Cece Tomaszewski grows field hockey skills through the Junior Olympics

There were 90 seconds left and the game was tied in the 4th quarter. Then the coach called a corner where sophomore Cece Tomaszewski was the striker. Tomaszewski scored on the corner and won the game for her team at the National Club Championship.

Through her travel field hockey team, Metro Field Hockey Club, Tomasewki developed the skills necessary to play in the Junior Olympics.

“I wanted to play ice hockey and then a family friend convinced my mom to have me try field hockey, and I liked it,” Tomaszewski said.

Tomaszewski started playing field hockey in third grade and has been playing for seven years.

Though field hockey makes life busy, “It’s like a de-stressor,” Tomaszewski said. “I get to see my teammates around school and it’s really fun, lots of friendships come from it.”

Tomaszewski was at home when she received a call from Ralph Goodwin, head coach of Metro Field Hockey Club. Goodwin told Tomaszewski to check her email, where it was announced that she was admitted into the Junior Olympics.

 “I was probably speechless for about five minutes.” Tomaszewski said.

Prior to being selected, Tomaszewski joined a field hockey team called Nexus. Once athletes sign up, the thousands of players are divided into regions depending on their location. Through extensive selection processes, players are then eliminated by cutting the teams in half for each region, continuing until the best players, a total of 144 athletes, are left. Finally, they go to the Nexus championship.

That is the selection process for the Junior Olympics.

As a pre-game ritual, Tomaszewski rotates songs on her playlists weekly depending on what she is feeling. Usually in the club league, Tomaszewski always wears a certain necklace. Before the high school games, Tomaszewski taps the end of herstick three times on the ground before the referee blows the whistle, which is a thing with her dad.

But more than good luck rituals, Tomaszewski focuses on skills she can demonstrate. 

“I try to be a good leader to my teammates, and always try to be positive, and helpful, and just try to be the best teammate that I can be.” Tomaszewski said

Tomaszewski describes herself as a good leader on the field. 

“My parents were always really supportive and same with my friends,” Tomaszewski said. “Especially Katie Clark.” 

Clark went to the Junior Olympics and played on the same Nexus team with Tomaszewski. 

While playing for the Junior Olympics was exciting, Tomaszewski admits it was stressful at times, especially since college scouts tend to watch these events.

 “How you play in every game and your body language, and how you manage all of that plays into effect about how colleges see you,” Tomaszewski said.

She tries to stay positive or she says it affects her game. She also tells herself, “Even if I mess up, I say it’s okay”.

For future plans, Tomaszewski says she wouldn’t want to go pro because you can’t get paid for it, but Tomaszewski wants to play in college.

Tomaszewski thinks that someone who isn’t quite sure about playing field hockey should try it.

“It’s a really great sport, and you’ll find a lot of great friendships and teammates throughout the way,” Tomaszewski said

 Tomaszewski has learned so much from being in the junior olympics, but some things that stand out are “Have fun with it, and really enjoy it. It can get really stressful at times, but just think about the good moments, stay positive, and keep working.”