Field Hockey is a sport deeply rooted in tradition. It has been played since the times of ancient Egypt according to historians and was one of the major varsity women’s sports for many years at DU.
However, just like baseball and football at DU, field hockey disappeared. Four years ago, graduate student Spencer Wagner decided to restart the field hockey tradition at DU. Wagner decided to start the field hockey team during his freshman year, out of a simple desire to have people his own age to play with.
“The sport has been growing in Colorado, so I knew that if I could just get people interested, we’d have some good competition to play against in the coming years,” he said.
Not only has Wagner been the founder and president of the club, he is also one of its best players. Wagner has spent most of his life playing field hockey, starting at age 6 when his parents enrolled him in a youth program. Since age 13 he has played in an adult league which plays some of its games at DU, one of the reasons that inspired him to attend the university.
He has played field hockey in seven different countries as a member of the U16 and U21 junior national men’s teams as well as a year of playing in England while studying abroad.
In addition to this, Wagner has coached for 8 years, as both an assistant coach at St. Mary’s Academy and coach of club hockey at DU.
“It’s a game of skill. Physical fitness helps a lot, but you don’t have to be extraordinarily big or tall or fast or agile to play the sport. There are lots of different positions to play, each one catering to different types of people, so everybody can fit in on the team. The only thing that it really takes to become good at field hockey is practice,” he added.
Due to the importance of skill over brute strength, field hockey is one of a few sports in which men and women can play. One of the most important things about field hockey for Wagner is its camaraderie.
He emphasized, “Field hockey has taught me numerous skills over the years, far too many things to list. A few of them include friendship, sportsmanship, leadership, dedication, determination, perseverance, humility, teamwork, and really just how to enjoy life with other people.”
The team’s positive attitudefosters its success. The club played CU Boulder to a 3-3 tie recently, a team which Wagner considered to be “the best team in the state” and added that, “If we can win our tournament on November 9, we should be the top-ranked college team. We’ve got a great team this year and a lot of skilled and dedicated players. They’re a fun group to play with.”
After Wagner graduates, he plans to continue his coaching career and possibly teach high school.
“It’s been a lot of work, but I’m really happy how far the club has come and I’m excited to turn it over to fellow field hockey enthusiasts when I graduate,” he said.
