Star defender, EMT, and team-appointed DJ are just a few of the words to describe Abigail Boissy, a senior on the Bromfield varsity field hockey team. Boissy has been playing field hockey since seventh grade, bringing both her skills and upbeat personality to every game.
Abby Boissy in a game against Nashoba. (Photo by Lisa Aciukewicz)
Boissy plays defense on the team and can be counted on to be loud and aggressive when needed. “I’m the loudest player on the team,” Boissy said, laughing, in an interview with the Press. “[My teammates] tell me when I’m telling other people to mark players, I sound like a drill sergeant.” Because of this, varsity coach Sue Silver explained that she often has Boissy guard the best offensive player on the opposing team. “She can be very annoying,” Silver remarked, referring to how Boissy is strong and persistent on defense against her opponents.
As a defender, one of Boissy’s important roles on the field is as “fly” during a penalty corner. During a corner, four defensive players and the goalie align by the goal, while the opposing offensive players face them, standing along the circle marked on the field. As fly, Boissy is the first and fastest player to rush from the goal to disrupt the play when the ball is hit and the corner begins. She explained that this is when she finds herself working especially hard and shouting the loudest, both to help her teammates find players to mark and to “annoy” the other team, as Silver said. “I seemed to freak out the other team,” Boissy said, “so I guess it worked!” She added jokingly that, because of her aggressive playing on defense, even her teammates are scared to face her during practices.
Despite her in-game aggression and persistence, Boissy is nothing but kindhearted off the field. Having played field hockey since middle school, she has been with many of the same teammates for several years and said they have all grown quite close. “They’ve been a part of my life and they’ve been my teammates for so long,” she said. “I consider them like my sisters.” Boissy said that beyond field hockey, she and her teammates discuss everything with each other and they have helped her through difficult times in her life. “The team has been through a lot together … we’ve been through hell and back,” she said. “I just really love the team, and I hope to stay in contact with them for the rest of my life.”
Praise for coach
Boissy said she feels a similar connection to Silver: “Silv has made a big impact on my life. She’s always been there for me since I started playing in seventh grade … Every single player, she takes under her wing, and you just feel so much love. She’s always someone you can talk to when you’re having a difficult time.” Boissy said Silver will also do core workouts with them and do fun things, such as wear a wig to practice or bring candy to share. She added that she and her coach have their own traditions as well, that they tease each other often, and that Boissy sometimes surprises Silver by bringing her dumplings.
While she may not be a team captain, Boissy said she has her own special roles among her teammates, including a coveted position of appointed team DJ. She said she plays music for the field hockey team during bus rides to away games and is “always dancing, even on the field.” Boissy also considers herself to be a “team mom” because she cares for all of her teammates, especially the three freshmen, since they are on a team of 12 seniors. “Everyone also thanks me for the weird advice that I give,” she added.
An EMT and aspiring nurse
Boissy also volunteers as an EMT and has been on duty for each of the varsity games in case any players are injured. At last Friday’s game Boissy said a few players, including herself, were hurt. She had already jumped into her role as an EMT twice to take care of two other girls when she was hit with a field hockey stick and broke her thumb. Even though a broken bone meant Boissy couldn’t play in the final game of the season on Monday, she still spoke optimistically. “It’s the best way to end the season, with a broken thumb, because I’ll never forget that,” she said. Silver noted that Boissy still showed up for the last game in case an EMT was needed again. “She told me that she would be at the game to take care of anyone who gets hurt,” Silver wrote to the Press.
As an EMT cadet, as well as a volunteer at Camp Sunshine (a camp for children and families of children with life-threatening illnesses), Boissy has taken an interest in medicine and is planning to attend nursing school after graduating from Bromfield. She said working as an EMT has helped her “gain hands-on experience while helping others.” Similarly, she added, “I met a lot of people [at Camp Sunshine] and knew that I wanted to be a part of their lives because I know they’re having a difficult time, and I wanted to be that person they can trust when they’re vulnerable.” Boissy explained that she hopes to specialize in an area of pediatrics.
As the field hockey season has come to an end, next up for Boissy is competing on the swim team in the winter, where she also excels. Boissy said she has participated on the swim team since seventh grade and set a record that year for the 200-meter relay race. Though her record has since been broken, Boissy said she has now made the sectionals team for individual racing and the state team for relay racing where she and her teammates placed eighth.
