Four years, one family

She’s been playing field hockey for four years. She’s spent one year as a captain of the MVHS field hockey team. Now it’s her turn to be at the head of the field hockey family.

Her journey through field hockey changed almost every single aspect of her life, on and off the field. Although she didn’t know how to play the sport at the beginning, she gave it a shot and ended up taking a liking to it.

“I had never played before,” Banerjee said. “I think my middle school friend had played and she was one of the most athletically challenged people I knew… so I thought, hey, maybe I can play too.”

Originally, she didn’t expect to make the team. Yet once tryouts were over, she found herself on the roster.

“I didn’t know too many people during my first year, but field hockey helped me open up,” Banerjee said. “You’re stuck on the field with a bunch of girls for 15 hours a week, and most of the girls on the team were really nice.”

Banerjee explained how field hockey is a very tight-knit community at MVHS as they do lots of team bonding exercises and sleepovers. Banerjee recalls the many moments of the team playing softball together and their late night talks at sleepovers. Banerjee can expect her teammates to be there for her when she needs them since they’re a field hockey family.

Banerjee believes the key to being successful in field hockey is being confident and not being afraid to make mistakes on the field. Taking this philosophy and applying it to her everyday life, Banerjee has been heavily influenced and it has helped her socially. Banerjee doesn’t second guess herself, whether it’s a buzzer beating shot on goal or a raised hand with an answer.

“Field hockey has made me a better person,” Banerjee said. “There is a big difference between high school Oeishi and middle school Oeishi”

Now, she is actively thinking about eating properly and fitness. She explains she was a lot slower during her freshman year and spent a lot of time thinking about the fundamentals of field hockey. Now that the fundamentals come naturally to her, she focuses more on the strategical aspects of the game.

Throughout these four years, Banerjee remembers the moments the times she has assisted goals.

“I have never scored because I play defense and midfield and it sucks,” Banerjee said. “I’ve never scored and at the same time, I’ve assisted goals. Those are the typical glory moments as a defender.”

Banerjee hopes to end her time at MVHS as a field hockey player by helping new players integrate into the field hockey family.

“As a senior you know what’s going on, you try to pass on your knowledge to the younger kids,” Banerjee said. “I’m a mentor to... 20 young girls.”

“I’m a mentor to... 20 young girls.”

Knowing she’s a motherly figure on the team, Banerjee tries her best to helps freshman players on the team since she knows exactly how they feel. She knows that the underclassmen are getting accustomed to a new environment so she wants to help integrate them into the field hockey experience to give them the same great experience that she had.