University of North Carolina Athletics
UNC's Journey To Syracuse Brings Surprises
September 12, 2015 | Field Hockey
Heading into its biggest test of the young season, the North Carolina field hockey team got a lesson in the importance of being flexible.
No. 2 UNC will face No. 3 Syracuse today at 1 p.m. at the Orange's J.S. Coyne Stadium in the Atlantic Coast Conference opener for both teams. In preparation for the matchup, the Tar Heels were set to fly out of RDU early Friday morning after leaving campus at 5 a.m., arrive in Syracuse later in the morning, practice on the Coyne Stadium turf and have a quiet night at the hotel.
Alas, the 6:55 a.m. flight was cancelled, leaving the Tar Heels scrambling to get to Syracuse. In the end, the team returned to campus and players were able to study and attend classes they thought they were going to miss. They practiced at Henry Stadium at their regular 1 p.m. time and then bused to Charlotte for a non-stop flight to Syracuse that landed in Syracuse just after midnight. They arrived at their hotel after 1 a.m., less than 12 hours before the start of today's game.
“It is what it is,” UNC coach Karen Shelton said Friday afternoon between wrapping up practice and boarding the team bus. “Our team realizes we're lucky. We're here, we're practicing, we're going to get there when we get there.”
The delay certainly made for a long day, since most people got up at 4 a.m. to get to the bus on time. (The field hockey team adheres to an “if you're on time, you're late” policy, with players cutting it close at their own peril.) But in the end, it was a teachable moment about controlling the controllables.
“It's important to be able to deal with unexpected changes, no matter what they are,” Shelton said, “and not to freak out unnecessarily and create more drama than there needs to be. I think this is a very resilient, flexible team that is happy to play hockey.”
Freshman Ashley Hoffman, for one, had no problem finding a positive in the change of plans. Because the team was still in Chapel Hill on Friday morning, she got to attend her Biology 202 class, Ecology and Evolution, which included a study session for Monday's exam. “I was very happy I got to go,” she said. “Definitely a bright side to the situation.”
After the game against the Orange, UNC will bus to Albany for a game there on Sunday against the No. 7 Great Danes, 2-0 this season. The Tar Heels then will fly home, reaching Chapel Hill around midnight. At least that's the plan at this point.
