As a high school athlete, I constantly find myself taking certain elements of my sports seasons for granted. I feel grateful that I have never worried about preparing game film or equipment, and, instead, can spend my time worrying about my pre-game snacks, missing hair ties, and last-minute deodorant sprays. Approximately 24-hours after our games, I know I can check Hudl, the website where game film is uploaded, and I can find high-quality videos of my teammate’s wipeouts and game-winning goals.  With both of my coaches busy watching the game, I never take into consideration who is filming the games. In the case of the La Jolla Country Day Field Hockey team, Gabby Cesaire and Asha Postins are the talented underclassmen who have taken the role of serving as our team manager. 

Before the 2021-2022 school year, the upper school’s Varsity field hockey team had an 8th grader, Gabby Cesaire, as the part-time team manager. However, as an 8th grader with a completely different schedule, there were moments when Gabby was unable to attend our games. She didn’t have the option to play field hockey in middle school, so being the so-called team manager of the field hockey team was the “closest I [she] could be to field hockey,” she told me during an interview. Her managerial experience allowed her to get to know the older players and become exposed to the game at a higher level. She started off the season only attending practices, however she soon was able to accompany our team at our limited amount of games. Besides filming, she was also in charge of making sure all the equipment made it onto the bus after away games, helping remind the coaches or carrying the bags herself when needed. Gabby had a “great time” as the team manager, and her involvement helped develop her interest in becoming a field player on the team when she reached freshman year. Her experience made her more passionate about field hockey, and she plays an active role on her club team, Myto Field Hockey, and served as the Junior Varsity (JV) Field Hockey captain during the fall season. As the first freshmen captain in Country Day Field Hockey history, she leads the newer members on the team with her kindness and knowledge of the game. 

Asha Postins, the team manager for the 2021-2022 field hockey season, chose to become a team manager because she wanted to “spend more time with her older sister,” Thalia. Thalia wanted her senior season to be unforgettable, so she invited her younger sister to join her. Thalia was able to drive Asha to games, help her with any issues she encountered while filming, and introduce her to upperclassmen on the team. Since the Postins family attended every game to support Thalia, Asha found filming the games to give her a more meaningful purpose in attending the games. Asha did encounter some challenges as a team manager, noting that it was sometimes difficult to pay attention to the game, as specific angles on the large field were confusing to film at times. Depending on the field, some game footage was not documented if the angles weren’t optimal. Other natural occurrences such as the weather played a factor in her filming, the rain and the sun’s harsh glare being the two main difficulties. Interestingly enough, Asha hasn’t had any experience playing a team sport, so this was her first time being a part of a team sport. Due to Covid-19 and the fact that Thalia didn’t play field hockey last year, Asha never considered being a team manager until this year, however she feels like she really learned from it.  With her rigorous class load, Asha doesn’t think she will continue being the manager in the future, however she does recommend this experience to anyone who is looking to learn and is willing to spend their time with the team. She learned the basic rules of field hockey and the team dynamic, however she also realized she had a passion for filmography and really appreciated when people would use the film she created to learn from their mistakes. 

Cover photo credit: LJCDS