After starting every game last season as the field hockey team's goalkeeper, Kristen Hodavance '08 knows a thing or two about keeping her composure under pressure. But how would she fare in a different spotlight as The Herald's Athlete of the Week?
Pssh. After making 11 saves - including one off a penalty shot - in a tough 3-1 loss to the undefeated University of Vermont on Saturday, the anthropology concentrator handled The Herald's questions with ease, talking about her inspiration for playing field hockey, her fondness for Harry Potter and her most embarrassing save.
Last season, you played every minute of every field hockey game. Aren't you tired?I really love playing field hockey. It's sad that it's my last year, but it's kind of exciting to start a new season. I don't really feel burnt out or anything like that.
How long have you been playing field hockey?Since fifth grade, when I was about 10.
Why field hockey?I played a lot of sports when I was younger. I actually didn't want to play field hockey. The school I went to had girls' field hockey and guys' soccer in the fall, and I had always wanted to play soccer growing up, so I wanted to play soccer.
But the school team was fifth-to-eighth (grade), and my brother, who's two years older than me, was playing on the guys' soccer team, and we didn't get along back then. My mom was like, "Okay, no. Just play field hockey for a year, and if you hate it, you can try out for the guys' soccer team next season."
So I was like, "Fine." And I ended up loving it.
Are you and your brother on better terms now?We get along really well now.
That's good to hear. So, why did you become a goalkeeper?I played goalie in soccer, and (when she started playing field hockey) they said, "Hop in goal!"
Goalkeeper is a tough position to play. You don't get the glory of all the goal scorers, and after you let in a goal, everyone is staring at you. How do you keep your spirits up after a goal?It helps to actually not think about the goals that went in, but concentrate in the moment, just concentrate on playing and having fun instead of constantly thinking of what went wrong.
What about after a loss? Is it tough to bounce back?Not normally, but sometimes it is, especially if it's a really bad loss. But usually, if it's a bad loss, you have lots of opportunities to improve, even if it's a game where they're down at your end the whole time - those are actually games I like better because I love action.
Moving away from field hockey, what do you hope to be doing after graduation?I'm not actually sure. I definitely want to be doing something focusing on gender and sexuality.
What do you like to do when you're not playing field hockey?I like to read a lot, which I don't get to do a lot in the school year, but in the summer it's nice to read for fun. I also like playing sports outside field hockey.
What books did you read over the summer?I read the Harry Potter book. I'm a little sad it's over.
What did you think of the epilogue?I thought it could have been stronger, the last couple of chapters.
I kind of liked it. It was a little cheesy.I actually liked it a lot. I was hoping that there would be follow-up books, jumping into things seven years later, but (the epilogue) put that out of the question.
All right, last question: What's the most embarrassing save you've ever made?Can I say one from soccer?
Sure.When I first started playing soccer, in my first penalty kick, I was on the line and I didn't move. The ball just hit me. Like, it hit me in the face. I saved it, but I didn't move at all.
I guess it's better than having it hit your face and then go in.Yeah, the ball just hit me, and I was like, "Oh."
