Field Hockey Midseason Update

The field hockey season is in full swing, the team with a current score of four wins and zero loses. Usually a fall season sport, this year field hockey games take place during the springtime, after a switch with high schools sports in accommodation to how the city adjusts with COVID-19 guidelines. 

During a year where many students are choosing to opt out of playing sports this season, senior Bonnie Kuang, one of the field hockey team captains, explains how the MIAA guidelines make her “feel safe enough to play.” She sees that the necessary precautions have “not affected how much [she enjoys] the season.” 

Senior Elaine Du, another one of the team’s captains, has played on the field hockey team since her freshman year. However, when it came to the decision of playing this season, she had to look at all the logistics. “Of course, [it is her] senior year, [she] really wanted the experience,” Du explained before making her decision to participate this season she “wanted to make sure everything was safe for the season.” 

In addition to having to play with masks on and socially distant practices, a field hockey game is now divided into four quarters rather than two halves. According to MIAA regulations, only seven members of a team can be playing on the field at a time, a change from what used to be eleven players on a field per team. In order to be able control a breakout if a student were infected with COVID-19, the field hockey team will only play two teams during their season, Revere and Everett. 

Senior Ronald Batista, sees that the team understands that “without all of these precautions [they] would not be able to have the chance to play this season,” regardless it makes the experience different. 

“[It is] a lot harder to be able to celebrate with the team after a win.” Batista explained that the team used to hug and jump on each other all the time,” however due to not being able to be in too close of a proximity to each other, that is not an option. 

“COVID has really separated [them] and [they have not seen] each other in a long time,” Du said. While team bonding used to include pasta parties, Batista shared that they “[are not] really able to do that considering the circumstances,” nevertheless they do their best to “try to get to know each other in different ways.”

Kuang agrees that regardless of the circumstances the team is ”an amazing group of people who make a positive mood.” Despite some hardships in adapting to their new and limited ways of playing and celebrating, the field hockey team is on a winning streak and it is looking like an excellent final season for the seniors. 

About the Author

Sandra Rivadeneira

Contributor

Sandra Rivadeneira is a senior returning to The Blue and Gold as Editor-in-Chief of Print. Rivadeneira joined the class as a freshman as a way to get to know Malden High’s environment. She got the opportunity to become more involved with the Malden High community through this class, and got to know even more about the city that she grew up in, finding a passion in journalism along the way. Additionally, Rivadeneira is a softball player, has been an alto saxophone player for six years, and is a member of the Play Production class. Musical theater being a huge hobby of hers. She looks forward to seeing how her senior year rolls out under the new circumstances and getting to adapt the Blue and Gold classes so that it can continue to produce it’s unique content to the community. In her free time, Rivadeneira enjoys reading, listening to indie pop music, watching sitcoms and constantly redecorating her room.

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