Ashley Furlan has been playing field hockey at Antioch for three years now. She is a junior in high school and has been on the softball team for almost three years as well.

“The field hockey team is one huge family,” Furlan said. “On and off the field we are always there for each other no matter what. We are all sisters.”

For Furlan field hockey is an escape from problems and anything else going on in her life.

“My team is the most amazing team ever,” Furlan said.  “I love being able to play on the team, I love the teammates, and I love the sport.” Field hockey can be a difficult sport to play with all the rules that come with it; you can not touch the ball with the curved side of the stick and you can not check another player during the game.

“We do many different types of drills to help make sure that the game can go by with as few mistakes as possible,” Furlan said. “These drills include practicing dodging other players and ball handling skills through cones.” With years of practicing you are bound to get better in certain areas.  Many of these areas help the player get better individually and helps the team get better.

“I have become more confident in my skill level (in general),” Furlan said. “My passing, driving, dodging, and communication skills have really improved over the past few years. Me getting better on a personal level helps the team grow because then we are able to grow as a whole unit instead of growing on personal levels separately.”

Being a junior in high school has been tough for Furlan.

“I take honors Math and German,” Furlan said. “I also take AP U.S. History and AP Language. Right after school I go to practice and after practice I do homework. Balancing my classes is not very hard for me to do even if my sport may get in the way of me doing homework.”

According to Furlan she has as much love for the school as she does for field hockey.

“I love being a Sequoit and apart of the school itself,” Furlan said. “It is the most amazing thing in the world and I would not want it any other way.”

With spring coming up, Furlan will begin training for softball season.

“Between seasons I am getting ready by conditioning and lifting weights and running,” Furlan said.