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Winning A National Championship...HEEEEEEL Yeah! - Nov 27, 2007
posted by: Josh
North Carolina's Danielle Forword checks in after helping lead the Tar Heels to the NCAA Division I Field Hockey Championship. North Carolina finished the season a perfect 24-0 and won its fifth NCAA title. Dani scored a goal in the second half of the title game to ice a 3-0 win over Penn State. I am writing this first section to help you comprehend the intensity of my, and the Heels’, nerves. I have bitten all my Carolina blue nail polish off, I have taken full advantage of the Starbucks located on the first floor of the Marriott, and I have allowed every possible situation/play to run through my mind. So much is at stake, so much to lose yet so much more to win. It’s just another game yet it’s not – it’s the only game. Tomorrow invites the challenge we have waited for all season where a goal will be met or hearts will be broken. The hours tick by at a slow pace. Can we just play already?! Phew. OK, now I can let out a huge sigh and scream HEEEEEEEEEEEEEL YEAH! We did it, we won. FYI…I am screaming this at the top of my lungs. We were escorted to the field by the local police. I was thinking they got us confused with the football team but nope, we were queens for the day and apparently national champions only arrive in style. College Park should’ve been renamed Tar Heel Town, as the blue shakers, Fever, the band and Carolina fans filled the stadium. Tension was relieved when our customary dance off competition in the locker room commenced, being careful not to pull a muscle but desperately trying to make the time pass quicker. The Carolina girls waited on the line for the whistle at 38 minutes to blow…warm-up began and the adrenaline pumped through our blue blood. The crowd was amazing and never stopped screaming, the intensity of the game was high and celebrations were even greater. The Tar Heels defeated the Nittany Lions 3-0. A victory lap and one million photographs later we were awarded our gold watches and the trophy. I am trying, in vain I fear, to convey the appreciation I have for everyone who supports us and describe the amazing atmosphere that surrounded us. We weren’t just playing for a trophy but for all those who had supported us, for the University of North Carolina and for each other. A memory was made and as I looked around and absorbed it all I am now able to replay it in my head at my disposal. What many athletes dream of doing and what I can only hope to repeat next year was done. It is all worth it, all of it. The fitness, the lifting, the early wake-ups, the injuries, the dry turf and the struggles all pay off and now I can say I know what it feels like to be on a team unified in achieving one goal and believing in the power of their dreams. I can only hope I have converted some of you into field hockey fans and all I can say is stick around for next year (excuse the pun). Word of the week: “Chakde” 
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Sox-Yankees happens 18 times a year; this is Figgy's second major league start in four years. Always take the chance to see something you've never seen before.
- Adam
   
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