Charlotte Connally’s (12, HSU) journey in field hockey began when she was in third grade. Like many kids, she played multiple sports when she was younger, but the first time she played field hockey she was immediately connected to it.
“I went to my first practice, and I just fell in love with it, and I knew I wanted to do it for the rest of my life,” Connally said.
Connally started her career at Mockingbird Valley in a recreational league, but, when she was in fifth grade, she joined her first club team: the International Field Hockey Club of Kentucky (IFHCK).
The IFHCK is the top club in Kentucky and the eighth in the nation. This transition showed her determination to move up the levels in the sport.
While learning to navigate her sport, Connally faced one main challenge: height.
¨It was definitely challenging to be one of the smaller ones on the field,” Connally said.
She felt as though she was never physically up to speed with the other girls and struggled to keep up with them out on the field. Through it all, she persisted and grew into an amazing player, despite the challenge.
Connally has formed strong bonds with her Manual teammates, both on and off the field. The team dynamic, she explained, is positive and uplifting, which is a good thing given that they spend five or more days a week together, including practices and games.
“I would say that the people, like the coaches and my team, are just amazing, and the experience definitely wouldn’t be the same without them. We all really enjoy being around each other,” Connally said.
Connally reminisced on her favorite memories from being a part of the team. The thing that stuck out to her is traveling. Some tournament games require traveling to different cities, and sometimes even other states.
In the previous season, the team went to St. Louis for a tournament. This year they are going to Michigan and Chicago. The small moments that the teammates share whilst traveling strengthen their bond even more.
“Being in a hotel room with the girls and just being together for that weekend and traveling together just brings us so much closer,” Connally said.
Looking into her future, Connally started reaching out to college coaches on June 15 before her junior year. She was in contact with numerous schools trying to get information and went to visit some campuses where she even participated in some clinics.
In the end, she committed to the University of California, Davis (UC Davis). Connally was drawn to California for various reasons, it was warm and she had family that lived there. UC Davis was an obvious choice for her.
“The coaches are amazing, you know, they’re so nice and they’re so flexible. I want a major in biology and not a lot of colleges give you the freedom to choose any major because, you know, we’re playing a division one sport, so it’s also very demanding,” Connally said.
While she is excited to finish out her high school career at duPont Manual, she is also looking forward to playing field hockey at UC Davis as well as diving into the study of biology.
“I went out there in February, over President’s Weekend, and that’s when I committed. The team was just so nice, the campus was so beautiful, and I just loved everything about it,” Connally said.
