CLAIRE RICHEY

Playing Field Hockey at Washington & Lee University Fall of 2020
The Kinkaid School (K - 8th)
​The Kinkaid School (2016 - 2020) Captain, Varsity 

Profile Link
From Claire: 
Favorite Field Hockey Memory? Why?
  • My favorite field hockey memory was winning SPC my sophomore year. Our team managers sprayed us with apple cider, which was really funny.
 
What was your most exciting recruiting experience?
  • My most exciting recruiting experience was committing to W&L. I am so excited for next year and cannot wait for the season to start!

Why are you playing field hockey in college?
  • I've made a lot of really good friends through field hockey and have enjoyed being on teams with them over the years. I wanted continue playing my favorite sport with friends in college.

What have you been doing to prepare?
  • My mom and I covered part of my backyard with turf, so I've been doing lots of stick skills. I'm also trying to run/workout as much as possible.

If you could give one piece of advice to younger girls who want to play field hockey in college, what would it be?
  • Don't stress out about recruiting stuff. Everything happens for a reason and you will end up at the perfect school for you!

Who was the most influential person in high school?
  • My mom because she drove me all over the East Coast for field hockey camps and clinics and helped me study for tests in lots of airports.

​Favorite post practice/ game snack?
  • When I'm in Houston, I love getting Chick-fil-A after practices and games. When I'm at a tournament, I like Wheat Thins.

What pre game rituals do you use to hype yourself up before a game?
  • I put two rubber bands in my ponytail to make sure it doesn't come out during the game.

What made you want to be a college field hockey player?
  • I've enjoyed playing field hockey with friends in high school and want to continue doing this during college.

What was one of the toughest experiences?
  • Junior year I injured my hamstring right before SPC. This was not fun and took almost all of indoor season to recover from.

Year you began playing field hockey? How?
  • I started in 7th grade because I didn't want to do cheerleading, volleyball, or cross country. ​
From Tina:
Favorite Claire Moment (old) / why?:
  • Claire was on some of our first U14 teams that went to Windy City and Limelight. I particularly remember Limelight because it was a new tournament and I brought a group of girls where some I didn't know very well.  The team did really well that weekend and I thought, these girls could be really good someday.  Claire was one of them. It was the first time I saw a lot of potential in her  
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Favorite Claire moment (new)/ why?
  • (From Adam) One of my favorite memories of coaching Claire happened at Festival. We were up by one goal with 5 minutes left in a game, but were playing a player short due to a yellow card. We needed to change our formation, and it required Claire to play in a position: forward. The entire tournament she was playing at side back, so this would be a new experience and I had 20 seconds on the sideline to explain this new position. For those five minutes Claire prevented the other team from entering our half of the field along her right sideline, organizing a two forward press that worked every time, then starting a counter attack to run down the clock. Her composure in the situation is exactly what we needed, she was able to handle the chaos of playing a new position and the chaos of playing with one fewer player like it wasn’t a big deal at all.

Story we will forever tell about Claire:
  • Claire has a level of persistence that is unmatched.  Claire wanted to get good a reverse chipping, and she would practice this nonstop.  I think she actually injured herself by how much she was practicing it, but she has come a very long way over the last year practicing reverse chipping.  Regardless of the skill or the progress, the level of persistence and work she has put into developing this skill shows a lot about Claire's character.  
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Favorite Claire recruiting moment/ why?
  • Claire committed in the summer of 2019 and wanted to go to W&L since we started this process.  That was very exciting to hear that she finally got what she wanted. She didn't want to announce to anyone until the winter after she was accepted, so we waited to announce, but I was so excited for her when it all came together.  

First memory of Claire / why?
  • Claire was on the first U14 team that we took to Chicago for the Fall Pumpkin Classic. It was a miserable weekend and very cold, but she powered through with the other girls.  I always have a level of appreciation for the girls who started at those really tough tournaments when we were not very good and persisted through the good and bad times since then.  Claire has definitely gone through some good and bad teams through the years.