KCD senior field hockey player Claire Dickinson has committed to Indiana University. Photo by Josh Cook, Special to The Courier-Journal.
Early this field hockey season Kentucky Country Day senior Claire Dickinson thought Bearcats coach Amy Elliott was joking when she approached her about a position change.
“I kind of laughed when my coach told me, ‘We might try you at center-back tomorrow,’” Dickinson recalled.
Moving from an attack position to a more defensive one was somewhat surprising considering Dickinson tallied a record 11 goals for KCD in 2015. Upon closer examination, though, it made sense.
“We were just struggling in the backfield,” Elliott said. “We had 14 seniors last year that graduated and all four of our backs were seniors. So we were just very inexperienced in the backfield and as a coaching staff we said, ‘Let’s throw Claire back there just because she’ll be able to lead and take control.’
“We really needed her leadership and her skill and her to kind of be dynamic and run the backfield. She’s done an awesome job of it. …It’s been a great surprise. I know the first couple games she was like, ‘Are you going to keep me there?’ I said, ‘I don’t know, but right now it’s working out really well, so yes.’”
With Dickinson anchoring the defense this season, KCD (8-6) has allowed only 14 goals.
Q: How did you get started playing field hockey?
A: My sister played when we were younger, so I just kind of got involved. My parents encouraged me to do it, my sister encouraged me to do it, and I always looked up to her, so I just kind of wanted to do what she did. I started playing in fifth grade for Sacred Heart Model School, and then I got involved with club, with IFHCK, in sixth grade. I started traveling and then from there on it’s just all that I did.
Q: What do you like about field hockey?
A: It’s a very technical sport, and it’s always changing. It’s a fast-paced game so just the aspect that you can always better yourself, just like in any sport, but there’s always something you can improve on, there’s always something you can learn. Intelligence of the game is something that’s really important. Just learning it and studying it got me really excited. And being able to conquer new goals.
Q: What has your position change been like this season?
A: That was a really cool challenge for me to try a new position and understand it better. It’s helped me a lot with my hockey IQ, just learning and understanding a different aspect of the game from what I normally see. … I have to be a lot smarter back there because the center-back is basically like the backbone of the team. And so having that kind of responsibility was a lot for me, but I think it’s really great and it’s helped me a lot, even with my attacking skills.
Q: You’ve committed to Indiana University. Why IU?
A: Obviously the school’s great academically. Athletically I just fell in love with the team and the coaches. Coach Amanda Janney is amazing and so is what she’s doing with the program. It was just kind of like as soon as I got on campus it was like, “OK, I’ve made my decision.” Immediately I could see myself there and I could see myself being the best player I could be as well as the best student I could be. So it was a pretty easy decision for me.
Q: What were your goals coming into this season?
A: I think one of my biggest goals was just being a good leader on the team, because I knew it was my time to step up as a senior and I wanted to be a good leader and be serious, but also have the girls respect me and look up to me. I think I’ve done an OK job, I hope, I’d like to think that. … I think my (other) main goal coming in was just to make it to the state tournament. We have the hardest district, basically. So in order to make it to the state tournament we have to beat Ballard in our first district round. That has been the biggest goal for me, and I think as well as the team, and that’s what we’re preparing for.
CLAIRE DICKINSON UP CLOSE
School: Kentucky Country Day.
Year: Senior.
Sport: Field hockey.
Student-athlete: Claire, who has a 3.93 GPA and is a member of the KCD Pep and Community Service clubs, says her favorite subject is English. A four-year starter on the field hockey team, she has 36 goals and nine assists in her career.
Family: Claire, 18, lives with her mother, Melissa, and her father, Chris. Her older sister, Peyton, 21, attends High Point University.
KCD coach Amy Elliott says: She’s been a tremendous leader this year for us. Not only is her skill top-notch, but she’s always got a positive attitude. She’s great vocally on the field and off the field. She’s the one who’s going to help organize and lead and keep the team positive.