1. Experiencing anxiety all throughout August. Either because you weren’t in shape, or because you were concerned about making the varsity team again.

2. Practice ending late every day, and only having time for homework when you got home. Because of this, your grades were much higher during the fall than any other time of the year. Many of your teammates got awarded for academics at the end of the season, and had a three­-point average or above.

3. Signing an agreement to always eat properly, stay in shape on weekends and to get enough sleep. Sadly, you ended up doing the opposite. I mean, who didn’t binge on Cheese Its, and Doritos after the varsity game?

4. Eating as much as you wanted, whenever you wanted, without gaining an ounce!

5. The awkward tan line from the skirt you wore and those itchy, itchy shin guards.

6. Having major phobia of concussions. So many of your teammates got them from being hit by the ball. Or worse! Getting slapped in the face by a stick.

7. The less skilled players on your team where always in high spirits. ­ No matter how little the coach seemed to appreciate them. They were more passionate about the team than anyone else.

8. While many players struggled or fell somewhere in the middle, there was always at least one player who always had it together. Literally. She wore a really low number on her jersey, was physically very fit, could run faster than the boys and ended up with a scholarship to some D1 college…If you weren’t that girl, you hated her almost as much as you admired her…

9. …If you were that girl, then you wished other players would actually try to play. For once! Staying in shape and playing field hockey is NOT that hard! #SuckItUp

10. The dreaded fear of practice the day after a loss to a mild competitor. Your coach definitely made you run a lot at this practice. From sprints to long distance runs, push-ups and planks… But at least you burnt a ton of calories while doing so!

11. Pulling a couple muscles or ligaments. Your hip­ flexors always felt sore, and your ankles always pinched. For those of you with IT Band Syndrome, some practices were unbearable.

12. Team cheers! You probably still remember all of them by heart, even if you are a 30­-something. I mean “I. I believe. I believe that. I believe that we! I BELIEVE THAT WE WILL WIN! I BELIEVE THAT WE WILL WIN!”

13. The nerves anticipating daily practice! While sitting in 8th period AP US History, you were nervous about how much you would be running, or how mad your coach would be about your terrible performance at yesterday’s practice.

14. There was always that one player whose drive was so powerful and vicious, you avoided contact with her at practice. However you were also awe­-inspired by her during games because the from opposing team was always too afraid to go near her.

15. Sometimes getting injured seemed like a good idea. Partially because this was the only time your coach would let you watch practice and not make you run!

16. You really REALLY wanted to be an All­-State player, however only the team captains were ever awarded this!

17. Playing for a couple off-­season teams to maintain your stick skills, and also to play on turf. You probably played for USA Field Hockey Futures, and gave up plenty relaxing Sunday mornings to practice. And despite the fact that, on those mornings, field hockey was the last thing you wanted to think about.

18. If your team played on grass, your teammates’ mothers actively created fundraisers in hopes that your team would one day get turf.

19. Speaking of which, as much as you may have wanted turf, turf was a completely different game. The ball moved a lot faster, and sometimes you’d fall down and suffer from turf burn for a week or two.

20. Your parents probably had higher expectations of you than anyone else did. Dinner after a game would be the ultimate chance for your mom to tell you to hustle harder, or for your dad to tell you that your main focus had to be winning. Literally every dinner! Even if your team did OK in that day’s game.

21. The mothers of top players were so into the sport, that they would spend more time raising money for the team than anything else. If any pasta parties or banquets happened, it was all thanks to them.

22. People assumed you came from a rich town if your team was really good, because it’s not the cheapest sport to play.

23. You owned more Under Armour than any other brand, but your equipment was made by brands like STX and Brine.

24. Always arguing with the soccer girls, and trying to prove that field hockey WAS a sport, not just a screw around kind of thing.

25. If cheerleading was a big deal at your school, then the field hockey girls weren’t as popular. However, if cheerleading at your high school sucked, then the field hockey girls ruled the school!

26. No matter how good a player you were, you always anticipated the season finally coming to an end.

27. However as soon as your team finished their last game, you cried each day for about a week because you missed that life so much!

28. Unless you played basketball or another sport in the winter, your off-season days were filled with lounging around and eating cookies. Your life became less organized and busy, your grades may have dropped or your energy might have decreased. Field hockey may have been tough, but it was worth it after all. You’ll be talking about it for years to come.