In 2015, coach Jen Reidy founded the Redwood girls’ field hockey team and two years later, co-coach Aline Copp joined. As the years have passed, the team has grown not just in size, now hosting both a varsity and junior varsity team, but also in skill. It is one of the largest programs and most successful in the Marin County Athletic League (MCAL), having won the championship in each of the last five years. 

“[It has gone from a program] where anybody can come and try out, can make the team with a little hard work and skill to a team that is hard to make,” Copp said. 

With the growing success of the club team Rippers, which includes many of the Redwood players, the field hockey league is harder to join with no experience. Francesca Mitchell, a senior captain, spoke about the growth of the field hockey team. 

“The community is growing, but that’s also difficult [since] that means we have to cut people. [Field hockey has] definitely gotten a lot more popular, which I think is fun because it means that there are more teams and more competition. [That] makes us an overall better team because people are [competing] to earn their spot,”  Mitchell said. 

Even though the team is growing in skill, for them, that’s not the key factor in winning. Instead, it’s team chemistry. While team chemistry is vital in any sport, it’s essential to this field hockey team. Both Mitchell and college freshman Georgia Bender, a critical player in past years, share the sentiment about the community the field hockey team creates. They also agree that the team is supportive and the players can rely on one another. 

“We all enjoy being around each other. We have a very positive environment [where] we build up each other instead of breaking each other down… Instead of screaming at each other that we did something wrong, [we are] more encouraging,” Mitchell said. 

This field hockey team is also able to learn from the best. Bender says the team owes their coach a lot of credit for helping to push them on the fundamentals. 

“[Copp is] a very talented trainer in terms of technical skills. [We are] always practicing touches on the ball, passing and all the important fundamentals,” Bender said. 

Besides having a team camaraderie that helps build their success, this team also has highly motivated players. With Copp’s expectations rising yearly for these girls, each team member has worked hard to meet them. 

“When [the team] is in the field hockey season, they take it seriously. They bring that competitive spirit. Redwood girls, more than any other school, are the ones that do the most off-season [practices as well]. [And that] practice contributes to [their] performance,” Copp said.