2017 Fall Field Hockey Newsletter

Y A L E F I E L D H O C K E Y A S S O C I AT I O N

From the Yale Field Hockey Association Announcing the Alum Dawg Challenge!

This year marks the 45th Anniversary of Yale Field Hockey. Even more incredible: 2017 marks the 45th year of the first women’s varsity athletic program at Yale University. This was only possible because a brave group of female undergraduates insisted that Yale support field hockey on its campus.

Following a year of club play, which coincided with the implementation of Title IX, field hockey became the first varsity sport at Yale. We are humbled and honored to call those brave women in the classes of 1973–1977 our pioneers. During our alum weekend in September celebrating our 45th anniversary, we were thrilled to honor Lawrie Mifflin ’73, Andrea DaRif ’73, Nancy Roberts ’73, Sandy Morse ’74, Barbara Borst ’74, Heidi Humphrey ’75, Kathy Malone ’76, Jean Benefield Pinto ’76, Anne Keating ’77, and trainer Daphne Benas as our YFH pioneers and teamma©tes for life.

This year is also extremely special, as we have broken ground on the Carol Roberts Field House, the first building of its kind at Yale—a comprehensive space that meets the training and program needs of the Yale field hockey and softball teams. We eagerly await its first use

by YFH in the fall of 2018!

The YFH program was founded on strength, courage, and integrity.

All three attributes have lived on through the decades, and certainly the 2017 squad is exhibiting them each and every game.

In line with the tradition of the program, we too must exemplify strength, courage, and integrity to ensure the program continues to thrive in tradition.

As such, we are very excited to announce our 45th anniversary fundraising goal—$450,000 in five years!

We kick it off with our Fifth Annual Alum Dawg Challenge, with the goal of raising $80,000 during 2017-18 and increasing our participation rate. The challenge will run starting NOW through December 31, 2017.

We exceeded our five-year goal of $200,000, set in 2012, by $90,000. These funds were instrumental in covering team expenditures such as training needs, equipment, technology upgrades, travel, recruiting, and personnel. With our new goal of $450,000, we strive to contribute towards the necessities of the program and beyond, to ensure Yale Field Hockey maintains its status as a premier program in the Ivy League and the country.

To make this Alum Dawg Challenge competitive and fun, we are simultaneously launching a five-year pledge program and honor roll as outlined in the list that follows. All who make a new five-year pledge running from 2017 to 2022 before the end of the Challenge in December 2017 will receive a special gift from Pam Stuper, the Caroline Ruth Thompson ’02 Head Coach of Field Hockey.

•Bulldog Club: $50–$99/year for five years •Captain’s Club: $100–$249/year for five years •Head Coach’s Club: $250–$499/year for five years •Eli Club: $500–$999/year for five years •Top 20 Club: $1,000–$1,999/year for five years •Ivy League Championship Club: $2,000 and above/year for five years Now on to the TEAM Challenge....

The YFH Association has been split into five teams, each challenged with raising $16,000 by December 31, 2017. The team that raises the most funds by the end of the competition will have its class plaque displayed in Coach Pam’s office for years to come! Please get involved. Your participation is critical.

We will be sending updates along the way so please keep an eye on the Yale Field Hockey Alumni Network Facebook Group. (For instructions on how to become a member of this group, please contact Erin Carter ’12 at erinmcarter15@gmail.com.) We hope you also use the team challenge as an opportunity to reconnect with teammates and share memories from your days on the field! Find your team, lace up your cleats, and hit the field!

•Team Dawgs (classes ending in 6s and 1s) •Team Big Blue (classes ending in 3s and 7s) •Team Sterling (classes ending in 0s and 9s) •Team Ivy (classes ending in 4s and 8s) •Team Elis (classes ending in 5s and 2s) For those in classes ending in 3s and 8s, remember this is a reunion year for you, and all gifts will count towards your reunion giving.

We cannot thank you enough for all the contributions and support thus far for the Yale Field Hockey program. The history and tradition of this program runs strong and deep. We hope by your involvement in THIS TEAMWORK EFFORT, we can ensure it continues for many years to come.

Go Bulldogs!!

Heather Orrico Madden ’07 Chair, YFH Association Fundraising Committee Lorraine Pratte Lewis ’78 President, YFH Association

To make a gift: •Visit yale.edu/giveathletics •Enter gift amount •Click “View teams and other funds” and select “Field Hockey” •Complete the rest of the form ALL PHOTOS ©GREGG ZELKIN (except where noted)

One Team, One Family

© JOY MC GRATH

by Lorraine Pratte Lewis ’78 and Jan Colarusso Seeley ’82

What a special series of gatherings our large Yale Field Hockey family had over this year’s Alum Weekend, September 22-24. On Friday night, alums enjoyed a relaxing evening and barbecue at the home of Pam Stuper, Caroline Ruth Thompson ’02 Head Coach of Field Hockey. The next day we experienced a high like no other.

Scores of Yale Field Hockey and Yale Softball current players and alums cheered loudly as the Yale Athletic Department broke ground on the Carol Roberts Field House, a beautifully designed building that will stand between the playing fields of both sports.

Designed to meet the needs of the athletes, coaches, umpires, trainers, family, friends, and alums, it will be the first of its kind on Yale’s campus—a building to serve the unique needs of two women’s sports. This dream will come true due to the generosity of our lead donor, Carol McPhillips Roberts ’81, who played and won Ivy League championships with both sports during her career at Yale. Carol sits on the Yale Field Hockey Association board, and in 2009, received the Yale Athletics George H.W. Bush Lifetime of Leadership Award, joining Association board member Anne Keating ’77 in that prestigious category. Carol’s remarks urging both hockey and softball athletes to band together and enjoy their athletic experiences were right on the mark. Pam Stuper and Head Softball Coach Jen Goodwin thanked Carol for her game-changing gift to both programs.

Yale University President and Yale Field Hockey fan Peter Salovey joined YFH alums to enjoy the festivities before the Yale vs. Harvard game on September 23.

Following the groundbreaking ceremony, Whim ’n Rhythm took to Johnson Field to sing a rousing national anthem. As the Yale vs. Harvard game got underway on an unusually hot day in late September, the stands were full of boisterous supporters of Yale Field Hockey—including Athletic Director Tom Beckett and other representatives of the Athletics Department, friends and families of the current players, and nearly 50 alums. One of the players told us how much our cheering, clapping, and stomping in the stands was heard by the players during the game. Yale’s tenacity and teamwork were on full display for over 70 minutes of play.

Even the heartache of an OT loss could not dampen the pride we all felt for the 2017 team, who left everything on the field.

When we reached the highlight of the evening—the debut of the video, Celebrating 45 Years of Yale Field Hockey—Jan introduced the project as one that stretched her in ways she had never imagined. She said spearheading the creation of the video was one of her most memorable experiences as a member of the Yale Field Hockey family. In the video Assistant Coach Mary Beth Barham ’13 reminded us: “No matter when you graduated, this is one team, one family, and you can always rely on each other.”

We followed The Game with an alum field hockey match. For those who played, it was a stark reminder of what a fast, non-stop, stamina-driven game field hockey has become. It made us marvel all the more at how well Yale had played in the mid-day heat.

Association Vice-President Jan Colarusso Seeley ’82 and board members Maggi Smeal ’82 and Heidi Humphrey ’75 headed over to the Schley Room at Ingalls Rink to prepare for our Saturday evening celebration of 45 years of varsity field hockey at Yale.

With the stage set—including a wall-length YFH timeline created by Heidi—the festivities got underway. Leading off was a three-song set by the Unorthojocks, the first all-athlete a cappella singing group.Senior Carol Middough stood out with her solo turn. Tom Beckett then inspired with his joy and enthusiasm for the Yale Field Hockey program throughout his nearly 25 years of service to Yale athletics. Coach Pam Stuper and Heather Orrico Madden ’07, chair of the Association’s fundraising committee, spoke of how bright the future is for Yale Field Hockey and how integral the alums are to that future.

As if all of these events hadn’t already put us over the “edge,” the 2017 team outdid themselves with a brilliant OT win against Liberty University on sun-scorched Sunday to end a weekend none of us will ever forget.

Bright College Years

© PATRICK TOMAK

“But time and change shall naught avail to break the friendships formed at Yale.” - Lyrics by H.S. Durand (1881)

by Anne Lehman Dillman ’93 Celebrating 45 years of Yale Field Hockey. Attending the once-ina-lifetime groundbreaking ceremony for the Carol Roberts Field House. Two fantastic Yale field hockey games. Reconnecting with my friends in the Yale Field Hockey Association. I have attended YFH events and games before. I knew it would be energizing and fun. I knew it would be memorable.

How can I explain the unexpected joy of seeing so many of the women of the 90s, my teammates while at Yale, again? There we were. Back at Yale, on a field hockey field—watching and cheering for the current Yale team, recalling the wins and losses of our times at Yale, exchanging stories and events from our lives since Yale, and even playing together.

How is it possible to be so inspired again by this group of women?

I do not know. What I do know is that what captures me, each time I return to Yale or attend a Yale Field Hockey gathering of some sort, is the people. The women of teams past whose passion and determination gave Yale a program in which I could participate. These women inspire me to think beyond myself, and to find ways to give to women of the future. The women of the current teams whose intensity and grit continues the program.

These women inspire me to work hard, to dig deep, to find energy for tasks that can feel like “overtime.” And this time, the women with whom I played in the early 90s—Rachel Littman, Margery Leete, Susan Scofield, Sanda Lujic, Christine Oliveri, Janelle Kellman and Holly Ramer. These women inspire me to take on and to tackle challenges, to go places or to run distances, or to give in ways I did not think possible.

So, yes, energizing, fun, and memorable. I look forward eagerly to the next YFH gathering of extraordinary women.

by Janelle Kellman ’95 I can easily say that being a member of the Yale Field Hockey team meant more to me than any other Yale College experience. There’s nothing like arriving on campus already being part of a community of strong, intelligent women. I still recall the first day of classes, running into one of our seniors (Alisa Peete) and feeling instant community as she greeted me with a huge smile and hello. That was almost as good as returning for the Yale FH 45th reunion a few weeks ago, watching the surprise and huge smile on Anne Lehman Dillman’s face as though no time had passed (and yes we look exactly the same).

I live on the West Coast now so haven’t spent nearly as much time as I’d like back on the Yale Campus, and with my wonderful college teammates. I was so delighted to be back “home.” I was a tad late for the game (of course), but Susan “Stoneface” (Scofield) Martin saved me a seat and cracked the stone with an incredible grin. Per usual, we inspected the generous tailgate, met some of

Janelle Kellman ’95, Susan Scofield Martin ’95, Margery Leete Resendes ’95, Holly Ramer ’95, Sanda Lujic Tomak ’93, Anne Lehman Dillman ’93, Christine Oliveri Lee ’92. the parents (love the name tags btw) and reminisced about the excessive number of bagels my parents used to bring. We also tried to figure out (a) how on earth did the team secure such a beautiful new turf field, (b) where was the field we used to play on, and (c) what did they do to that awful stretch of faux turf we used to enjoy on a hot August day? Anne generously explained all the new field hockey rules to me, in between her “dang its” and “you got this, Yale” outbursts. I couldn't help but smile being reunited with one of the most positive caring people I know!

Christine (Oliveri) Lee, regal as ever, was a bonus blast from the past because of course she had no idea how meaningful her leadership as a senior was to us as incoming freshman those years ago. All of this was capped off with the arrival of an energetic Holly Ramer with her adorable daughter Roxanne and wonderful husband, Craig (also a Yale grad). I finally got to meet our fearless leader, Lorraine Lewis, and happily donned my new Yale FH 45th reunion T-shirt. The team played so well and showed what fierce competitors they are. Although they lost in OT, I of course mentally voted the Yale goalkeeper as MVP on the day (and I just learned she was voted first team All-Ivy, congrats!) Honestly, this all would have been enough and I would have considered the trip a success, and then I learned that Sanda (Lujic) Tomak and Margery (Leete) Resendes would both be at the dinner – two of the wittiest people I know who had me laughing for years. One final note from the 90s: although we didn’t play together, I DID help host Lindsay (Hobbs) Acevedo on her recruiting trip and she may have whispered something about that trip being the reason she decided to attend Yale. Mission accomplished.

Postscript: Perhaps some of you are reading this and thinking that your ears were burning – true story! We shared so many great tales (mostly true) featuring many of our fellow bulldogs from the 90s: Katie, Mary Tess, Gina, Sarah, Betsy, Happy, Liz, MaryAnn, Sarah M., Amy, Lauren, Kelli….just to name a few – you were missed.

Post-Postscript: Jackie Mascher, we miss you!

© JUDY SEROTA ROSENTHAL

“Put us in, Coach!”

by Laura Pappano ’84

you are young and it seems impossible. But her gift is a statement. Not just for her but for all of us. Women can stand up, give, and be made visible—forever—on the Yale landscape.

Alums cheering at the Yale vs. Harvard game.

Credit Pam Stuper for the pyramid scheme. Over a decade ago she started reaching out to alum players— Lawrie Mifflin ’73, Sandy Morse ’74, Anne Keating ’77, Lorraine Pratte Lewis ’78, Carol “Pitts” Roberts ’81, the pygmies (Jan Colarusso Seeley ’82, Maggi Smeal ’82, and Claire Cardie ’82), Georganne Nattress ’85, and Anne Lehman Dillman ’93. They drew in others.

And those others tapped others.

Unlike the illegal kind, this hustle was not about deception, but about awakening something that was always there. Every time I showed up for the annual Yale Field Hockey alum weekend game in September, there were more of us. Our rumbles on the aluminum bleachers at Johnson Field grew more thunderous, the cheers more hearty and knowledgeable. Some had boned up on rule changes. This was not a brush with the past, but an active investment.

I never expected this. I played field hockey in college because I had played in high school. I played in high school because in 7th grade a teacher handed me a stick and gestured to a bus as girls mounted the steps with plans to play Shepaug Valley Middle School. It was what I did on fall afternoons. It was habit. Or tuck it under “things I did at Yale,” like direct the Yale Mime Troupe (now defunct) or write for The New Journal.

But it turns out that Coach Stuper had something else in mind— for all of us. Much as guys who play Yale Football know in the moment the importance of what they are doing (at least from an institutional perspective), Coach Stuper has built this team to be more than an activity we pass through. It is an identity. Yes: I am Yale Field Hockey.

The second was Jan’s insistence on making a film about the Yale Field Hockey program. She forced a reckoning and a storytelling. This is where we heard our birth story, where Lawrie Mifflin described picking up trash on “Parking Lot A” so this new team could practice. All institutions that live on have histories upon which that future is constructed. To know ours matters.

Yes, the weekend included that heartbreaking loss to Harvard, after being nearly a countdown away from a win. But as we mingled in the Schley Room in the Whale between the nice lemon chicken and roasted veggies, heard tributes and chatted, took photos—and more photos—it felt very much like this was a grand gathering of people who mattered to one another.

There was a common heredity passed down in the experience of playing over decades. Different coaches, rules, fields, equipment, uniforms. Same team. SAME TEAM. I, for one, was emotionally exhausted and wrung out after Saturday’s game. But what really got me was Sunday. When I made the pilgrimage out to Johnson Field on another strangely blazing hot day for the game against Liberty, I found players totally on their stuff. Where did they get it?? They were as fierce and driven as if Harvard had never happened, as if that game had not wasted and worn them, sucked breath and heart. They won.

They demanded victory when fewer were actually there watching, but every alumna was awaiting the score.

It is that fight—exemplified on both days—that we celebrate.

What is most beautiful, however, is that while on the one hand that performance was awe-inspiring, on the other, it was so very, very familiar. Yes, “fight” looks different in different eras. But we get it. As Maggi insisted in the video, “We think we could play.

We THINK we could play.” Or as Jan said, “Put us in, Coach.”

Yes, Pam, put us in. We are all in.

So, by the time we gathered for the 45th anniversary on September 22–24, Yale Field Hockey was no longer just another sport.

The parent of a current player observed that young women were not joining a team for four years, but for 40. In other words, Yale Field Hockey has arrived as an institution, a force, a multigenerational family.

That is not an easy accomplishment at Yale, where “tradition” can look a certain way and feel like something we belong more on the edges of than own outright. Two important things happened at the 45th that changed the narrative. The first: Carol was honored for her lead gift to build the Carol Roberts Field House for field hockey and softball (why are we not calling this the “Pitts Field House”?!!??). Giving money looks boring when

Asst.Coach Mary Beth Barham ’13 and alums getting organized to play in annual alum game.

Coming “Home”

by Kathy Malone ’76

I do know what got me back—Lawrie Mifflin, that force-ofnature who helped get me to Yale in the first place and then into field hockey in the fall of 1972. She’d been captain of my Swarthmore High School team four years earlier, and so it seemed like the most natural thing in the world to come out and play for her when I arrived at Yale. Moreover, the Yale coach, Mrs. Bowditch, was also a Swarthmore High graduate, and I’d been sent off with warm greetings and strict instructions from the SHS coach, the legendary All-American “Putty” Willetts, to do what was expected of me, what I’d done every fall since I was eight years old: PLAY FIELD HOCKEY. I did not know how the 45th Anniversary weekend would go.

I’d been out of touch; I knew that no one but Lawrie would even remember me. I steeled myself on the drive up from Pennsylvania to be prepared to linger on the fringes and observe. Then I came over the hill on Derby Avenue, Coxe Cage came into sight and I started to cry. Home; I was home. That was Friday, and I spent that evening on campus, visiting with some of my students who are current undergraduates and with one of my beloved classmates who was in town.

Saturday morning, I was nervous, just like the 18-year-old I’d been in 1972, choosing my outfit with care, all blue of course, with my most special Yale scarf. Thus armed, I headed out toward the Bowl. I navigated all the football traffic, to be welcomed warmly at the entrance and allowed into the Field Hockey inner sanctum, parked, and, surprised by my shyness as I walked over, searched anxiously for Lawrie.

I then knew why I’d come. As soon as I tapped Lawrie on the shoulder, I was enveloped in all the love, fellowship, and joyous exuberance in which I floated for the next 12 hours, the glow from which is still with me all these weeks later.

How do I thank Lorraine Pratte Lewis, Lawrie, Anne Keating, Jan Colarusso Seeley, and all the rest of you, as well as Coach Pam Stuper and the 2017 Yale Team, for reminding me that I’d been part of something all along, whether I’d recognized it or not? I savored every minute of the afternoon—well, except the final few of the game. I’m grateful to those who sat near me for listening patiently to my commentary throughout the contest—I have, after all, been teaching and coaching field hockey for decades, so I found myself explaining rule changes and their game strategy implications, as a matter of course.

© LORRAINE PRATTE LEWIS

I don’t why I’d been away so long that I couldn’t even say when I was last back. Part of it was that since the fall of 1988 I’ve been working Saturdays in the fall at boarding schools with Saturday classes—and Saturday field hockey games. I’ve neglected the game at Yale, but have been involved in the game one way or another since I graduated.

Yale University President Peter Salovey catching up with Kathy Malone at the festivities before the Yale vs. Harvard game.

YFH Pioneers - Jean Benefield Pinto ’76, Sandy Morse ’74, Lawrie Mifflin ’73, Nancy Roberts ’73, Kathy Malone ’76, Anne Keating ’77, Andrea DaRif ’73, Heidi Humphrey ’75, and Barbara Borst ’74, along with longtime Yale athletic trainer Daphne Benas - were honored at halftime of the Yale vs. Harvard game.

I knew by the end of the evening, sitting around the Tables Down at Mory’s, why it was so important to have come. “Pioneers?” Talking it over, those of us there agreed that we’d been caught off guard by the level of recognition we’d received. We’d just been playing a game we loved. But when I reflected on the reality that there were nine early pioneers present—and six of the 11 women who first took the field, any field, anywhere, ever as Yale varsity women athletes—historian that I am, I was moved to the depths of my soul. We were able to do so because of the women who preceded us. Women like Mrs. Bowditch, Mrs. Willets, and the women who’d taught and coached them, back to the legendary Miss Applebee, who brought the game to the States from England in 1901. They had given us a gift. And we’d been able to pass that gift along to the future, that splendid future we saw on Johnson Field earlier that day. The Yale Field Hockey future is bright indeed—bright Blue. It is an honor to be even a small part of it, and an enormous joy.

2017-18 Team Salutes YFH Pioneers

by Tess Thompson ’18

We want to recognize the amazing women who not only had the courage to be in the first wave of women at Yale, but also had the audacity to start the field hockey program 45 years ago.

Let all of us who are currently on the team never forget that we have the chance to be here and represent Yale because of these incredible pioneers.

They did it without the fancy facilities, the Under Armour gear, the help of the trainers, or the promise of once-in-a-lifetime trips abroad. They did it simply for the love of the game, love for each other, and for the advancement and equality of women.

Current Yale Field Hockey seniors ( front row) Lily Smith, Carol Middough, Tess Thompson, Kiwi Comizio, and Katie Smith pose for a photo op with YFH Pioneers (left to right) Jean Benefield Pinto ’76, Lawrie Mifflin ’73, Nancy Roberts ’73, Andrea DaRif ’73, Barbara Borst ’74, Sandy Morse ’74, Kathy Malone ’76, Heidi Humphrey ’75, and Anne Keating ’77.

When we play, we know we are standing on the shoulders of these “giants” and try to emulate the relentless and indomitable spirit that it took to get this program off the ground.

So, on behalf of our team and all the women who have had the opportunity to play Yale Field Hockey because of you, thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

We had an outstanding evening of food, fun, and fellowship at the fifth annual YFH Alum Fête on February 24, 2017, at the Yale Club of New York City. The evening was superbly organized by Taylor Sankovich ’12, chair of the Association’s mentoring committee, and Jan Colarusso Seeley ’82, Association VicePresident. The entire team attended the event, which also served as the Association’s annual mentoring night. The team was accompanied by Pam Stuper, Caroline Ruth Thompson ’02 Head Coach of Field Hockey; Mary Beth Barham and Jessica Barnett, Assistant Coaches; Victoria Untiet, Associate Director of Athletic Development; Jessica Chrabaszcz, Associate Athletic Director for Internal Operations; Jordan Paolucci, Athletic Medicine Fellow; and Daphne Benas, former Yale trainer. The sophomores, juniors, and seniors were paired with alum mentors, who share their career interests. All of the players networked with scores of alums. We had a new experience this year—a presentation by Lauren Crandall, Captain of the U.S. Women’s National Team,

© LORRAINE PRATTE LEWIS

2017 Alum Fête

Lauren Crandall huddles with her U.S.A. Field Hockey teammates. three-time Field Hockey Olympian, and a two-time National Champion at Wake Forest University. Under Lauren’s leadership, the USA team rose to #5 in world rankings. In her remarks, Lauren deftly reminded us of the many ways athletes learn how to succeed through failure.

From Puerto Rico With Love…

The Dengue Branch works to manage a variety of tropical diseases endemic in Puerto Rico, including Dengue, Zika virus, and Chikungunya. As the only place in the United States where Zika virus is currently endemic, Puerto Rico is the epicenter of most Zika virus-related epidemiological activity. My work at the Dengue Branch could not have been a better experience. I was motivated by a concern about the Zika virus epidemic and the greater trend of emergent arboviral diseases, so my central goal for the summer was to work to contribute to Dengue Branch’s Epidemiology Team’s understanding of how these diseases spread and the most pressing clinical concerns. Last year, during the major Zika virus outbreak in Puerto Rico, a number of field studies were originated, and a large amount of case data was collected. I spent most of my time working to better organize and understand this data so it can be mobilized to prevent and mitigate the effects of future outbreaks. Because I have some experience with data analysis programs and database management, I was able to assist on four different projects. The one I worked most extensively on was a serosurvey performed last summer, which involved going into the field and collecting data on each participant’s health history, work status, demographic information, and where they spent most of their time as well as taking a blood sample and testing it for evidence of previous infection by a slate of diseases of interest. We also collected household data on number and types of windows, presence of mosquito traps, presence of standing water, and other variables of interest. I cleaned this mass of data to make it useful and accessible to the epidemiology team. I also spent considerable time “geocoding” cases of diseases from the previous year—assigning GPS coordinates to the cases based on the patient’s address. This allows the epidemiologists to look for clusters and understand how different diseases spread, so as to better stem future outbreaks.

The most valuable aspect of my summer experience, though, were the relationships I built with people working at the Dengue Branch.

I have known for a while that I want to work in public health and infectious disease, but I only had a vague idea of what an actual career in epidemiology looks like. At the Dengue Branch, I spent all of my working hours around some of the most brilliant epidemiologists working today, all of whom came to work at the CDC from very different backgrounds. It gave me an idea about the endless number of ways one can enter the field, depending on what aspect of public health is most interesting. Everyone was extremely friendly

©RICARDO MILLAN

My career interests have always been focused on two goals: working in health and working outside the United States experiencing the world. This past summer I had the opportunity to do both, as I lived in Puerto Rico working for the CDC’s Dengue Branch. I cemented my passions into concrete career paths and had a formative experience while falling in love with a new place in a way I never could have as a tourist.

©EMILY STANFORD

by Chaney Kalinich ’19

Whether on work-related field trips to caves to take samples (to test for diseases) from bat populations or visits to breathtaking landmarks, Chaney had a summer in Puerto Rico she will never forget. and ready to give advice regarding all aspects of building a career in public health.

All meetings with the Department of Public Health were conducted in Spanish. These meetings were both some of the most interesting experiences I had as well as the most accurate insight into what emergent disease epidemiology looks like. All Puerto Rican medical records are on paper and in Spanish, so my Spanish knowledge was also helpful any time I had to refer to hospital records to verify any data points.

Outside the Dengue Branch, I spent a considerable amount of time enjoying the island. Puerto Ricans are incredibly amicable, and I was lucky to have made a number of good friends while I was there. I was delighted to find that Puerto Rico actually has a flourishing field hockey culture, and the teams were very welcoming. Field hockey practices were a valuable setting to practice Spanish immersively, as everyone was talking very casually and normally. It was challenging, too, and I rarely picked up everything my teammates would say, but it was the perfect place to practice and learn the strong local accents and vocabulary. It was invaluable hockey practice, but also a cultural experience that I couldn’t possibly have had without the unique combination of living there, having a Spanish background, and playing a sport.

Puerto Rico has some of the most beautiful beaches, caves, and forests in the world. Each weekend I made an effort to branch out to at least one new part of the island. I was able to visit beaches all along the northern coast of the island. I also visited and climbed through some caves with beautiful rock formations. These excursions were especially fun because local Puerto Rican friends would insist on showing me, the visitor, their own favorite places on the island. It struck me how in love with their island Puerto Ricans are, and it absolutely rubbed off on me. I had opportunities to scuba dive in a pristine reef, salsa in in the streets of Old San Juan, and kayak through the world’s brightest bioluminescent bay at midnight on a perfectly clear night.

I would like to express my sincerest thanks to the donor of the fellowship that allowed me to take advantage of an unparalleled opportunity and have such a powerful, rewarding experience.

Coach’s Corner

Caroline Ruth Thompson ’02 Head Coach of Field Hockey, Pam Stuper

45 Years of Yale Field Hockey: The Future Looks Bright!

I have had the privilege of being here for 20 of our 45 years of varsity field hockey at Yale. At the conclusion of every field hockey season, we drill down the season. We review film, statistics, and spend hours as a staff discussing our strengths, areas of improvement, and develop a game plan moving forward. As I said at the 45th Anniversary Celebration and can confirm now…

The future looks bright!

We have the best assistant coaches—Mary Beth Barham ’13 and Jess Barnett; the best strength and conditioning coaches— Thomas Newman and TJ Belanger; the best athletic trainer— Jordan Paolucci; and the best administrator—Associate Athletic Director Jessica Chrabaszcz. For those who saw us play this year, the improved level of athleticism and play speaks volumes. The dedication and hard work of our entire staff has made this possible. The future looks bright!

We have the best and brightest young women playing for us!

This season we scored the highest number of goals, recorded the most shutouts, and had the best record since 2011. We had two players selected First Team All-Ivy—unanimous pick Carol Middough ’18 and Sydney Terroso ’21—and two players selected to the Second Team All-Ivy—Bridget Condie ’20 and Imogen Davies ’21. Check out the various highlight films on our Yale Field Hockey website: http://www.yalebulldogs.com/sports/ w-fieldh/playlists.

The future looks Tom Beckett and Pam Stuper acknowledge bright!

Carol Roberts at 45th Celebration.

Tom Beckett, Director of Athletics, will retire in June 2018. Tom’s leadership the last two decades has been nothing short of incredible. Every aspect of our program has grown immensely under his direction. Yale Field Hockey is where it is today because of his vision, support, enthusiasm, and guidance. Thanks to Tom’s 24 years of leadership, he has left a legacy and his mark on our program forever. The future looks bright!

The extraordinary gift by Carol McPhillips Roberts ’81, the lead donor for our new field house, the Carol Roberts Field House, will impact the team and the program incredibly. As I said the day Carol made her commitment to the project, this is a game changer—a program changer! The future looks bright!

Last, but certainly not least, we have the BEST ALUMS in the nation! UConn may be the #1 ranked team in NCAA Field Hockey going into the 2017 Championships, but we are THE BEST ALUM TEAM in the nation! If you have yet to watch our Celebrating 45 Years of Yale Field Hockey video on the website, I encourage you to do so. It captures everything that’s special about our team, our program, and our alums. YFH ALUMS rank #1 in the nation and it’s been another championship year! The future looks bright!

Carol Roberts Field House groundbreaking ceremony. Carol Roberts (center) and alums.

Save the Dates For Getting Together 2018 Fête: Food, Fun, and Fellowship Friday, February 23, 2018 7 p.m., Trumbull Room Yale Club of New York City Yale Softball Association invites YFH Alums to the 2018 Yale Softball Alum Weekend Yale vs. Dartmouth Doubleheader April 21, 2018 DeWitt Family Field, next to Johnson Field

We Need Your Updated Contact Information!

Please help us by keeping your contact information current so that we can continue communicating with you about Yale Field Hockey news and events. Two easy ways to keep your contact information up to date: Preferred Method: Yale Alumni Directory 1. Go to http://bit.ly/2ysXxr0 and follow the instructions to register or log in.

2. Once you are logged in, click “Online Alumni Directory” in the left column.

3. Click “View/Update Your Alumni Directory Listing.”

4. From here, you will be able to update your contact information as well as any other information you would like to provide.

Secondary Method: Informing YFH Association If you are unable to use the Yale Alumni Directory online, please email or call Erin M. Carter ’12 erinmcarter15@gmail.com 484-686-6321