As Senior Shannon Barrett walked onto the field hockey field at Fitch High School for the first day of practice, she knew that she would represent Ledyard in a new way. She would not only lead the new members from Ledyard with her to Fitch, but she would also join the co-op team for another season as a captain.

“It’s a huge honor,” Barrett said. “I never thought that I would be chosen for a captain of any team and the fact that my coach chose me, since there are so few girls from Ledyard on the team is amazing. Especially since this is only my second year playing and I’m leading the team with 2 girls from Fitch. I’m so proud to be her [the Fitch field hockey coach] first representative for Ledyard as a captain.”

In a way, field hockey is a combination of lacrosse and hockey. Players use a field hockey stick to hit the ball into the goal. Ledyard members joined Fitch high school to create a co-op team because Ledyard was unable to form a team on their own.

“It’s different because there are so many rules and penalties that slow down the game, but it still is so fun to watch and there’s always action,” said Barrett. “You also get a lot more bruises from balls hitting your shins than in other sports.”

Playing sports is still new for Barrett, who played tennis freshman year then decided not to return the following year. She then jumped at the opportunity to join field hockey last year. Sports has taught her valuable skills useful within school work and friendships. The future nursing student said that she enjoyed meeting new people.

It [field hockey] made me realize the dynamic of working as a team and of people working together and also helping each other improve.” Barrett said. “In school we kind of get that but not to the extent of being on a team. It was tough last year since I knew nothing about field hockey and knew no one from Fitch and it taught me how to get along with people who you don’t see at school.”

Megan Brawner, Editor in Chief 

Senior Megan Brawner is the Editor-in-Chief of the 2015-2016 Colonel. She is the captain of the cross country team and runs Indoor and Outdoor Track. She participates in Youth United for Global Action and Awareness (YUGA) Club and is the secretary of the Senior Class. She is the Editor of Key Club.