LF_081017

28 | August 10, 2017 | The lake forest leader SPORTS
LakeForestLeader.com
From the Sports Editor
Fall beckons another action-packed season
Erin Redmond
e.redmond@22ndcenturymedia.com
Where did the
summer go?
It seriously
feels like just yesterday
we were gearing up
for graduation day and
planning interviews with
our local athletes to see
where they were going
next. And then I blinked
and fall sports were upon
us.
Don’t get me wrong,
I am not complaining.
This time of year is one
of my favorites. There’s
an unrivaled buzz in the
air, the anticipation of
brand a new season about
to start.
There are fresh-faced
freshmen looking forward
to their first high school
game and seasoned
juniors and seniors ready
to show them the way.
And let’s not forget
about those sophomores.
They’re out to prove
there’s no such thing as a
sophomore slump.
New coaches have
taken the reins and others
are returning, both approaching
the season with
optimism and excitement.
And I get to be a part of
it all. How cool is that?
Of course you’ll see me
on the sidelines on Friday
nights for football and
who wouldn’t be excited
about that?
But there are so many
other great sports that fall
ushers in.
For the girls, tennis and
field hockey will be in
full swing. They’ll make
a splash in the pool as the
swim and diving season
returns and tear up the
court during volleyball
games.
As the leaves change
and the weather cools
down, it creates the
perfect conditions for our
co-ed golfers and crosscountry
runners. Being a
newbie to the area, I can’t
wait to check out some
of the beautiful courses
and places both will be
competing at this
fall.
Our local soccer players
return to the pitch for
the boys season, too, so
you know there will be no
shortage of action.
And cheering them all
on and providing some
high-flying, captivating
performances will be the
cheer and pom squads.
Needless to say, I’m
pumped.
Yes, I’ve been through
plenty of fall sports seasons,
but this one is brand
new to me. I can’t wait
to see what the athletes
of Lake Forest and Lake
Bluff bring to the table.
I’ll see you out there,
sports fans.
HOCKEY
From Page 31
coaches and made it even
better for them.”
Walsh is no stranger to
winning, having led the
Scouts to 10 state titles as
a coach and one as a player
during her senior year at
Lake Forest. She helped
her team reach at least the
semifinals for 21 of her 22
seasons and established
a winning tradition at the
school.
Scout pride
Almost all of Walsh’s
field hockey career was
spent with Lake Forest,
having played three years
in high school following a
brief stint as a cheerleader.
She continued her playing
career at the University
of Kentucky, where she
played club field hockey.
After graduation, Walsh
came home to Lake Forest
and it wasn’t long before
the field hockey program
reached out to her and
offered a position as JV
coach. She was promoted
to varsity assistant the following
year and served
that role for 13 years before
being named head
coach in 2008.
Having a coach with
a background such as
Walsh’s meant a lot to her
players. Knowing Walsh
had once worn the Scouts
uniform, too, rising senior
Catherine Nicholson said,
made it all the more easier
to buy in to the program.
“Not only did she have
Scout pride — which we
all have just by going
to the school — but she
also knows how the program
works, she knows
all the traditions; she lived
through them,” Nicholson
said. “...I know it made it
a lot easier on me and a lot
of my friends during the
tryout process that they
themselves went through.
They know exactly how
we’re feeling. It was very
cool ... it made everything
a little easier.”
Changing times
The field hockey program
has undergone several
changes during Walsh’s
tenure, but she said she
was excited to see things
evolve with the times.
Starting out as a
22-year-old coach, Walsh
said it was sometimes difficult
to strike “a balance
of authority” with her
players who, at the time,
were just a few years
younger than herself. But
as she grew into her role,
she developed her own
coaching style, one that
has transformed into a
player-first mentality.
“We’ll definitely miss
her. What’s different
about her coaching style
is she puts a lot of focus
on who’s working hard,
not necessarily who’s
the most skilled and that
was something I really
respected,” Nicholson
said. “If you were pushing
yourself everyday in practice
... it went noticed. I
think that I’ve had lots of
coaches where all the little
things go unnoticed.”
The speed of the game,
Walsh said, was also
something that changed
under her regime. For
years, the Scouts played
on the front lawn of the
school, a backdrop she
considers the “most beautiful
in the state.”
But as more schools
got turf fields, other field
hockey teams began making
the change away from
playing on grass. So when
LFHS installed a turf field
at its West Campus, Walsh
said it was only natural
they play there, too — but
not everyone agreed.
“We started shifting
over to the turf for the
varsity and eventually we
completely abandoned
the front lawn,” she said.
“People were like ‘how
are you getting rid of that
tradition? What are you
doing?’ The level of play
is so much more dynamic
and fast and entertaining
and fun for the kids. It was
a no-brainer. That change
in the sport really kept us
going and it was really
exciting to see all those
changes. I had to learn new
skills to teach and new
ways of doing things.”
And of course, the girls
wearing the Scouts uniform
has changed countless
times over the course
of Walsh’s career. LFHS
began tryouts for this season
on Wednesday, Aug.
9, and Walsh said that
process was always one of
her favorites of the year.
“Every year it’s different;
that brings new excitement
every year,” she said.
“Even after 22 years, it was
still exciting. Last year we
were really pumped with
who we had. We had 16
seniors and we brought in
a couple new puzzle pieces
and worked really hard to
make them as successful
as they were. Doing that
every season really kept
me going as a coach.”
A lasting legacy
While the Scouts have
established themselves as
a powerhouse in the Illinois
field hockey scene,
one of Walsh’s proudest
moments was helping her
team establish themselves
as a force in the Midwest.
The Scouts annually
play in the Huskie Invitational,
a tournament that
regularly draws teams
from Missouri, Kentucky,
Ohio and Michigan.
Walsh said the level
of play is amplified at this
tournament and the squad
would always get “our
butts kicked” by the teams
from Louisville. That all
ended in 2011, however,
when the Scouts finally
won the tournament on
penalty strokes.
“That was so exciting
for the girls; they lost
their minds,” Walsh said.
“It was something that we
had wanted to do for years.
... This was one that we
could never win. We always
struggled with it and
we won.”
All the struggles were
worth it, Walsh said, and
that she would do it all
over again.
But for now, she will
focus on being a mom and
being around for her kids
as much as possible. Walsh
said she knows she won’t
be able to stay away and
plans on attending a few of
the Scouts’ games this season
as a spectator, though
she knows it will be very
strange for to assume that
roll.
That said, she still
hasn’t ruled coaching out
of her future entirely.
“It has been fun and challenging,”
Walsh said. “I really
hope the sport continues
to grow. Who knows?
Maybe 10 years down the
road when both my kids are
in college, you just might
see me back on the sidelines.”