Check out the third entry in Erin Goode’s overseas diary! The hockey star abroad checks in with us from Manhattanville College in New York, to tell us all about how pre-season is treating her!
“I’ve now been at college for 4 weeks, but it feels like I’ve been here for months! So much has happened that it is hard to comprehend it has only been 4 weeks. I’ve gotten over my jet lag, acclimatised to the surprisingly hot weather in New York, survived pre-season and settled into my busy schedule of training and classes! Here’s a rundown on the start of my college journey!
Pre-season:
With little understanding of what preseason had install for me, I jumped straight in to training the day after I had jumped off the plane. We had a shorter pre-season then Coach would have liked, so we definitely made the most of it! Most days where the same, starting with speed and conditioning, then going straight into a LOT of field hockey. We usually had about four hours total on the turf a day, in extremely humid and hot weather.
As a team we pretty much ate, trained and slept together but it was a great way for us as freshmen to integrate into the team and for the upperclassmen to get to know us! There was much excitement amongst as there was not one but two Aussies joining the team. Claire (Vic, Aus) and I got asked all the typical questions, including do you ride a kangaroo to school, which of course we replied yes! Our teammates also introduced us to the American alternative to a ‘Maccas run’, the ‘Dunkin (donuts) run’! We also quickly learnt of a few words that needed translation, saying ‘thong’ instead of ‘flip-flop’ definitely created a lot of confusion! Though by the end of the week we even had them saying ‘cheers’ instead of thank you!
Whilst pre-season was tough at times, it was a big advantage in adjusting to college life! I got to get to know my way around campus without the stress of being late to class and knowing 23 great friends in my teammates, before college even started, took away a lot of the nerves about starting (especially about where to sit in the caf!).”
Wow, what amazing insight, Erin! We can’t wait to hear what’s next!