Cape Henry Field Hockey Making a Strong Statement
There is one thing for certain that can be said about the athletic program at Cape Henry Collegiate School in Virginia Beach. "Good things come in small packages," explained Libi Henley, senior center midfielder and co-captain of the Cape Henry Collegiate Field Hockey team. This #1 ranked Division I team in the state gets "good results with a small amount of people from which to pull."
Coached by Kristen Wheeler, fourth year Physical education teacher at Cape Henry, with 13 years experience teaching and coaching, these girls have incredible dedication and desire to do well as a team. The Cape Henry dolphins are currently ranked #3 in South Hampton Roads and #1 in Division I, as their first year being a Division 1 team. "So far the season is meeting all expectations, but we have a ton of huge games left on the schedule," stated Coach Wheeler.
That does not wear on the heart of these players, however. The new conditioning program Coach Wheeler has added to her practices in order to produce stronger second halves in their games, has been "most rewarding" said Henley. "Coach Wheeler dedicates so much time to us, even with having her own family, it makes me want to do well for her." Senior left midfielder and co-captain, Sarah Potter added, "The training and running has been very positive. Coach Wheeler pushes us to the limit. We are so strong and we have so much potential."
Henley and Potter have been extremely instrumental in the success of the Cape Henry Collegiate field hockey program. Once known as the "fabulous freshmen," said Coach Wheeler, their now four-year experience in playing for Cape Henry seems to give this 2006-07 team an upper edge over their opponents. They both started in back positions, winning the Division II state title twice in the last three years. Now, with Henley moving to the center midfield spot and Potter just on Henley's left, their anticipation of plays allows them to communicate with their team very well. Potter explains that the strength of being able to communicate and connect with fellow teammates allows the players to "move up as a unit."
"It's not one individual on our team that makes the results. Rather, it's the whole team," said Henley. Other top players to watch on this team are: Brittany Bertolino, junior, right wing; Emily Cole, senior, left back; Kristen Meredith, sophomore, left wing; Kelsey Scherrer, sophomore, right midfielder; Maartje van Rijswijk, left inner and Stephanie Grune, senior, goalkeeper.
The team is able to stay at the top of the game because of such strong "team chemistry. We know each other and work well with each other," said Henley. Potter agrees, "We are all good friends on and off the field. I love them all so much. We are definitely connected with similar personalities. We just click."
One might wonder how this successful unit would continue to grow with so many powerful players graduating this year. However, the fact of making the program Division I confirms that this athletic program is stacked with strong players on the whole field. Henley very simply added, "We always can adjust. We can pull through because we have the heart and desire on our team."
Blake Burlage, 2006 CHC graduate and field hockey captain made a great impression on Potter. Potter sees the 07-08 team as a strong team and hopes to personally encourage them to "stay positive and keep the game fun."
With the school-wide enthusiasm Cape Henry possesses for it's quality athletics, we can be assured that there will be many more years of great athleticism and team spirit.
