Josh Cook/Special to The Courier-Journal
Assumption field hockey player Elizabeth ‘Biz’ Allgeier
Elizabeth “Biz” Allgeier does it all for the Assumption field hockey team.
“She looks after everybody on the team, she’s selfless, she’ll be the first one to go get the cages, to go pick up the balls and then she’ll also be the first one to go intercept that ball and crank it down the field so we can go score,” Rockets coach Debbie Judd said.
The 5-foot-4 senior mid has been a mainstay for Assumption over the last few seasons. A four-year varsity player, Allgeier has helped the Rockets win two state titles (2013, ’14) and last Friday helped them end rival Sacred Heart’s 11-year reign in the Apple Tournament.
When did you start playing field hockey?
I was going into my seventh-grade year and my coach now, (Assumption assistant coach Jody Schaefer), she had come up to my mom while I was playing soccer and said that I should try out for field hockey. I was like, ‘OK.’ So I joined the St. Michael field hockey team. I tried out and from the moment I started I was in love with it.
Why?
I can’t really explain the feeling. I just got on the field and started to hit with my friends, I had never picked up a field hockey stick before, and I just went out there and I was just going for it. It was just a different feeling. I played a bunch of different sports in grade school but I just never really felt the way I did when I played field hockey. It was just a passion.
Everyone calls you Biz, where does that come from?
My little brother, when he was younger, he couldn’t say my name, so he called me Biz Biz and ever since then it just kind of stuck. I like it, it’s different.
What was the key to beating Sacred Heart (3-0) in the Apple final?
We were focused on us and just having fun, playing for the game. The atmosphere was insane. We had a ton of students there, it was so much fun. We really prepared for the game too. We watched film and kind of figured out our formation, who was going to play where.
What was it like to end Sacred Heart’s streak?
The feeling was awesome. We were all so excited. We played our hearts our that day. We were so ready to just win. Our goal for this year is to just beat everybody because we’re just so excited. We have such talent on our team, as long as we keep our heads in the right place we should be great.
What are the goals for this season?
I guess our main goals are we want to win all our games, but we want to win it with the right kind of mindset, like we did against Sacred Heart (in the Apple), we were focused on us. For me, I think our goal should be just having a positive energy and really playing the sport that we love and enjoying every moment of it. I got injured at the beginning of the season and I was out four weeks and it was really hard for me to just watch. But through that experience I learned that every single moment on the field can make the difference.
You’ve committed to the University of Louisville, why U of L?
I kind of always had a dream of going there to play field hockey because I always used to go watch their games after I started playing. I looked at a bunch of different colleges but Louisville was just a better fit for me. I felt more comfortable there and really supported there.
What do you want to do after college?
I’m planning on being an occupational therapist for special needs kids.
Why?
I’ve always had a passion for special-needs kids. My mom’s aunt had Down syndrome, so every time I went to my grandma’s house, I saw her; she was just so sweet. (And) I volunteered at Down Syndrome of Louisville in seventh grade and I loved the little kids there, they were so sweet and adorable.
ELIZABETH “BIZ” ALLGEIER UP CLOSE
School: Assumption.
Year: Senior.
Sports: Field hockey.
Student-athlete: Biz, whose favorite subject is English, has a 3.88 GPA. She is a member of the Beta Club, Respect Life and Operation Smile at Assumption.
Family: Biz, 17, lives with her mother, Lisa; her father, Bill and her siblings – Jake, 19, Anna, 14 and Aaron, 10.
Assumption coach Debbie Judd says: Biz is one of those players that every coach wishes they could coach at least once in their lifetime, because she’s definitely special. Not just because she’s a team player, not just because she gives 110 percent all the time, not just because she reads the play, she understands the true game of hockey, the strategic aspect and not just because she has awesome skills. It’s because she is just a truly wonderful person and you tie all of those things in together and it just makes for one special young lady.