This time each year, fall sports coaches at every school in the state face a wide array of challenges — new players, injuries, assigning roster spots; you name it, coaches are dealing with it.
But for Golden girls field hockey coach Kayla Paulson, an entirely different challenge awaits as the Demons enter the 2010 season: teaching players how to play a sport they’ve never played before.
“We have a lot of new girls this year,” Paulson said. “It’s probably half-and-half between girls that have played before and girls that are just learning the game.”
Paulson, who takes over the Golden program after serving as an assistant the past two years, says this challenge is mainly due to the fact that field hockey is still a relatively unknown sport in Colorado. There are currently only 17 high school programs in the state.
Golden is the only school in Jeffco that provides the sport.
“This isn’t softball. This isn’t volleyball. This isn’t something girls have been playing since they were young,” Paulson said. “That is the challenge. But that is also kind of the glory of it. You can start playing in high school and still end up going to college with it.”
Paulson said she would depend on a core group of seniors to lead the way for the Demons in 2010: midfielders Kaitlyn Tripp and Hannah Schaefer, forward Ariana Randolph and defender Maggie Robinson.
“It’s kind of a re-building year with a ton of new girls,” said Tripp, who finished 2009 with two goals and one assist. “But I think what’s really important is dedication and hard work. Any team that has those things can succeed.”
Success has been a bit hard to come by for the Golden squad competing against established state powers like Cherry Creek and Kent Denver, while the Demons pull their players from multiple Jeffco schools.
Paulson said around 25 girls are out for the Golden field hockey team this year, coming from schools including Golden, Ralston Valley, Monarch, Lakewood and Arvada West.
Last season was a major step forward for the program, as the Demons finished 5-8-2 — one win away from a spot in the playoffs. Golden notched impressive victories, including a 3-0 win over Fountain Valley and a 1-0 triumph at Poudre.
“Last year was definitely (the program’s) best season yet,” Paulson said. “I know they were hoping to get to the playoffs and they came very close. We hope we can build on that success and I feel like we have the potential to do it.”
Tripp said she believes this team may be gelling even faster than last year’s team, another strong step in the right direction.
“I think our team last year had a lot of talent but this year’s team has the chemistry,” she said. “Even with the new girls, I think everyone is picking it up quickly. I expect us to go out there every game and compete and show people that you can’t underestimate the underdogs.”