Princeton University Athletics
Players Mentioned
Holmes-Winn and Kirby Train with U19 Field Hockey National Team
January 26, 2012 | Field Hockey
You might think that first semester exams offer head coaches a chance to relax and maybe take a vacation since their student-athletes are otherwise occupied; however for head field hockey coach Kristen Holmes-Winn went to San Diego for a week, but despite the Southern California setting, it wasn't for vacation. In addition to her Princeton responsibilities, Holmes-Winn serves as the head coach for US Field Hockey's U19 National Team and traveled to the Olympic Training Center for a four-day training camp last week. Because of the athletes' school commitments, the annual January training camp is one of the few times during the year that the entire U19 group can train together.
"I was pleased to see how much progress the athletes made since the summer," said Holmes-Winn. "They are a dedicated bunch! It is rewarding to be a part of their growth and I'm looking forward to our series versus Canada in April!"
Princeton freshman Sydney Kirby also attended the training camp and actually had to take a final exam on the road. In regards to meeting both her Princeton and National Team commitments, Kirby said, "It's definitely a challenge balancing the workload at Princeton (and) traveling with the Junior National Team, but if you really want to make it work then it's absolutely manageable. Thankfully the administration and professors are very flexible with me, but it was definitely a little painful having to sit in the Olympic Training Center office to take my exam while my teammates were outside training. With that said, I feel so fortunate to have the opportunity to get a Princeton education, while still being able to play for the Junior National Team."
The U19 team will travel to Vancouver, Canada for a four-game series
against the Canadian Junior National Team in early April. The Junior National
Program is currently preparing for the Junior Pan Ams in Guadalajara, Mexico in
Sept. 2012, which serves as the qualification tournament for next year's Junior
World Cup. 