“I started playing field hockey between kindergarten and first grade; I can’t exactly remember my age. My mom was my coach, and I was just thrown into playing. My mom was a lacrosse player. Though, she did play field hockey in high school. However, lacrosse was her thing. I played lacrosse for a little bit, but field hockey stuck for me. It was my thing. I liked the fast-paced environment and the need for lots of practice. It doesn’t just come easy; you have to work hard for it. It’s just fun for me; practicing and learning new skills. I like having to work for it and having to work hard to improve. It wasn’t until around middle or high school that I started taking field hockey seriously and playing for real. My parents supported me by sending me to recruiting camps and clinics, and I played on club teams and in tournaments—some of the most expensive things in sports. When I’m playing field hockey, I feel a sense of relief. It’s my happy place. Field hockey has been my everything for so long that it is such a calm and soothing feeling when I get on the field. To get ready for a game, I wake up and start my hair. I need to have good game-day hair. I usually do a couple of braids. Then I do my roommate’s braids. After that, we usually go to the locker room, and I braid other people’s hair. I’m not very superstitious about anything. After braiding, I have to get my knees taped by our athletic trainer, Gabby. That’s who has to tape my knees. And I have to have the same color tape every game. And I wear the same rash guard under my shin guards every game. They’re like dog paw prints, and there’s a big hole in them because I wear them every game. I have to wear them. They bring me good luck. And I always put on rash guard, rash guard, sock, sock. So, maybe I am a little superstitious. At the beginning of every game, I’m always on the field looking for my mom. It’s been my thing ever since I started playing. I always have to find my mom in the stands. It gives me a sense of, okay, she is here. I’m fine. I can do this. Once I find my mom and look around the field, I’ll look for my team. I’m on the forward line, helping them out. I look to see where my teammates are so I can position myself right so I can help them position themselves right. I can see my teammates running around next to me. Then I look to the goal. I look at the goal a lot. When I’m on the field, all I think about is scoring. My mindset is to score, score, score. I’m a forward, so I love to score; it’s like my job. But usually, my mind is pretty blank. I kind of just let everything go because if I overthink, I’ll mess up. So, my mind just kind of goes empty, and I let my instincts take over.” – Emma Gladstein