LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Six hours a week is about one-third the time the Assumption field hockey team would normally be together this time of year practicing. And they are trying to hang on to those.Â
"I missed it so much when we couldn't play," senior midfielder Becca Kline said. "It was awful. Getting out here, being with our coach and our teammates, it's so fun. This is a team that's irreplaceable. I just love being around them."
"We all try to talk to each other about wearing masks when we go out and being safe with who we're hanging out and not going to super big parties so no one gets sick," senior midfielder Kate Wheeler said. "If one person gets sick, we're out for two weeks, and that's a lot of time."
"We're trying to stay safe so we can stay together, because this is our happiest place," Kline added.
Head coach Jody Schaeder added another form of cross-training to the Rockets program during last year's run to their 11th state title. And if something works, she's going to try it again, which is why there were a couple of dance team members leading the field hockey team through moves to a song in a recent early-morning practice.Â
Schaefer also added another form of cross-training to the Rockets program during last year's run to their 11th state title. And if something works, she's going to try it again. Which is why there were a couple of dance team members leading the field hockey team through moves to a song in a recent early-morning practice.Â
"We did it last year, and Schaefer swears it's the way we won state because we were able to get on the same wavelength with each other," Kline said with a smile. "It's supposed to help us."
Kline seemed to be coming around to the benefits the more she talked about it.
"We connected psychologically, and we do have an unbreakable bond," she said. "So maybe it has helped. It's super fun and fun to get out there and laugh together, because nothing can bond a team together like laughter and joy."
Schaefer believes it's a good workout and helps keep the group loose. Â
"When you do a lot of brain research, dance is a big team-building thing," she said. "They use it in corporations because if you have to move with another person, you have to connect with them on a different level."Â Â
If the season happens, it will be without the out-of-state tournaments that would have made up almost half of Assumption's regular season schedule and more bonding opportunities. The team was supposed to be playing in Virginia, Pennsylvania and St. Louis.Â
"One of my seniors said, 'If I knew last year was the last trip I would take with Assumption field hockey, I would have cherished it a little more,'" Schaefer said. "I think that's the lesson that we're taking from this. Every time they step out here on the field, they are loving every second that they have out here, because they don't know when it's gonna go. And they've lived without it for a little while, and they don't want to live without it any more. They need it."
Official practices are currently scheduled to begin Aug. 24 with the season to begin the week of Sept. 7.
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