A sophomore on the North Carolina field hockey team, Danielle Forword is loving every second of playing for the nation’s top-ranked team. The East London, South Africa native has always been passionate about field hockey, and now she’s made it her goal to educate all of us about the sport. Danielle has signed on to be a regular contributor for the Double-A Zone and will be providing insight into the game every couple of weeks. This season, she has four goals and one assist for the 12-0 Tar Heels.

When I say field hockey, are you one of those who say, “Is that ice hockey on a field?”

To answer your question, nope, but don’t be ashamed, as you are not the first to have asked this question, a common faux pas in the States.

So, as some of you may have gathered, I am a field hockey player at the University of North Carolina, commonly referred to as “heaven.” I am a South African sophomore studying Journalism and Mass Communication. One could say my family eats and sleeps hockey, the topic of discussion at every meal and the thing that occupies my dreams and thoughts.

Born into a hockey family with mother and sister both representing national teams, I started playing field hockey at the tender age of six (sacrificing my Saturday morning cartoons for mini hockey). My favorite color is turquoise and I love photography, watching old movies and drinking gallons of coffee.

So now that you know me, let me tell you about my amazing team. One could say they are the Mary Poppins of all teams (perfect in every way), the cream of the crop, the Delta Phi of field hockey. Every week, two team members present a chapter from the book “Talent is Never Enough,” by John Maxwell. This week was “Practice sharpens your talent” – it is not the fact that you practice (as we know this is a standard on most teams), it’s how you practice. Practice doesn’t make perfect – it makes you better and better is closer to your best, so practice like champions. Think of this while practicing and motivate other team members to push themselves harder.

Our team has worked hard, thus far keeping our minds on each game, not underestimating the opposition, respecting all competition and living in the moment. The UNC field hockey team recently added another shutout to its track record of seven thus far and a 12-0 winning streak. On September 25, the Tar Heels took on Davidson, a well-organized team that half-court pressed us for the majority of the game. This makes it difficult for a team to attack as the entire opposing team is squeezed into one half of the field. Our midfielders ran hard to open spaces for direct balls to the forwards and we were able to move their team by passing the ball around the back and waiting patiently for an opening. We won 8-0 with an awesome team effort and unselfish passes leading to goals.

Last Saturday, we took on Wake Forest, one of our strongest opponents in the ACC. We won 5-0 scoring four of the five goals in the first half. We scored early, which took some pressure off us and allowed for a goal-scoring frenzy. With awesome leads, we were able to transfer from defense through midfield and to the forward line.

I will attempt to inform the not so educated, but eager, “fockey” fans:

Ways in which you can sound like an intellectual fan:
“That is not a goal as no one touched it within the circle” or “That was a foot, ref.”

Word of the week: shibaz – to strut your stuff on the field, show off your talent and basically show someone how to play hockey. Used in context: “The Tar Heels really shibazzed on Saturday.”

Be sure to check out my next blog for another field hockey tip. In no time I will have you all fully-knowledgeable field hockey fans.

p.s. Follow us on our March on Maryland (where the NCAA Championships will be held) on TarHeelBlue.com