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’94 Champs, Catching up with Heather Colbert Eckert
10/16/2014 3:06:00 PM | Field Hockey
With field hockey celebrating the 20th anniversary of the program's 1994 national championship, we catch up with several members of the squad to learn more about where they are now, how JMU and JMU Athletics has shaped their lives and what special memories they carry with them from that magical season. This week, we focus on goalkeeper Heather Colbert Eckert.
What specific memories do you have from the 1994 season, both in the regular season and the postseason?
My season started with the ride home from UNC, the last game of the 1993 season. We had to talk to coach and share how the next year would be different. For me, what could I say to her – I'll cheer louder? I had sat pretty much the whole year during games, and I didn't have the ability to say the spot was mine next year. I have no idea what I said to her. Internally, I was determined to go out with a bang, just as I had come in. This was my motivation that no one knew about. My workouts started the next day. When spring ball started, I knew it was going to be my year. I was running in the middle of the pack (normally I was at the back!) and I felt a different respect developing. Teammates knew I was serious about my last year at Madison!
Finally beating the 7-minute mile, with a whopping 6:59.
Being kicked out of preseason practice and told to go home. I wasn't one to show my emotion, and one day I did. It was several days into three-a-days; my co-hort Tara Perilla (goalkeeper) had been fighting muscle injuries, so I was pulling double duty in the cage, and a select few of us were being asked to also run a 40-minute run in between sessions. This particular day, I was ready to head back to the dorm for a much needed nap. I was just exhausted mentally, physically and emotionally. The rest of the group wanted to go on our group run right then. I lost it, with a coach right there. We went on the run, and I made the most of it. At our next session, I was off to my room not the field.The experience didn't end there though…the next day I was being told by Christy I had to apologize to the team, and would need to do so after the team picture. Talk about being ticked off, yet having to find the right words as a "senior leader". Months later, we joked how "happy" I was for that team picture.
Every time I see it, I think of that day!
One of the best feelings came early in the year when we beat ODU in strokes on our own field. What a difference from freshman year when we lost to them 10-0. Our skills had caught up.
Our battles at practice always brought out the best in each other. Offense versus the goalkeepers, handball, any competition between groups really.
Being knocked out of the game during our pregame warm-up for VCU, by a freshman (fluke chip shot, a shot she could never lift in practice!!!). This game meant a lot to me personally. It was against VCU my sophomore year that the tide had switched, playing to sitting on the bench for games. I had been going through my senior year wanting to change my memories of my sophomore season, and this was the last game to do that with. Twenty years later, I'm still mad I didn't get the chance to settle the score and walk off the field with a personal satisfaction of playing my best against VCU.
Being on crutches for senior day…having the fish gloves/hat to keep me warm!
After our loss to ODU in the CAA Finals, thinking, I had forgotten to envision us winning CAA's. It was upsetting; however, we had to move on. I went to dinner with our freshmen and recruits that were on campus that weekend, and put it behind me. I knew we were still going to make the finals and be okay. I still can't explain the inner confidence we felt as a unit. It just happened.
My last game on Godwin Field. We were playing Penn State to go to the Final Four. We were already in overtime. I knew I was going to be in Boston no matter what the outcome of the game at hand was, yet I didn't want to be there just with Eileen Arnaldo for the Senior All-Star Game. I wanted to experience Boston again with the entire team and to end my JMU career with the entire team! This was very comforting and kept me calm for the rest of the game. It gave me that extra push to make a split save on an incredible shot, which Renee Ranere cleared out of the circle. At that moment, I knew we were going to score and head to Boston.
At what point of the season did you get the feeling that this could build into something special?
From the first day of preseason, there was just a quiet, unexplainable inner confidence amongst all of us. I think the confidence grew strongly on back-to-back weekends the first month of the season. Our second game of the season was against Penn State at Happy Valley. The game went into overtime, and we could not finish it with a win. We ended with a tie. After the game ended, Kelly Krieger and I were speaking with a high school teammate who played for PSU. She was sharing how she was exhausted and was just glad to have the game over and to have gotten a tie. For us, we were like we could have gone another hour playing. We wanted it and felt we deserved that win. I think the PSU game impacted our next game and the rest of the season. The next game was ODU. ODU was always a challenge. We just controlled aspects of the game this year and kept plugging away through regulation, overtime, and golden goal. And then we got to the stroke off. How many times we had practiced this to prepare us for this moment. I was thinking it's here already (I had envisioned winning the championship this way)…I loved strokes, and my teammates were awesome strokers. Bam…goal…goal…goal…goal. We beat ODU during the regular season for the first time in our careers. It was the most awesome feeling, and we celebrated as we had literally won the national championship that day. We even had a dog pile. For me, it showed how far we had come since freshmen…losing to ODU 10-0. It was confirmation that our hard work was starting to pay off.
What were your thoughts and emotions entering the championship game? How do you remember your emotions evolving as the game progressed?
We deserved to be where we were. We had put the work in to be there. We may not have been as skilled as the other teams were; however, we had a team heart that just kept fighting for each other. I think we were more nervous about the semifinal game because we had no distractions on that day. The day of the big game, we go out to catch the bus; however, the bus is NOT there. I remember sitting on the curb watching Janet Lucas pace back and forth, as she's ordering cabs. Yes, it was a little odd and put the routine out of whack, yet looking back it was the best thing that happened that day for us. We knew how to deal with adversity, and how to find the positive in it, so we just went with it. I was in a cab with Carole Thate, Renee Ranere and Kelly Bloomer I think. We went one way, the next cab that pulled out went the opposite direction. We were just hoping that we all made it to the field on time. That cab ride was when the fun started. The laughing relaxed us. Everyone around us was more than nervous/anxious for all of us. As we exited the cab at the field, we saw some parents. They were completely confused as there was no bus, and there was only 4 of us. The conversation took us away from the hoopla of the game as we walked in. Pregame was normal, yet Tara Perilla and I knew we were on. The shot selection of our team was just awesome. For a time we couldn't make a save. We just kept looking at each other asking where the shots were coming from. The game started and it was a good one. They scored first, yet I knew we would be back and we would still come out on top. I had dreamed we would win the championship in strokes the previous summer, so we still had time. Most of the game is a blur now, yet I remember a few plays. We were on a series of defensive corners, and we just couldn't get the ball out. People were frustrated; however, I remember looking at the defensive corner team and commenting, "we didn't do 6 a.m. practices for nothing. Get this ball out of here!" Moments later the ref is asking if we were going to pull the offside trap. We hadn't planned on it; however, in that instant, Renee Renare changed the call to take advantage of the ref's awareness. The trap was successful, and the ball finally got out of the defensive end. We finally tied it, and just kept going back and forth until time ran out. On the way back to the bench, I overheard a UNC comment, and I knew it was our game to finish. We loved the stroke off situation. Bloomer was woofing down a Snickers bar, and we were walking to the cage to get it started before the refs had called us. We all knew it was ours to finish.
Describe your emotions once penalty strokes finished and the realization struck that you were national champions?
I just remember wanting to jump up and down to share it with family, friends and fans in the stands. I remember Meagan Hoke (a senior my freshman year) being there sharing her excitement for us, and us sharing it with her. She was part of our success that day.
I think it hit me most when we were at the airport waiting to go home. I remember standing at a payphone calling my dad to share the good news with him and my stepmom, while holding the trophy. (They couldn't make the game as my step mom was battling terminal cancer.) We also had our championship watches on asking anyone who walked by, do you need to know what time it is?
Was the national championship your favorite game from the 1994 season or does another stand out?
I have to say it was our first ODU game, and winning it by strokes. It was just a great win for us, especially as a senior.
Aside from just the 1994 season, what are some of your overall favorite JMU Field Hockey memories?
First trip to JMU in the fall of 1990 – my recruiting trip. As soon as my dad turned by the lake, I shared I was going to JMU. Hadn't yet talked to anyone on campus that day. The campus was just the right fit for me.
During preseason of freshman year, we had a team meeting by the steps up to D-Hall by the tennis courts/stadium. Christy was telling us, she was going to win a national championship, with or without us. It was our choice whether we would be there too.
Our team building experiences – Purcell Park, Camp Horizons, Blue Hole, Massanutten trust walk with Greg Werner, mountain biking, team meetings, handball
The freshman my senior year…their enthusiasm, excitement, goofiness, and can't forget those silly songs
6 a.m. practices/spring trips
Now, being asked if I wanted to transfer my sophomore year (wasn't so happy at the time though)
How thankful I was of the RA showing up just in the nick of time to get me back into my dorm room. My first weekend in my freshman dorm room, I locked myself out of my room, then out of the dorm while trying to find someone with a key. I was in my bathrobe. I was minutes away from having to walk to D-Hall this way because I could not be late to the team dinner!!
Eileen Arnaldo's and my trip to watch indoor nationals at Towson the spring of our freshman year...it was an experience
Did the championship team have any pregame rituals/traditions? If yes, what were they?
I was a goalkeeper, so I did my own thing on game days. And I had my routine/superstitions for sure. I tried to create consistency for ease of mind. It usually started early morning with a bagel than a 15-20 minute run and stretch. Had the lucky underwear, shorts and sweatshirt. On the road, it was always pancakes and syrup (Had to ask for a special order before the semifinal game as they were not part of the buffet. For the championship game day, Janet Lucas had already ordered them for me.). The warm-up was the same, how I put the equipment on. Then during the final stanza of the national anthem, I was telling myself in my head "my game, my year." The team cheer always ended with "together finish."
Did you have a nickname on the team? If yes, what was it? If not, who had the best one?
Colbert or Bert usually; however, was also Colby and Colbs…the freshmen always had a song going so it varied
Coach Morgan left JMU field hockey for a period of time and returned this year. What are your thoughts on her return to the program?
It is awesome. She brings such a different vibe/energy to the program. I saw the first game of the 2013 season and it was disappointing to watch as an alum. I felt so bad for the kids. It was the first game, and I knew it was going to be a long year for them. This year's first game…the energy was back. The players looked and played like they wanted to be there. The fun of playing was starting to come back for them. It was night and day. I did love watching them earn their first win of the season. Last year, when the position opened my husband asked me – will Christy go back to JMU? I thought absolutely. I think it's a great fit. Her philosophy goes hand-in-hand with the university's mission. I think she's going to do great. The players seem to have bought into the new philosophy and positivity really well so far this season.
What impact do you expect Coach Morgan to make upon her return to the program?
Bringing the fun of the game back to the players and for them to understand the true meaning of team, as well as what it means to be the best you can be as a team and as a human being and player. What it takes to be a champion – both in life and on the field.
How much do you follow the current JMU field hockey team either by attending games or via JMUSports.com or social media?
Since I live in Ohio, it is usually by internet that I keep tabs on the happenings of the team. Yet every game that is played at Kent State, I'm at. It's bragging rights in my house. I met my husband while I was coaching at Kent and he was working there. He is also a Kent alum.
This year's game was really special for me. There was no way I was going to miss it. I wanted to be there for Christy as she started her second career at JMU. I was a freshman on her first team back in 1991, and we began the year at Ohio State also with a win. It brought back a lot of great memories and some chuckles as I was listening to the parents share some of the experiences their girls were now facing. Much was the same. It was neat to be able to share the similar experiences I had, and to share they will survive and grow from them as they get older and create their lives away from hockey and the team. One day they too will look back and laugh at how stressed they were at the time.
The best part though was sharing what the ultimate goal to obtain is – the national championship ring!Where we had to see another college's ring to understand it, the girls were seeing one with JMU on it and being able to hold it.Their faces said it all for me.I hope members of this year's team get to experience it one day.
How much contact have you maintained with Coach Morgan and the other championship team players?
I stayed in contact with Coach the longest. The last few years it has been really limited. When I took a traditional office job, I didn't have the same freedoms of picking up the phone during the day and talking, as well as our distance from one another. Last time I saw her prior to this fall was back in 2009 while visiting family in Florida. It was important for me to share my husband and young son with her.
It's been limited with my teammates, yet I think of them often when I see something that reminds me of them (quirky cow chachka, hamburger magnets, somebody saying "dude", hearing the Lion King song or the banana song). I was a quiet, do my own thing off the field person. I needed my own space. Looking back that's one of my regrets, not getting to know my teammates in a different way and keeping in touch.
How often do you return to campus or when was the last time you returned?
Last time I was on campus was 10 years ago for our last hockey reunion. I'm really looking forward to the visit in November because so much has changed on campus. I also get to share it with my son. He will finally get to see the Royal Dukes play the fight song in person. It's been one of his favorite songs since he was really little.
Does field hockey still play a role is your life? If so, how?
Hockey is always going to play a part in my life. It has taught me so much. I'm no longer actively involved in the game, yet my playing and coaching experiences are always impacting me professionally. I just attended a training session on leadership, and my correlation of understanding the material was to field hockey and the different roles I have experienced – player, coach, program director, referee. It still is my favorite sport to watch.
What did you first do after graduating from JMU? (personally and/or professionally)
After graduation, I stayed on at JMU as a graduate student coach for a year; however, the timing to be in graduate school just wasn't right for me personally. The only position that next fall in Division I was at Kent State. I moved to Ohio thinking I would be there a few years and move on; however, I found my future husband. The coaching experience was very different than what I had known previously, and I found a new opportunity to work in the sports industry in Greater Cleveland. I helped to develop indoor sport facilities and program development for them. This lasted until we started a family at which time I took a more traditional job from 9 to 5.
What are your current professional endeavors?
I've been with the Jewish Federation of Cleveland almost eight years now, and have worked my way up to the Conference Center Supervisor. Rather than paying attention to the details for a tournament or practice, I handle meeting and special event needs for internal and external organizations of the local Jewish community.
Where do you currently reside?
Brecksville, Ohio (about 14 miles south of Cleveland)
Have you had any other unique stories to tell, especially related to JMU field hockey or opportunities you've had since?
Through my jobs and experiences, I've met a lot of people where field hockey was a common thread amongst us and had ties to the championship season, and even the game itself. These talks really showed me how special our experience was at Madison, and how special our team was. We would talk for hours with teammates and coaches, and would want to spend time together at practice. Most couldn't believe we had that experience.
I think the funniest was when my husband came home sharing a new colleague of his was at the Final Four with one of the other teams, and talked about all the controversy that our team had created. I was dumbfounded as to what she was referring to. I had to go back through our article book to find what it was about. I couldn't remember anything. I just laughed, when I discovered the comments were regarding our ability to lift the hockey ball to advance it down the field. Others found it controversial. We looked at it as a skill we developed and made it work for us.
How much did your experiences with JMU field hockey shape the last 20 years of your life?
It's helped me so much. I learned to trust people in a way I had never known before, to be vulnerable and to communicate. I may not have done this as a player as much as I do now, yet these are keys things in my marriage and how we are raising our son. There is also the resiliency to push through tough situations and to stay the course and do the right thing, even when it is not a popular decision. And lastly the ability to prepare and know when to jump on newly created opportunities for yourself, team or family. I recently accepted more responsibility at work to grow as an individual and to be challenged in a way I have not previously experienced. Is it scary at times? Absolutely. Yet I know from the hockey experiences, it is all part of the process to get to a higher level of understanding and more growth opportunities. It just takes time and a willingness to learn something new.
What do you like to do with your time outside of work/obligations?
I'm still a home body, spending my time with a small group of family, friends and neighbors. Now that our son is older I'm hoping to be able to start traveling more and seeing places we haven't yet explored.
Anything else you want to share to help tell the story of the 1994 championship season?
It wasn't just those of us on the field that season. It was every member of the team that made this experience possible. We had red-shirted freshman, medical staff, JMU staff, professors, friends, parents, family members who helped us achieve the ultimate goal. Looking back everyone had a role, and fulfilled it to their best of abilities. It was truly a special group of individuals that came together to achieve the goals of the '94 team!
What specific memories do you have from the 1994 season, both in the regular season and the postseason?
My season started with the ride home from UNC, the last game of the 1993 season. We had to talk to coach and share how the next year would be different. For me, what could I say to her – I'll cheer louder? I had sat pretty much the whole year during games, and I didn't have the ability to say the spot was mine next year. I have no idea what I said to her. Internally, I was determined to go out with a bang, just as I had come in. This was my motivation that no one knew about. My workouts started the next day. When spring ball started, I knew it was going to be my year. I was running in the middle of the pack (normally I was at the back!) and I felt a different respect developing. Teammates knew I was serious about my last year at Madison!
Finally beating the 7-minute mile, with a whopping 6:59.
Being kicked out of preseason practice and told to go home. I wasn't one to show my emotion, and one day I did. It was several days into three-a-days; my co-hort Tara Perilla (goalkeeper) had been fighting muscle injuries, so I was pulling double duty in the cage, and a select few of us were being asked to also run a 40-minute run in between sessions. This particular day, I was ready to head back to the dorm for a much needed nap. I was just exhausted mentally, physically and emotionally. The rest of the group wanted to go on our group run right then. I lost it, with a coach right there. We went on the run, and I made the most of it. At our next session, I was off to my room not the field.The experience didn't end there though…the next day I was being told by Christy I had to apologize to the team, and would need to do so after the team picture. Talk about being ticked off, yet having to find the right words as a "senior leader". Months later, we joked how "happy" I was for that team picture.
Every time I see it, I think of that day!
One of the best feelings came early in the year when we beat ODU in strokes on our own field. What a difference from freshman year when we lost to them 10-0. Our skills had caught up.
Our battles at practice always brought out the best in each other. Offense versus the goalkeepers, handball, any competition between groups really.
Being knocked out of the game during our pregame warm-up for VCU, by a freshman (fluke chip shot, a shot she could never lift in practice!!!). This game meant a lot to me personally. It was against VCU my sophomore year that the tide had switched, playing to sitting on the bench for games. I had been going through my senior year wanting to change my memories of my sophomore season, and this was the last game to do that with. Twenty years later, I'm still mad I didn't get the chance to settle the score and walk off the field with a personal satisfaction of playing my best against VCU.
Being on crutches for senior day…having the fish gloves/hat to keep me warm!
After our loss to ODU in the CAA Finals, thinking, I had forgotten to envision us winning CAA's. It was upsetting; however, we had to move on. I went to dinner with our freshmen and recruits that were on campus that weekend, and put it behind me. I knew we were still going to make the finals and be okay. I still can't explain the inner confidence we felt as a unit. It just happened.
My last game on Godwin Field. We were playing Penn State to go to the Final Four. We were already in overtime. I knew I was going to be in Boston no matter what the outcome of the game at hand was, yet I didn't want to be there just with Eileen Arnaldo for the Senior All-Star Game. I wanted to experience Boston again with the entire team and to end my JMU career with the entire team! This was very comforting and kept me calm for the rest of the game. It gave me that extra push to make a split save on an incredible shot, which Renee Ranere cleared out of the circle. At that moment, I knew we were going to score and head to Boston.
At what point of the season did you get the feeling that this could build into something special?
From the first day of preseason, there was just a quiet, unexplainable inner confidence amongst all of us. I think the confidence grew strongly on back-to-back weekends the first month of the season. Our second game of the season was against Penn State at Happy Valley. The game went into overtime, and we could not finish it with a win. We ended with a tie. After the game ended, Kelly Krieger and I were speaking with a high school teammate who played for PSU. She was sharing how she was exhausted and was just glad to have the game over and to have gotten a tie. For us, we were like we could have gone another hour playing. We wanted it and felt we deserved that win. I think the PSU game impacted our next game and the rest of the season. The next game was ODU. ODU was always a challenge. We just controlled aspects of the game this year and kept plugging away through regulation, overtime, and golden goal. And then we got to the stroke off. How many times we had practiced this to prepare us for this moment. I was thinking it's here already (I had envisioned winning the championship this way)…I loved strokes, and my teammates were awesome strokers. Bam…goal…goal…goal…goal. We beat ODU during the regular season for the first time in our careers. It was the most awesome feeling, and we celebrated as we had literally won the national championship that day. We even had a dog pile. For me, it showed how far we had come since freshmen…losing to ODU 10-0. It was confirmation that our hard work was starting to pay off.
What were your thoughts and emotions entering the championship game? How do you remember your emotions evolving as the game progressed?
We deserved to be where we were. We had put the work in to be there. We may not have been as skilled as the other teams were; however, we had a team heart that just kept fighting for each other. I think we were more nervous about the semifinal game because we had no distractions on that day. The day of the big game, we go out to catch the bus; however, the bus is NOT there. I remember sitting on the curb watching Janet Lucas pace back and forth, as she's ordering cabs. Yes, it was a little odd and put the routine out of whack, yet looking back it was the best thing that happened that day for us. We knew how to deal with adversity, and how to find the positive in it, so we just went with it. I was in a cab with Carole Thate, Renee Ranere and Kelly Bloomer I think. We went one way, the next cab that pulled out went the opposite direction. We were just hoping that we all made it to the field on time. That cab ride was when the fun started. The laughing relaxed us. Everyone around us was more than nervous/anxious for all of us. As we exited the cab at the field, we saw some parents. They were completely confused as there was no bus, and there was only 4 of us. The conversation took us away from the hoopla of the game as we walked in. Pregame was normal, yet Tara Perilla and I knew we were on. The shot selection of our team was just awesome. For a time we couldn't make a save. We just kept looking at each other asking where the shots were coming from. The game started and it was a good one. They scored first, yet I knew we would be back and we would still come out on top. I had dreamed we would win the championship in strokes the previous summer, so we still had time. Most of the game is a blur now, yet I remember a few plays. We were on a series of defensive corners, and we just couldn't get the ball out. People were frustrated; however, I remember looking at the defensive corner team and commenting, "we didn't do 6 a.m. practices for nothing. Get this ball out of here!" Moments later the ref is asking if we were going to pull the offside trap. We hadn't planned on it; however, in that instant, Renee Renare changed the call to take advantage of the ref's awareness. The trap was successful, and the ball finally got out of the defensive end. We finally tied it, and just kept going back and forth until time ran out. On the way back to the bench, I overheard a UNC comment, and I knew it was our game to finish. We loved the stroke off situation. Bloomer was woofing down a Snickers bar, and we were walking to the cage to get it started before the refs had called us. We all knew it was ours to finish.
Describe your emotions once penalty strokes finished and the realization struck that you were national champions?
I just remember wanting to jump up and down to share it with family, friends and fans in the stands. I remember Meagan Hoke (a senior my freshman year) being there sharing her excitement for us, and us sharing it with her. She was part of our success that day.
I think it hit me most when we were at the airport waiting to go home. I remember standing at a payphone calling my dad to share the good news with him and my stepmom, while holding the trophy. (They couldn't make the game as my step mom was battling terminal cancer.) We also had our championship watches on asking anyone who walked by, do you need to know what time it is?
Was the national championship your favorite game from the 1994 season or does another stand out?
I have to say it was our first ODU game, and winning it by strokes. It was just a great win for us, especially as a senior.
Aside from just the 1994 season, what are some of your overall favorite JMU Field Hockey memories?
First trip to JMU in the fall of 1990 – my recruiting trip. As soon as my dad turned by the lake, I shared I was going to JMU. Hadn't yet talked to anyone on campus that day. The campus was just the right fit for me.
During preseason of freshman year, we had a team meeting by the steps up to D-Hall by the tennis courts/stadium. Christy was telling us, she was going to win a national championship, with or without us. It was our choice whether we would be there too.
Our team building experiences – Purcell Park, Camp Horizons, Blue Hole, Massanutten trust walk with Greg Werner, mountain biking, team meetings, handball
The freshman my senior year…their enthusiasm, excitement, goofiness, and can't forget those silly songs
6 a.m. practices/spring trips
Now, being asked if I wanted to transfer my sophomore year (wasn't so happy at the time though)
How thankful I was of the RA showing up just in the nick of time to get me back into my dorm room. My first weekend in my freshman dorm room, I locked myself out of my room, then out of the dorm while trying to find someone with a key. I was in my bathrobe. I was minutes away from having to walk to D-Hall this way because I could not be late to the team dinner!!
Eileen Arnaldo's and my trip to watch indoor nationals at Towson the spring of our freshman year...it was an experience
Did the championship team have any pregame rituals/traditions? If yes, what were they?
I was a goalkeeper, so I did my own thing on game days. And I had my routine/superstitions for sure. I tried to create consistency for ease of mind. It usually started early morning with a bagel than a 15-20 minute run and stretch. Had the lucky underwear, shorts and sweatshirt. On the road, it was always pancakes and syrup (Had to ask for a special order before the semifinal game as they were not part of the buffet. For the championship game day, Janet Lucas had already ordered them for me.). The warm-up was the same, how I put the equipment on. Then during the final stanza of the national anthem, I was telling myself in my head "my game, my year." The team cheer always ended with "together finish."
Did you have a nickname on the team? If yes, what was it? If not, who had the best one?
Colbert or Bert usually; however, was also Colby and Colbs…the freshmen always had a song going so it varied
Coach Morgan left JMU field hockey for a period of time and returned this year. What are your thoughts on her return to the program?
It is awesome. She brings such a different vibe/energy to the program. I saw the first game of the 2013 season and it was disappointing to watch as an alum. I felt so bad for the kids. It was the first game, and I knew it was going to be a long year for them. This year's first game…the energy was back. The players looked and played like they wanted to be there. The fun of playing was starting to come back for them. It was night and day. I did love watching them earn their first win of the season. Last year, when the position opened my husband asked me – will Christy go back to JMU? I thought absolutely. I think it's a great fit. Her philosophy goes hand-in-hand with the university's mission. I think she's going to do great. The players seem to have bought into the new philosophy and positivity really well so far this season.
What impact do you expect Coach Morgan to make upon her return to the program?
Bringing the fun of the game back to the players and for them to understand the true meaning of team, as well as what it means to be the best you can be as a team and as a human being and player. What it takes to be a champion – both in life and on the field.
How much do you follow the current JMU field hockey team either by attending games or via JMUSports.com or social media?
Since I live in Ohio, it is usually by internet that I keep tabs on the happenings of the team. Yet every game that is played at Kent State, I'm at. It's bragging rights in my house. I met my husband while I was coaching at Kent and he was working there. He is also a Kent alum.
This year's game was really special for me. There was no way I was going to miss it. I wanted to be there for Christy as she started her second career at JMU. I was a freshman on her first team back in 1991, and we began the year at Ohio State also with a win. It brought back a lot of great memories and some chuckles as I was listening to the parents share some of the experiences their girls were now facing. Much was the same. It was neat to be able to share the similar experiences I had, and to share they will survive and grow from them as they get older and create their lives away from hockey and the team. One day they too will look back and laugh at how stressed they were at the time.
The best part though was sharing what the ultimate goal to obtain is – the national championship ring!Where we had to see another college's ring to understand it, the girls were seeing one with JMU on it and being able to hold it.Their faces said it all for me.I hope members of this year's team get to experience it one day.
How much contact have you maintained with Coach Morgan and the other championship team players?
I stayed in contact with Coach the longest. The last few years it has been really limited. When I took a traditional office job, I didn't have the same freedoms of picking up the phone during the day and talking, as well as our distance from one another. Last time I saw her prior to this fall was back in 2009 while visiting family in Florida. It was important for me to share my husband and young son with her.
It's been limited with my teammates, yet I think of them often when I see something that reminds me of them (quirky cow chachka, hamburger magnets, somebody saying "dude", hearing the Lion King song or the banana song). I was a quiet, do my own thing off the field person. I needed my own space. Looking back that's one of my regrets, not getting to know my teammates in a different way and keeping in touch.
How often do you return to campus or when was the last time you returned?
Last time I was on campus was 10 years ago for our last hockey reunion. I'm really looking forward to the visit in November because so much has changed on campus. I also get to share it with my son. He will finally get to see the Royal Dukes play the fight song in person. It's been one of his favorite songs since he was really little.
Does field hockey still play a role is your life? If so, how?
Hockey is always going to play a part in my life. It has taught me so much. I'm no longer actively involved in the game, yet my playing and coaching experiences are always impacting me professionally. I just attended a training session on leadership, and my correlation of understanding the material was to field hockey and the different roles I have experienced – player, coach, program director, referee. It still is my favorite sport to watch.
What did you first do after graduating from JMU? (personally and/or professionally)
After graduation, I stayed on at JMU as a graduate student coach for a year; however, the timing to be in graduate school just wasn't right for me personally. The only position that next fall in Division I was at Kent State. I moved to Ohio thinking I would be there a few years and move on; however, I found my future husband. The coaching experience was very different than what I had known previously, and I found a new opportunity to work in the sports industry in Greater Cleveland. I helped to develop indoor sport facilities and program development for them. This lasted until we started a family at which time I took a more traditional job from 9 to 5.
What are your current professional endeavors?
I've been with the Jewish Federation of Cleveland almost eight years now, and have worked my way up to the Conference Center Supervisor. Rather than paying attention to the details for a tournament or practice, I handle meeting and special event needs for internal and external organizations of the local Jewish community.
Where do you currently reside?
Brecksville, Ohio (about 14 miles south of Cleveland)
Have you had any other unique stories to tell, especially related to JMU field hockey or opportunities you've had since?
Through my jobs and experiences, I've met a lot of people where field hockey was a common thread amongst us and had ties to the championship season, and even the game itself. These talks really showed me how special our experience was at Madison, and how special our team was. We would talk for hours with teammates and coaches, and would want to spend time together at practice. Most couldn't believe we had that experience.
I think the funniest was when my husband came home sharing a new colleague of his was at the Final Four with one of the other teams, and talked about all the controversy that our team had created. I was dumbfounded as to what she was referring to. I had to go back through our article book to find what it was about. I couldn't remember anything. I just laughed, when I discovered the comments were regarding our ability to lift the hockey ball to advance it down the field. Others found it controversial. We looked at it as a skill we developed and made it work for us.
How much did your experiences with JMU field hockey shape the last 20 years of your life?
It's helped me so much. I learned to trust people in a way I had never known before, to be vulnerable and to communicate. I may not have done this as a player as much as I do now, yet these are keys things in my marriage and how we are raising our son. There is also the resiliency to push through tough situations and to stay the course and do the right thing, even when it is not a popular decision. And lastly the ability to prepare and know when to jump on newly created opportunities for yourself, team or family. I recently accepted more responsibility at work to grow as an individual and to be challenged in a way I have not previously experienced. Is it scary at times? Absolutely. Yet I know from the hockey experiences, it is all part of the process to get to a higher level of understanding and more growth opportunities. It just takes time and a willingness to learn something new.
What do you like to do with your time outside of work/obligations?
I'm still a home body, spending my time with a small group of family, friends and neighbors. Now that our son is older I'm hoping to be able to start traveling more and seeing places we haven't yet explored.
Anything else you want to share to help tell the story of the 1994 championship season?
It wasn't just those of us on the field that season. It was every member of the team that made this experience possible. We had red-shirted freshman, medical staff, JMU staff, professors, friends, parents, family members who helped us achieve the ultimate goal. Looking back everyone had a role, and fulfilled it to their best of abilities. It was truly a special group of individuals that came together to achieve the goals of the '94 team!
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