New leadership for the LFA Field Hockey Team

Meredith Norman is the new interim head coach of the LFA Field Hockey Team.

Photo by LFA Website

Meredith Norman is the new interim head coach of the LFA Field Hockey Team.

Bia Leffingwell, Staff Writer

In the midst of a global pandemic, there is a whirlwind of changes, and some happen with or without the virus. The LFA Field Hockey team has risen through the hardships this year with new players and new leaders. Meredith Norman has two very important titles here at Lake Forest Academy: Learning Resources Specialist and Interim Head Coach of the Field Hockey team.

Norman has played Field Hockey since middle school, and went on to play Division 1 Field Hockey at Providence College. Her high school team was also state champions in Illinois during her senior year. Norman played water polo in high school, but field hockey was always her passion. She started playing goalkeeper in middle school and tried playing the field in high school, but soon realized that she was meant to be a goalie. After the fall of her freshman year, she made the full commitment to the goalkeeper position, and started attending more camps for goalies. While she was in college, Norman started to coach summer camps in New England and continued her coaching career during graduate school.

“I found it to be a natural progression after my collegiate career ended,” she said.

Norman has a lot of coaching experience, starting with summer camps, to the Lincoln School in Rhode Island, and with different club teams. She currently coaches at Windy City, and (of course) LFA.

Coach Norman grew up locally, and knew a bit about LFA. She met coaches from LFA, and was invited to come help with the Field Hockey team. In the fall of 2018, she spent her first season at LFA working as a goalkeeper coach, and then began to work at LFA in the DOS and keep her coaching position in 2019. Norman felt inspired by how passionate the coaches in the LFA Field Hockey program were.

“It has been great to step into a bigger role with the LFA Field Hockey program. The other coaches and team have been very supportive and welcoming,” she says. “My goal for the team is to develop [the players’] individual skills as players, learn to push themselves as athletes and to have fun playing field hockey. [My hopes for the team are] to encourage and foster a love for the game of field hockey.”

When asked what she would advise to anyone who wants to look into field hockey, Norman says, “Go for it! It’s such a fun, exciting sport. The game is quick paced and requires players to think on their feet!”

She encourages her own players to play as often as possible. She emphasizes the importance of having fun and learning from different people to expand growth if someone may want to pursue field hockey in college.

This current role for Coach Norman is very important, and LFA cannot wait to see what she and her team can accomplish this year together!