Friday, May 13, 2011

The Man Behind GMC Field Hockey

I hope you enjoy this post written by captain and new Sigma Phi Sigma member Erin Gorenflo '13.    Please add you comments, and keep a look out for other thoughts posted by Flo throughout the  year.

This past Monday, a group of us attended the Senior Athlete’s Banquet to recognize our one and only senior, Matt Peasley.  Matt isn’t a typical senior athlete though; for the past four years Matt has been volunteering his time as our Goalie Coach.  Although we acknowledged his hard work and dedication at the banquet, I thought it would be nice to share with all of you how much we appreciate Matt.
            Matt joined this program as a freshman with more Field Hockey experience under his belt than most of us can say for ourselves… Although he works primarily with our goal keepers, his knowledge and skill is evident in all aspects of the game.  At practice, Matt scrimmages with us, directs our defensive corners, teaches us how to drag flick and stroke, and even competes with us in the occasional skill game to get out of sprints.  Matt is a triple threat player; at defense, offense, or goalkeeper, he’s sure to “school” us at practice.  This has benefited us in ways that he probably does not realize.  Many of us would not have grown to be the Field Hockey players we are today without Matt’s assistance. Personally, if it wasn’t for Matt’s coaching on offensive corners, I may not have scored my first-ever goals this year (as a defensive minded player, that’s a huge deal).  Matt’s influence and support is not just limited to field play either; he is also our emotional rock.  Whether it’s, “How is coach’s mood today?” or “My head’s really not in it this practice,” Matt is there to support us.  Finally, whether Matt likes it or not, his British accent is always a comic source of relief for us (usually when we learn a new British word or simply find something he says to imitate).  It can’t be denied that one of the things we’ll miss the most about Matt is hearing that British accent from the sidelines. Okay, okay, and the occasional “mer-up.”
            Unfortunately for us, Matt's plans for the fall are not definite.  With his Graduation comes a summer full of clinical, and then the inevitable job hunt.  We hope that we’ll all luck out and Matt's job will understand our need for Matt’s time.  He has played an important role in the success of our team since he started four years ago, and we hope that his influence will continue in the coming years. 

No comments:

Post a Comment