VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — The Frank W. Cox High School field hockey team won their third consecutive state championship game against Stafford High School in April. The mantra “there is no ‘I’ in TEAM” often explains how a group effort creates results. The idea extends further though, to include the support behind the team––parents and coaches.

Prior to this year, team families had much more participation. In the past, team parents for the Cox Falcons field hockey team would transport athletes to and from and practices, the night before each game a family hosted a team dinner and provided snacks during games. For fundraising, they oversaw car washes, purchased spirit wear and had cashola nights at supporting restaurants that donated a percentage of the sales.

Parents purchase electrolyte tablets for their players, make sure they eat well, get plenty of rest and stay on top of their academics. They register their athletes for collegiate camps, drive them to overnight camps and invitationals. Parents and families drive up on their own to watch the team play out of town and stay at the same hotels, participating in group dinners and activities together. They also honor seniors after the last home game with junior families organizing an outdoor dinner celebration where the players receive recognition.

“We plan major family vacations for outside the team season,” said Kim Doczi Schwartz, mother of player Emme Schwartz. “She signed up to be part of a team so we plan accordingly. If she has to travel for a team event though, it’s fun for us to travel with them and explore other areas and hang out with team parent friends.”

This year looked a little different though.

“We didn’t have our normal fall season,” said Doczi Schwartz. “We couldn’t do in-person fundraisers either, so this year we provided more physical and emotional support. The parents are very close and used to meet up before games. This season we had to stay 10 feet apart at games.”

The team usually hosts a team camp and players can begin conditioning in the summer. Then they become committed as a team following tryouts in August, practicing five days a week from August to late October. If the team excels, as they have these past three years, they continue on to regional quarter-finals, regional semi-finals, regional finals, state quarter-finals, state semi-finals and state finals.

Many of these players started their field hockey careers much earlier though. Some start as early as 5 years old with camps. Almost all continue on to play both high school and club teams. Some play off-season sports. Coaches throughout their lives influence and support them. In addition to coaching, Taylor Rountree, Cox’s coach, also schedules practices in multiple locations, runs Cox camps and keeps the girls motivated. She communicates outside of practice to make sure they have rest, hydration, healthy eating habits, taking a holistic approach.

“We journal with the girls and before games I look at their goal books and I respond to all of them,” said Rountree. “It’s more than just playing a sport.”

Even previous Cox coaches show up for the games.

“They’re so supportive,” said Rountree. “I am able to talk to them, not just about coaching, but things unique to Cox and our community. They’re able to offer feedback and support. All three of our former coaches were at the last game cheering for the team.”

COVID-19 canceled their normal fall season this year and field hockey moved to a condensed spring season with added challenges.

“This year has been a really unique year,” said Rountree. “I had my schedule for the team games and practices ready in March 2020 and then COVID happened. Everything changed from day to day. I realized in April that we weren’t going back to school. I had to change my perspective to ‘How do I keep the love of the sport and, more importantly, their friendships strong during this time?’ Fortunately, in July we were able to practice in pods. That was great. Now we could focus on how do we keep ourselves in the best shape we can and have fun.”

“The girls made sacrifices daily,” said Rountree. “There are things that are hard to tell teenagers to do. They couldn’t go out to eat, they had to wear their masks and be cautious. They made these sacrifices for the greater good of their community.”
Of course, families also support the team by attending games and experiencing all the excitement from their own perspective.

“I think the parents are more nervous than the girls,” said Doczi Schwartz. “They’re out there actively involved in the game. They’re focused on what’s in front of them on the field. We see the whole game from afar.”

When they found out the team made it to the finals, parents and coaches both reacted.

“We were so excited for them,” said Doczi Schwartz. “We were so happy and proud. It was an unknown. We didn’t know if we were even going to have a season and for them to go that far––it was amazing.”

“It was a relief that they were going to be a part of this,” said Rountree. “These girls, especially in this time, they just worked so hard, they sacrificed so much. They earned this and I’m just so happy for them.
As far as the feat of winning their third state championship from a support perspective, parents and coaches had their own emotional reactions.

“Winning for this third time, it went into overtime and it could have ended either way because the other team players are champions too, but we were confident,” said Doczi Schwartz. “It was an amazing moment. They won and it became a mix of emotions. They’re elated, but it’s also the moment the players and parents realize that they won’t all be together anymore. It’s bittersweet. You’ve formed bonds.”

The final shot

“I don’t know if there’s a word to describe it. It happened so fast, but it felt like slow motion,” said Doczi Schwartz. “Then you’re just so happy for them to see all their hard work pay off. To see them get out on that field and play against a team that is unknown to them is pretty cool. There’s such a sense of pride.”

“I wasn’t watching it,” said Rountree. “I turned around. I couldn’t watch it. They knew they had it though. They were that confident. It’s very emotional for me. I’m so proud of the team. But never for a moment did I doubt them. I was totally confident that in the end that they would do it.”

These athletes deserve a great deal of credit for their camaraderie, determination, hard work and sacrifices, especially with such a trying year. The support team deserves thanks for the work behind the scenes.

“We do whatever we need to help support the team, trusting the coaches and players,” said Doczi Schwartz. “We want them to be the best that they can be and enjoy the time they have with their teammates.”

“I am so grateful to have such a wonderful community full of wonderful parents,” said Rountree. And as for her winning team? Rountree said, “We’re a family. It’s a sisterhood. Forever.”

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