Why I Play…

Written prior to A10 Championship (Which we won)

Why do I do it…             

When being recruited in high school for College – I looked at D3 schools, D2 schools – and high to low end D1 schools. The D3 and D2 coaches basically guaranteed I would be a high impact player as a freshman, and said that I could help them win their NCAA championship. Although this sounded amazing, I wasn’t satisfied.  I wanted to be the best player I could potentially be. I know that if I went to Bentley, Babson, (two top Business schools) even Georgetown or UVM, I would always wonder what I could have been and how far I could have gone with my hockey game.  When I committed to the Richmond Spiders (who had won 5 consecutive Conference Titles and had a top 12 undergrad Business school), I knew that I would be challenged mentally, physically and academically.  I knew that I would train long hours year round and sacrifice the typical college lifestyle. I knew that I would be one of the weaker players on the team and would have to work even harder to catch up to my teammates (A Massachusetts player vs Pennsylvania players). And I knew that I would have to earn a spot on the field, rather than being guaranteed a spot.

Now, in a different time in my life, three-quarters into my spider hockey career, and preparing for the A10 title which gets closer every moment, there is so much to think about.  Mainly – why do I want to win…

I want to win it because my teammates and I have sacrificed so much in the past two years and have put so much time and energy into this season.  I want to win it because my coaches have put their lives into this program.  I want to win it for all of the past spider hockey ladies, and the many more to come after I leave. I want to win it for my father, who has supported my hockey game more than I deserve. I want to win it for Sierra, my teammate, who is trying to win a fight against cancer. I want to win it for the seniors, because they have been through so much over the past four years and will never have this opportunity again.  And I want to win against UMass, because they booted us out of the tournament the past two years. 

While all of these reasons are so important to me, and I would want to win this title for any single one, there is something deeper in this weekend for me.  This weekend is the reason why I chose to come to Richmond. I know that if/when I step on the field this weekend, I have worked tirelessly hard for that spot.  I sacrificed so much for that spot and pushed myself further than I could have imagined for that spot. 

It is so much more rewarding knowing that I deserve to play, rather than being guaranteed to play.  It is so much more rewarding knowing that the team I am playing for has the potential to win the A10 title, compete to be in the NCAA D1 tournament and play teams such as Maryland, which is the highest competition in the country.  When I step on the field on Friday, I know that at that time, I will be the best player I could have been at that time. This title would make all those awful Futures practices, which I had to drive 3 hours to do for 5 years, worth it.  It would make all the stress of being recruited and ‘being seen’ worth it. This title would make sacrificing my college social life worth it.  It would make all those nights I spent up studying because I had couldn’t study in the afternoon because of practice, worth it.  It would make all the dreaded lifts worth it….this list could go on and on.

No matter what, I know that I will never have the regret of wondering what type of player I could have been and how competitive of a team I could have played on.  Winning this title is the epitome of working hard as hxxx, living up to one’s full potential and deserving to win.

Tori Whitcher
2009 A10 Champions
World Camp USA Camp Manager
www.worldcampusa.com

Tori Whitcher
University of Richmond, Class of 2011
Go Spiders
World Camp USA, Camp Manager
~ a Top Technical Skill Camp ~