Rule changes and frequent shifts in schedule due to the COVID-19 pandemic have led to a field hockey season like no other, but the team’s varsity players are thankful they have the opportunity to compete. “I think that the theme of this season for our team has been gratitude that we are able to play together with everything that’s going on,” Maible Daley, one of the team’s three co-captains wrote to the Press.
In a normal season, Bromfield teams play against Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) Division 2 schools in the Midland-Wachusett D League, but now the field hockey team is in a “pod” with four other nearby schools ––Maynard, Hudson, Marlborough, and Nashoba Regional––to limit exposure to the virus. Marlborough and Nashoba have made for a series of especially challenging games, varsity coach Sue Silver told the Press. Competing against these two schools is new for Bromfield as they are both MIAA Division 1 schools and therefore more competitive.
Elizabeth Cohen prepares to clear the ball from defensive territory in Tuesday’s loss to Nashoba. (Photo by Lisa Aciukewicz)
Tuesday’s home game against Nashoba was a 5-0 loss for Bromfield, but the team members haven’t let defeat dampen their spirits. “The season has been challenging in many ways, but I’m very proud of the team for the way we’ve adapted. We have a competitive schedule this year, as we are playing two completely new and skilled teams [Nashoba and Marlborough].”
With Tuesday’s loss to Nashoba, the girl’s record is 1-4-1. The team has a busy schedule of upcoming games this week as well, playing against Maynard Wednesday, Hudson on Thursday, Maynard again on Friday, and Nashoba next Monday. Co-captain Annie Segaloff also noted that there will not be league or district playoffs this year.
The schedule, however, is subject to change at any time. “We have a weird, fluid schedule,” Silver noted. She said when a team member tests positive for COVID-19, that school cannot play for a period of time, and the schedule has to shift so the rest of the schools in the pod can still compete.
To prevent the spread of the virus, the state’s Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and the MIAA have changed several rules for field hockey. Not only do all the players have to wear face masks, but the structure of the game itself has changed. According to co-captain Emily Riddle, the number of players is reduced to 7 vs. 7, as opposed to 11 vs. 11, which changes the dynamic of the game. She added: “I personally think [this] has improved our team’s overall performance. The addition of masks has not been a huge imposition, and everyone has adjusted quite well to wearing one during practices and games.”
Silver expressed disappointment that the pandemic has caused so many changes, both for the games and for team traditions, but said she has been trying to encourage team bonding to the extent that it is safe, and she is happy that her team has been so positive through the difficult and strange season. “They haven’t gotten down,” she said, “even when we lose.” Silver said when they get back on the bus after an away game, there is no difference in the team’s energy between a win or a loss.
With a team made up of 12 seniors and three juniors, this is the last season of field hockey before graduation for most of the players. Segaloff wrote, “This summer, many of us assumed there would be no season, so we were pleasantly surprised to hear we would be playing our last year alongside teammates we’ve played with for six years.”
Riddle added: “We are in the middle of a pandemic, so each game is treated with care and given all of our effort, as we do not know if it will be our last if circumstances change. There is an unspoken sense of gratitude at each practice and game because of our understanding of the privilege we have to play this year, and I am so fortunate to be a co-captain for my wonderful team!”
