Q & A with Emily Field
December 03, 2014 | Women's Hockey
Chestnut Hill, Mass. -
Emily Field is a senior at Boston College and captain of the Women's Varsity Ice Hockey Team. The Massachusetts native plays forward and has been a strong member of the team since her freshman year season 2011-2012. Last season Field finished in third on the team with 32 points on 14 goals and 18 assists, including three power play goals, two short-handed goals and three game-winning goals. Here is a chance to get to know Emily Field.
Q: What kinds of goals have you set for yourselves as a team this year?
At the beginning of the year the coaches always have us sit down and meet individually with them, and we all write down goals that we have for ourselves and for the team. This year, every single person wrote down that they wanted to win a national championship. That's the main goal. But also, in order to get there, we all understand that there are little goals along the way. We've won every game so far, we want to win every game, we haven't lost yet and we don't want to lose. We want to win the Beanpot, the Hockey East, and so on. So, I would say the goal is to win the national championship but, with that comes every other game that we play, and every game is a mini-goal.
Q: What about personal goals?
Personally, being a leader on the team, I would like to see our team get there. It's going to be challenging; there are bumps in the road already and there are going to continue to be. For me, I would like to see how we respond to it and how I can help our team get over the bumps and continue to do as well as we have been doing. Anything that the team does well, I take as a little win for myself in a way.
Q: What is it like to be a captain of the team this year?
It is fun. It's a lot of fun. I'm not sure if it's because I'm a senior, so I know everyone better than I have in previous years, but this is the most fun team I think I have ever been a part of. We get along so well on and off the ice. It's difficult at times because we are so fun and we get along so well that it's sometimes hard because we want to maintain a level of respect between everyone, and being a leader you want everyone to respect you and listen to you, but we are also best friends. It becomes hard at times when you have to stand up to someone who you might not want to because they are your best friend but, it's been a lot of fun, and they make it pretty easy to lead.
Q: Have there been any other changes in team culture or dynamic that you've noticed in the last four years?
Absolutely. This team is definitely the most determined and focused on and off of the ice. In the weight room, for example, we get extra lifts in every week which we never did in the past. And it's not just the people that are training for outside camps or programs, it's people that are just playing at BC too, which is really remarkable to me because there's no need to be in there; you don't have to be in there, nobody knows you're in there and nobody's watching you in there, but everybody does it. So, it's pretty fun just to see that dynamic of people pushing each other and getting on the ice earlier. I also think Alex Carpenter coming back this year really brought on a different level. She knows so much about the game and she is always striving to get better, and I think for a lot of the younger kids, and the older girls too, they see it and they want to be like that, and it changes how everybody thinks about our determination and focus.
Q: What has it been like for you to be such a successful team this year, winning every game and having such big goals ahead of you?
It's been fun and it's been challenging. It's a little different because when you're the first place team, everybody else wants to beat you, whether they're the last place team or the second place team. We always have a target on our backs and there's nothing to lose for the other teams in it so, it's hard for us because we have to get ready to play every single game, whether it's a Hockey East game, an out of league game, against an unranked team or a really good team. That has been the challenge for us and it's going to continue to be a challenge to come out ready to play every game, because it might not be something that people are used to.
Q: What has been your favorite memory from being on the team, either this year or in previous years?
Winning the Beanpot last year was the best memory I've had with previous teams. It was the first time I had ever won it so that was really exciting and cool. I would like to do it again with this team because that would be really fun.
Q: How have you handled being a student athlete at Boston College? What would you say are your favorite and least favorite parts about it?
I think that I thrive under pressure, and as a student athlete you are constantly under pressure. In the classroom you want to do well because you are a leader at the school in some ways, and you obviously want to succeed there. And then you run from class to get to the gym to work out and then get on the ice, so there is a lot of pressure to succeed in so many areas that it's almost overwhelming at times. But I think that is one of my strengths. One semester I under-loaded on classes and I didn't do as well because I had free time and I didn't know what to do with it. So, it's actually better for me to be busy because I think, "okay, I have 20 minutes where I need to do this, and I don't have another 20 minutes until 9:00 at night, so let's get this done." That is something that I succeed with. I think that the hardest thing I have found with being a student athlete is being tired. I'm a morning person so I don't mind the 9:00 am classes, but it is the 6:30 pm classes where I think, "oh my gosh, Emily, you have to go," but I don't want to go because I could be in bed at 8:30 instead of in class. That is a constant struggle for me, but I've gotten used to it and I've also learned that I should avoid taking those later classes. The hardest part for me as a student-athlete was finding the balance of when is the best time for me to get my stuff done.
Q: What kinds of things do you do to prepare for games and get excited?
I live with three other teammates, Kate Leary, Andie Anastos and Haley McLean, and after team meals we go back to our room and play cards just before we come to the rink. It's our way to relax and hang out. It's definitely competitive, we keep track of all of our scores, but it's fun and something that we like to do. And then when we get to the gym we play soccer and just kick the ball and try to get as many touches as we can. That's also fun because we keep it light and listen to music and dance around a little before we start to get ready and into the zone.
Q; Why did you choose BC?
I'm from Massachusetts so growing up, BC was a school that you could only dream of going to. I saw all these great athletes coming in and going out of it, and it's such a great school academically. So, growing up I always had thought about BC but I never really knew a lot about it or had a strong interest until I got older. At Lawrence Academy I had teammates, Danielle Doherty, Ashley Motherwell and Amanda Movsessian, who came and played here and I think they were really big reasons for why I came here. They could attest to everything that BC was and is and it was really nice to have someone that I know and trust at the school and give their input. When I came here and I met with the coaches I just knew, no matter what I was offered that I wanted to come here. My parents wanted me to wait and think about it but there was never a time that I didn't want to come here. As soon as I met them and saw the school, I was hooked.
Q; What is your major and what do you hope to be doing in 5 years?
I am a political science major and a theology minor. I would like to go to law school. I'm in the process of applying now, I'm not yet sure if I'm going to apply for this year or next year, but I would like to go to law school and someday be either a sports agent or an attorney working in sports somehow. I definitely am interested in law and sports, that's my life. I would love to do that and be around here.
