Q & A: sophomore Leah Crouse

After only three years of competitive play, sophomore field hockey player Leah Crouse is a force in which to be reckoned. In just this past season alone, Crouse has earned  title All-Conference and All-State titles. Her greatest achievement yet is capturing a position on the U17 National Field Hockey Team.

Q: Why did you start playing Field Hockey?

A: “I would drive by the Cox hockey field on my way to summer camp at the Great Neck Rec Center, when I was little, and I would always see the Cox girls playing and I thought it was just so cool. They are ultimately the reason I started playing.”

Q: So you made the U17 National Field Hockey Team, what was the tryout process like?

A: “We have a program called Futures, which is a pipeline process starting with Regionals, then the National Futures Championship, then the Junior Olympics, then Junior National Camp. I made it all the way up to Junior National Camp which is a five day camp where the coaches proceed to cut ten people until they have a travel team. We don’t know who gets cut until April, so I won’t know if I made the Travel Squad until then.”

Q: What will you do on this Junior National Team?

A: “Well, we have scheduled practices that are usually three day weekends, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, so I will be missing a lot of school. One practice is held at the University of North Carolina, one is at the University of Maryland, and one is at the home of the United States Hockey Team, which is called the spooky nook in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. If I make the official Travel Squad, I will travel to Germany.”

Q: Will you get any special recognitions for playing on this team?

A: “It’s definitely beneficial if you’re attempting to play Field Hockey in college, to have the National Team name under your belt.”

Q: How does it feel to be one of the National Team players?

A: “It feels good because I’ve kind of been the underdog for a long time because I started hockey a lot older than most of my teammates did, so I have had to play catch up. This year I feel like I have finally caught up to them which is nice, and people’s reactions are always so positive when I tell them about it.”

Q: What’s the next step in your field hockey career?

A: “I would love to play field hockey in college. I’ve been on some college visits and I love watching the college game. It’s definitely a big goal of mine to play professional hockey after college, but that’s really far off.”