University of North Carolina Athletics
Kolojejchick Checks In From National Team Camp
February 15, 2012 | Field Hockey
Feb. 15, 2012
North Carolina's Kelsey Kolojejchick, a rising senior on the Tar Heel field hockey team, is taking the spring semester away from UNC to train with the U.S. Field Hockey National Team in San Diego. A three-time All-America at UNC, she has been selected as part of the squad that will represent the U.S. at a four nations tournament in Spain later this month. Recently, "KK" took a few minutes to give TarHeelBlue.com a peek at her life with the National Team.
TarHeelBlue.com: What has it been like training with the national team? What's been the most challenging part?
Kelsey Kolojejchick: "It has been such a great experience training with the national team. They play at such a high tempo during practices and games, which brings the level of intensity up, which is good because we try to practice the way we would play in a game to allow everyone to continue to get better and develop better skills. They do a lot of long-distance runs and workouts, which was challenging for me at first because I am more of a sprinter and never ran long distances before. My workouts were more short and sharp instead of long endurance-building, so getting used to 80-minute runs and timed 2-mile runs was a challenge for me. I feel like my hits and skills entering the circle are improving because they are the two areas I am mainly focusing on and trying to improve. I still have room for improvement with my basic skills in all areas of the field so I am focusing on certain skills at a time to help improve my game in specific spots of the field. But playing at such a high level has naturally picked up my level of play, which I really enjoy seeing."
THB: What's your typical day like out there? What do you miss about Chapel Hill?
KK: "Each day of the week is different. We will have days with training in the morning and a lifting session in the afternoon, double sessions with sprint workouts, or days with either long recovery, endurance or sprint runs. During my free time I try and work on my tan and work on getting rid of my field hockey pinny and shin guard tan lines - hah. I also room with a BMX biker, Brooke Crain, and we like to wander and either go shopping, go out for dinner, go to the movies, or go bowling or go-carting, but sometimes we like to be lazy and just hang out and relax.
"I miss Chapel Hill so much! Normally I say because of the weather but this time I'll take the San Diego weather, but I miss my teammates and friends a lot! We all try and either text, talk on the phone or Skype, which is really nice. I also just miss the school atmosphere and Franklin Street, of course!
THB: You're off to Terrassa, Spain with the National Team later this month for a tournament Feb. 23-March 3. What was it like to find out you'd made the roster for that trip and what are your expectations of the tournament?
KK: "Yes, we leave for Spain on February 20th. I was so happy to see my name on the roster and I am really looking forward to playing and I am honored I am getting the chance to play and show my abilities to have a chance to make the Olympics! I have never been to Spain so I think it will be an awesome experience both on and off the field. I think we have a great chance of being successful at this tournament. We are a fast, skilled team that brings a lot of energy on the field and I think if we continue to work hard for the full 70 minutes of each game and score on our opportunities, we will come out on top!"
THB: You're on a Sports Illustrated for Kids trading card! Was it fun to see that in the magazine?
KK: I could not believe it! Lee Bodimeade, our head coach, pulled me aside at lunch and asked me if I knew about SI for Kids and mentioned that they have sports cards of athletes for kids to rip off. Then he said, `Well, you by chance have a card in this SI magazine next to Eli Manning,' and he joked and questioned my height, which says 5-3 on the card. I swear I am basically 5-3 so it's not a lie! But it was so cool to see I have a trading card and I feel honored to have one, especially next to the MVP of the Super bowl. I thought that was pretty exciting!
