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12/13/2023 02:48 PMOnce Clara Shea first grasped a field hockey stick in junior high, she knew it was something she could truly sink her teeth into and advance far within the sport. And backed by a nurturing network of her biggest advocates, she bit deep into satisfiable success within the sport.
The Valley senior captain and forward did gymnastics competitively from the ages of 5 until 12, and also got involved in softball. Yet in seventh grade, she decided to embark on a new venture with field hockey, and stuck to it. This past fall, Clara helped lead an upstart Warriors’ squad to five victories and a Class S State Tournament berth.
“I saw field hockey had a really good community, and I felt really motivated to increase my skills with it. I never played similar sports like lacrosse or ice hockey, so it seemed interesting to me,” says Clara. “The biggest things that have helped me have been my training, and the support of my teammates and my coaches. I would not be able to do this all without them encouraging me and pushing me to do offseason work. We all pushed each other to do our best.”
Clara sees herself as an enthusiast of being a master tactician within the white lines, and figuring out where to perfectly place the pieces in order to produce that perfect goal on the turf while trying to stave off the pressures of opposing defenses.
“I love the strategy when it comes to playing forward. I love planning plays and collaborating with the rest of the offense and running plays during practices,” Clara says. “It can be tough facing the defense and trying not to lose the ball. But I knew that if we lost the ball, our team would get it back.”
Upon stepping foot into the program as a rookie, Clara recollects she felt initial intimidation and trepidation when seeing the skill levels of her older counterparts. Sure enough, through those opening growing pains, she found her resolve and swagger to strengthen herself up to that tier of talent as time wore on with her tenure.
“I was not confident in my abilities my freshman year. I was nervous playing around upperclassmen, and I just tried to put in as much work as possible in order to make varsity,” says Clara. “Mentally, I became much more confident in myself, and taught myself to stay in the present rather than in the past, or looking ahead to the future to help me become a good athlete.”
While looking at the youth through the roster, Clara knew she had to take on a different call as a captain this fall. Yet it all panned out quite well in the end for both Clara and her cohorts, as those players her junior carved out a great deal of pride and passion for the program and improving their play.
“It was great to be named a captain, and I could not do it without the other captains, Madeline Siegel and Abby Reardon,” Clara says. “We had such a young team, so I had to take on more of a mentor role. The growth in the girls was great to see, and I also enjoyed planning drills with our coaches. It was a great experience to have for me, especially on a collaborative level with the rest of the team and coaches. It was also great to see the passion the girls had for the sport grow.”
The Warriors and Clara started putting in the time far ahead of the opening game of the campaign with summer meetings. Of course, there were some early bumps in the road, but it just created pivot points for the girls to dig deep, and drive to improve on an individual and collective basis.
“It all started from the practices in the summer,” says Clara. “The underclassmen/freshmen were nervous because they were new to the sport, and so we had a rocky start to the season. Yet the girls put the work in during the course of the season, and they put in the conditioning. That was the main reason why we made states, and we had high hopes for the season and we executed on those.”
Valley Head Coach Julie Labbadia notes that Clara cultivated great chances for others to thrive within the ranks, by imparting great wisdom and knowledge of the forward position, and making them feel comfortable in their own skin.
“Clara was our leader at forward. She also knows the game very well, and has outstanding ball-handling skill,” says Labbadia. “She collaborated really well with the other forwards, creating openings and opportunities in the circle. She was always really mindful of giving our younger players a good experience as new players on the team, because she knows what it is like to be in their shoes.”
Clara will never forget the emotional ties to the Warriors, and she now pens the closing chapter on her stay with the sport. Through the bonds she developed with those Valley colleagues and coaches, and the support she gave them, she knows it can reciprocate in her future when she needs that extra ounce of encouragement.
“This team was a family for me the last four years,” Clara says. “We made amazing friendships together, and I bonded well with the coaches. The team encouraged everyone to succeed and persevere. It was hard to end the year for me knowing it was my last one. But the main thing that I learned was that I am never alone, and I will always have a support system around me.”