Letter to the Editor: Former Coach Misinterpreted

We are writing in response to the Collegian’s article of Sept. 27, “DeMarco Energizes Ladies.” While we appreciated the positive light in which our new head coach, Jacque DeMarco, was portrayed, we were disappointed with the negative tone the article took towards our former head coach Chrissy Needham. We felt that the article was very one-sided and did not reflect the reality of our experience playing under Coach Needham. We would like to offer our opinions in regard to some of the claims made in the article.

While it is true that the class of 2013 came in with seven players and only two remain on the team, three of the original seven have transferred schools completely and the other two left the team before they played a season under Chrissy. As any varsity athlete can tell you, playing a college sport is time-consuming and very stressful — both factors which contribute to players choosing to leave teams, no matter how they feel about the coach. Another major issue we took with the article was the claim that Chrissy did not promote team development in her time as head coach. As anyone who played under her will tell you, Chrissy was extremely dedicated to the field hockey program, spending hours planning scouting reports and pregame talks. Perhaps most importantly, it was Chrissy who recruited our current roster of sophomores and first years, all of whom are very talented players and have contributed greatly to our success this season.

It is true that Chrissy came from a Division I playing and coaching background — but so did our current coach, as did the coach before Chrissy. Coach Needham held high expectations of us that were reflected in her coaching style. Coach DeMarco has similarly high expectations for the team and individual players. Our current team has structure, intensity and focus, thanks to both Chrissy and Jacque.  One thing that Jacque has emphasized in her time as head coach is positivity. As a team we are focusing on maintaining positive attitudes and looking toward the future, and we wish that the Collegian had done the same.

— Rebecca Spradlin ’13 and Leah Jacques ’13, captains of the Kenyon College Field Hockey Team