My entire high school experience changed when field hockey came into my life. Since July going into my freshman year, I was greeted with an enthusiastic and fun group of girls that were ready for the adventure with me. Through the sweaty preseasons in the summer, leaving class early many times a week for game days, long bus rides, exciting spirit weeks, hilarious pasta dinners, and sad end of year banquets, field hockey provided an outlet to have fun with my friends where we could let out our competitive spirits. I learned more than how to play the sport, I learned how to be a teammate others can count on, how to think of the team's needs instead of just my own, and how to work hard as an individual to work towards bettering us as a whole unit. Field hockey brought along memories I will never forget, and I am super grateful that the sport came into my life. If you can relate to me thus far, I'm sure you were lucky enough to play field hockey, too. Here are some signs you played field hockey.

1. You spent hundred of dollars on a beautiful Dita stick.

2. Your backpack was filled with ribbons from games.

3. You had tan lines from your shinguards.

4. You wore your uniform to school on home game days.

5. You experienced the sweltering hot preseasons and freezing games at the end of the season.

6. You looked forward to pasta dinners after practice.

7. You had a fun, pre-game warmup playlist.

8. You constantly had competitions to see who could drive the ball the farthest on the field.

9. You found turf all over your body.

10. You used bus rides to share headphones and pump each other up through music for the game.

11. You've gotten hit in the head with the ball.

12. Bus rides to games were special times for team bonding.

13. You know how to dribble the ball in the air with your stick.

14. You learned the importance of wearing spandex under your skirt uniform.

15. You know a field hockey ball can be used to massage your sore muscles.

16. You've dropped your mouth guard in the middle of a game and had to pick it back up and put it straight in your mouth.

17. You've learned to be scared of having earrings in so that you don't get kicked out of a game.

18. You had a tan from your goggles on your forehead in your school photos.

19. You've learned to nap on a loud bus filled with girls.

20. You gained sisters that created bonds that lasted past the seasons and through the whole year.