes for 40 years, Longstreth has a mission to support and grow the sports of field hockey, women’s lacrosse, and fastpitch softball by providing the best gear available for athletes at all levels. Longstreth has consistently been a source for female players – both beginners and elite – for equipment, uniforms, and expert advice. While specializing in field hockey, lacrosse, and fastpitch softball, Longstreth can also outfit almost any team or athlete. Located outside of Philadelphia, PA, Longstreth supplies uniforms, equipment, footwear, and training gear for female athletes across the United States. Visit www.longstreth.com to see the full selection of products. Ali Froede, a Longstreth Sporting Goods sponsored player, recently did a Q&A session with us on her experience at FIH Hockey World League Semi-Finals. Froede has been a member of the USA Field Hockey Women’s National Team since 2015, where she plays defense. She attended Miami University of Ohio, and while there, was awarded First-Team All MAC twice, as well as NFHCA All-West Region Second Team in 2014. First things first, we had to know what her top three favorite moments on the trip were in regards to hockey, and playing in the tournament. She replied that her favorite memory was, of course, winning! She elaborated and said, “This was the first time we have ever won a quarterfinal game – let alone make it to the finals and win.” Her second favorite moment was the thrill of her first major tournament. She said that South Africa was a lot of fun to play in, and that the environment itself was great. Lastly, she recalled that one day at practice two boys were standing at the fence watching them. She said that the team then invited them to play around, and also gave them USA pinnies and sticks, which the boys were super excited about.
We were also curious as to how the team moved past the losses to Argentina and South Africa. We wanted to know if it made things more difficult, or if it made them work even harder. Froede explained that losing to Argentina was not as bad as losing to South Africa. She gave her reasoning when she said, “One, they were the host nation so with that brought a huge supportive crowd that made themselves heard. Two, we felt that we could have definitely won that game, but let exterior factors inhibit us from playing our game – like the refs and the crowd.” In order for the team to get back on track, Froede said, “As a team, we came together and got back to our basics. We are constantly focused on ‘doing our jobs’ – a staple we often remind ourselves to do, and we started playing UN1TED, which ultimately started us in the direction of the finals.” Many new players have been added to the USA Field Hockey Women’s National Team, and we were curious how that affected their game. Froede said, “A focus of the tournament was learning how to play together with new faces. As one of the newer players, it was a great experience to play so many games and gain confidence in myself and my skills on the field.” There are a bunch of neat things to see in South Africa, that you can’t typically see here, so we wanted to know what fun adventures the team went on while they were there. Froede said that on the last day they were in South Africa, they got to go to a lion park. “My favorite was playing [with] and petting the baby lions!” said Froede. “They were so cute and fluffy, and it was amazing getting to touch an animal you normally don’t get to see that close! We also got to feed giraffes, see zebras, wild dogs, and wildebeests. It was a great way to end the trip.” As the Pan American Cup approaches, we wanted to know what the team has learned from this experience in order to have further success in Pan Ams. Froede graciously responded, “We learned that we perform our best when we focus on our individual jobs, and play together and UN1TED. Going into the PAC we are going to take one game at a time and focus on our jobs for the moment.” Although playing in South Africa was fun, Froede is looking forward to playing in front of a home crowd for the Pan Ams. Longstreth Sporting Goods would like to congratulate the USA Field Hockey Women’s National Team on their extraordinary win in the FIH World Hockey League Semi-Finals, and wish them further success in the Pan American Cup. Visit the Longstreth Sporting Goods website to learn more about our sponsored Field Hockey players. |
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