When I played for Glassboro High School’s varsity field hockey coach, Gloria Byard, we all used to call her Sarge (like Sergeant, get it?). She was strict, knowledgable and sometimes even scary. After important games, she would make us watch the video of the game, take notes, and even gave us quizzes about the sport. We all had journals that we were supposed to keep throughout the season and update regularly. Back then, it was all just tedious work, but looking back, the reason why I felt incomplete when I didn’t play field hockey for a year was because Sarge  helped embed the sport into my heart.

I’ve never known another coach, in any sport, who knows and loves a sport as much as Sarge knows and loves field hockey. Over the years as a coach, she’s had a mixture of successful and unsuccessful teams, but she’s never had a team that she’s given up on. Coaching at a small school like Glassboro continually grows as a challenge for her. She explained that there are only a handful of girls that come out for the team each year, as opposed to larger schools where they have to make cuts. As years go on, the recruitment for girls lessened, but she hasn’t given up.

She’s worked with the girls on and off the field and constantly encourages the girls to work year-round. She believes that “to get better at field hockey, you have to play field hockey.” But she also believes that it’s not just about stick skills and who’s the better player; it’s about team bonding, being there for each other and putting the team above yourself. She had serious concerns this past season in regards to this because this hadn’t been an issue in the past. Her concerns widened to the girls apparent lack of preparation upon entering the pre-season, which also had not been an issue in the past. However, as the season went on, the girls started to look out for each other more and the improvements they made throughout the season were shown through their performance in the post season; thus, strengthening Sarge’s hopes for next year.

Even though they had issues in the beginning of the season, Sarge continued to form a great relationship with the girls. They held a mutual respect for each other and she believes that “because of that, [they] have a lot to look forward to for next year.” She continues to push the girls to start preparing as early as possible and does whatever it takes to motivate them, even for the teams in the past. I, myself, have a few T-shirts that say, “Hard work works!” and “The will to win is not nearly as important as the will to prepare.” Cliché, yes, but when it comes to field hockey, Sarge lived by cliché phrases like these and gave us all new meaning to those words.

Throughout her coaching career, Sarge has touched the hearts of many and I don’t think she’s realized it. When I started playing field hockey in 8th grade at Glassboro Intermediate School, Susan Donaldson (to be referred to as Coach Sue from now on) was my first coach and was also the assistant coach to Sarge at the high school. She is now involved with USA Field Hockey for the developmental national team that deals with different levels of girls under 16-years and under 19-years. She coached with Sarge for eight years and described her experience as “awesome…She is a driven woman and always stays current.” She consistently attends conferences to keep up with the changing rules or new techniques that other coaches create, setting her a part from other coaches her age.

She is truly seen as unique coach who not only cares for the skill of the team or players, but coaches to help develop the individual. Coach Sue said it best, “It’s not just about the field hockey player that she cares for, it’s about the person.”

Sarge has struggled through ups and downs in the commitment of her players and has had a hard time adjusting to the varying new attitudes that step onto her field. Nevertheless, her players always respect her, and even though I’m sure she doesn’t realize it to the fullest extent, her players, past or present, have a long-lasting love for her and still feel connected to her on a personal level.