Greetings CFHA Family!
So recently I moved away from Arlington, VA and all of the
CFHA family in the Washington D.C. area to start grad school at Duke University
in North Carolina. It has been a crazy transition and I have deeply missed all of the
DC CFHA ladies. In order to really embrace my new life I decided to start
playing field hockey on the club team. I figured it would be a great way to get
some exercise and meet some new people. I was a little nervous going to the
first practice thinking that 1) I wouldn’t be very good anymore 2) I would be
crazy sore the next day 3) my new teammates wouldn’t be anywhere near as
fantastic as my Cornell teammates and 4) I really prefer wearing Cornell RED
uniforms and I’m not going to like wearing a Duke uniform at all. I get to the
field and the first thing said to me was “are you a freshman?” I just laugh,
but really I’m thinking, “Wow, I’m 26 years old and I look like I’m 18….I’ve
really regressed in my life….maybe this club field hockey thing was a bad idea.”
Then everyone else gets there and we talk for a little bit about team logistics
and then we go around and introduce ourselves and a girl a few spots down from
me introduces herself as “Tierney.” My jaw drops and I immediately stare at her
and think, “What??? This is NOT the Tierney I know….she is not the prettiest
goalie in the NCAA…..she’s not even a goalie and she doesn’t have curly
tendrils.” Wrapping my head around having the other “Tierney” on my club field
hockey team was pretty daunting, but in the spirit of embracing this new
experience I decided to give her a chance….maybe she would be an okay
teammate. Fast forward a few weeks after
having about 10 practices and it turns out the other “Tierney” is an okay
teammate….and she has a cute dog that the real Tierney would love. Overall, I have come to the conclusion that
the other people on the team great, but absolutely nothing can replace members
of the CFHA family. So my advice to the current team is to cherish your teammates
now while they are close, because they are truly unique and irreplaceable.
There is only one prettiest goalie in the NCAA….the real Tierney.
We have our first game this Sunday against Coastal
Carolina….wish me luck!!!
In RED we trust,
Katie Bradshaw (aka Brad)