Upper School Math teacher and Service Coordinator Sarah Kelly has taken on a new role in our school community: Varsity Girls Field Hockey Coach.
In late summer, Bill Klose, FSS Director of Athletics, was searching for a new Varsity Field Hockey Coach. Finding coaches was difficult because it was so close to the beginning of preseason. Bill discussed his dilemma with finding a coach over the summer with Sarah; he pitched the idea of her becoming a coach and she was willing to do so. “Sarah always does whatever is needed to help the school and our athletics program,” said Bill. “ She was willing to step up if I needed her.”
This is not Sarah’s first appearance in the athletics scene at FSS: she has formerly coached Cross Country and currently coaches Swimming and Boys Tennis. She had to give up her position as a coach in Cross Country to coach Field Hockey because they ran simultaneously. Even though Sarah misses coaching Cross Country, she believes she has made the right decision with her transfer. “I knew that cross country was in good hands with Percell, so it felt like the best decision to make the switch and make sure the girls had a coach for the season! ” said Sarah.
According to one of FSS Varsity Field Hockey’s captains, Paloma Herrera Puig ‘25, Sarah’s tremendous organizational skills benefit the entire team. “She’s always on it,” Paloma said. “I feel like you can tell she really cares about the outcome of the season and I just think that she is very responsible,”
Sarah explains that she has faced adversity in her new position. Since she never played high school field hockey she couldn’t relate to the girls in that aspect. Therefore her research of field hockey has been vital in her growth in this position. “I have been watching lots of videos and some professional games, as well as reading up on drills, formations, and plays that we could use in a game setting,” said Sarah.
Sarah has also found a connection to math on the field, showing how math really can play a role in our everyday lives. “For me, field hockey is all about angles and triangular formations in order to be able to move the ball up and down the field,” explained Sarah. “We also talk a lot about the angle and position of the stick when receiving or passing the ball to your teammates.”
