11:10 PM EDT on Wednesday, September 14, 2005

Frank the moderator: Hey everyone. We will have Journal sportwriter Carolyn Thornton with North Kingstown field hockey players Allie Dolce, Megan Scully and Lindsay Gilbert stopping by to answer questions and comments about competing on the high school level.

North Kingstown field hockey players Lindsay Gilbert, Allie Dolce and Megan Scully after the high school chat.

Carolyn Thornton: Hello everyone. I am here at the Journal with Allie Dolce, Lindsay Gilbert and Megan Scully. They're just coming off a great 1-0 overtime victory over Wheeler about an hour and a half ago, but they say they've got enough energy to answer some questions. So go ahead and fire away.

Carolyn Thornton: How about if I start things off with a question to the players about the new season. How's it been going so far?

Megan: So far the season's been good. We're taking it one game at a time. Right now, we're 4-2 and looking forward to our next game on Friday against Moses Brown.

Carolyn Thornton: Tell us a little about tonight's game. Sounds like it was a real nailbiter.

Allie: We all worked really hard, but we couldn't finish around the circle. Their goalie - Olivia Linder - really came up with some key saves. Then Kayla Simeone put one in the net for us a few minutes into the overtime. I had the ball on the right side and passed it to her on the opposite side, and she hit it by a defender. We needed this one after our disappointing loss to Tiverton on Monday.

MegAlex07: Hey Girls. So far you guys have a 4-2 record. What do you think you have to do to improve your game for the weeks to come?

Lindsay: We lost three out of four of our defenders to graduation, so we've got some players who didn't play a lot last season now being asked to step up and play a major role for us. So it's a learning process for everyone. They're doing really well and with each game, we're getting a better understanding of how each other plays. We just need to continue to work on our communication on the field and being more intense.

MegAlex07: How intense is the competition? Do you have any teams that you conisider rivals?

Megan: Every team we play is competitive. As we've already seen in the first few weeks of the season, anybody can beat anybody on any given day. I know that sounds kind of cliche, but it's really true. You can't take any team for granted just because they might not have the best record.

cowgirl: What's your goal when you're out there on the field? Are you aiming for a championship, to beat a particular rival, just have fun?

Allie: Our goal is to win one game at a time. We don't look any farther than that game. It doesn't matter who's on the other side of the field. Our goal is to put the ball in the net. As for having fun, we try to make each experience as positive as we can. We wouldn't be out there if we weren't having fun.

cowgirl: Which position do you think requires the most skill? I always liked right wings myself

Megan: Each position requires different skills, but I wouldn't say that any one position requires more skill than the other.

Lindsay: And every position is important to the team in its own way. So you're only as strong as your weakest link.

cowgirl: So, what's the deal with the gold headbands you guys are sporting tonight? A team thing?

Lindsay: It's just something we started at practice this year. No big deal. Just for fun.

Allie: We thought they were cute.

Megan: And they keep the hair out of your face.

MegAlex07: Do you have a certain pre-season training that you do?

Allie: Everybody went to either camp or played on a travel or club team during the summer, which gave us a chance to work on our skills. We take every opportunity we can to play and make ourselves better.

nkfhis#1: what is your take on parents and their involvement with high school sports?

N.K. field hockey athletes: As far as our team, we have a lot of very supportive parents, who consistently show up to all of our games - home or away. It's really nice to have someone you know cheering for you in the stands. They're always bringing us food and drinks. Most of them have taken the time to learn the game, but at the same time, they don't try to coach us from the stands. They just let Coach Maguire do her job and let us play the game and enjoy watching us.

sox11: During practice, what do you work on the most -- skills, cardio, endurance?

Allie: We work on everything. Our coaches really know what they're doing and find a way to encorporate all of those things - the skills, cardio and endurance - into each drill.. Our practices are tailored to how we performed in the previous game, so we'll concentrate on the things that we may have had trouble with that game.

nkfhis#1: What do you think it is going to take specifically to bring a fourth consecutive championship to nk

Lindsay: We're not thinking that far ahead yet. There's a lot of season left to play and there's room for improvement for everybody. It all depends on how well we continue to gel and learn from our mistakes and maintain our focus.

fc: What has been your best experience as a field hockey player at N.K.? Last year's championship?

Lindsay: Yeah, that might have been the best experience so far because of the fact that no one expected us to do it and we all worked extremely hard to get there. We didn't have any one superstar on the team. Everyone was definitely equally as important and played their part in getting us there. Especially winning it in four overtimes showed that we had a lot of heart. . . . . Now with that being said, hopefully this year, we can create an even better experience.

go-team: Are you looking forward to playing field hockey on the college level???

Allie: Megan and I are looking to play at the college level. I'm looking at UConn, Quinnipiac and BU at the moment.

Megan: I'm looking at Quinnipiac and Ithaca.

Allie: The challenge of playing on astro turf is what I'm looking forward to. It's a whole new game. Megan: A lot faster and more exciting.

MegAlex07: How do you and your team prepare for games?

Allie: We do have a routine that we do before every game, and that kind of gets you into the mindset that it's gametime.

Megan: We do pretty much the same thing in the same order - jog, stretch, drills - then game.

sox11: How do you fit studying into your schedules? Obviously you'll get home late tonight - what, no homework?

Allie: Time management definitely plays a role. You have to learn how to maximize your time and not procrastinate.

Megan: Playing a sport almost makes you better at managing your time. I can't procrastinate at all. Lindsay: Usually, if I know I have a game, I'll get it done the night before instead of waiting

Allie: We have block scheduling which gives us an advantage. I really use any class time they give us instead of waiting until I get home.

Megan: If any of us are in the same classes, we'll help each other if they're stuck. Bus rides to and from games are a good time to do that.

go-team: What advice do you give to the younger teammates (freshman/sophmores)? And do most players have a clue how to play the game?

Lindsay: The younger ones we just try to encourage in every way we can, especially in tryouts.

Allie: We always reinforce the positive aspects. We work hard, but we also try to make it fun. We have pasta parties like once a week, which is an opportunity to get to know each other off the field and bond. If somebody's having a bad day, we try to pick them up and let them know it's going to get better.

Lindsay: And as far as how much the new players know, a lot of them are coming in with more skills and knowledge because there's a recreation league in North Kingstown now. Allie: When we came in, we didn't know what we were doing, so we've all been there and try to remember that when we're helping the new players. And the new players, they do learn fast. Like this year's freshmen and sophomores, they've been picking things up really quickly.

fhfan: what gets you motivated?

Megan: Especially home games, we play at night and we have a warm-up CD that has a lot of upbeat songs to you get excited. We have a really nice stadium and we have a faithful group of funs, so playing under the lights really gets you excited and motivated to play.

MegAlex07: How do you and your team prepare...

Allie: We do have a routine that we do before every game, and that kind of gets you into the mindset that it's gametime.

Megan: We do pretty much the same thing in the same order - jog, stretch, drills - then game.

fhfan: what do u injoy the most out of playing field hockey?

Megan: Stopping goals. (Editor's note: Megan's a goalie.)

Linsday: It's exciting when you get a breakway and you're able to advance the ball.

Allie: Or you make a play. Just the little things.

Linsday: Also, just scoring's exciting. Especially when you've been waiting like an hour to score and you finally do.

Carolyn Thornton: It looks like our time is up. I want to thank Allie, Lindsay and Megan for stopping by. We wish you a lot of luck with the rest of your season. Now go do your homework!