Q&A with Bloomfield Hills field hockey coach Summer Aldred
BLOOMFIELD HILLS, Mich. — Coaching is in Summer Aldred鈥檚 blood.聽 It鈥檚 part of her DNA. Summer is the Field Hockey Varsity Head Coach at Bloomfield Hills High School.聽 She has been the head coach for the past 5 years.聽 She is also the Varsity Girls Lacrosse Head Coach at Cass Technical High School and the Executive Director of Detroit United Lacrosse.聽 Summer is a highly respected coach and leader in the lacrosse community.聽 I had the opportunity to ask Summer about her coaching career and what it means to her.
What is your background in this sport?
Summer Aldred: My mother was a collegiate field hockey player, and I grew up around the sport. I actually started off playing and coaching lacrosse, but the sports are closely linked! I love coaching field hockey because it mixes the strategies of soccer and lacrosse.
What are one or two things that the team does in training that are keys to their success?
Aldred: Our team is very dedicated to training in the off-season. This includes multi-sport participation, field hockey specific training, as well as conditioning. I believe that our team’s physical fitness is one of our greatest assets and allows us to stay strong as a team during our toughest games. I have to say that we also have a lot of natural talent on the team, girls who may not have had a lot of experience in the sport but learn quickly. That has led to us being the ranked #1 in our League in just four short years as a program.
Please describe the most memorable games/tournaments/championships your team has won.聽
Aldred: This season was the program’s most successful yet. We ended the season 13-2-1, and held an 11-game undefeated streak. The most memorable game for us was this season in the state-quarterfinals. This was the furthest we ever gone, and we were matched up against the #3 team in the state. After starting slow in the first half and falling 0-2, we were able to dominate the second half, holding possession for most of the time. We were able to bring the score back to 1-2 and had so many chances to equalize in the last few minutes, but they just didn’t convert. I could not have been more proud of how we played that game – the girls left everything they had on the field, didn’t get discouraged and fought until the very end. They played so well that the tears that came after were not because they lost, but because the season was over and everyone would miss each other.
How do you encourage the team after a disappointing loss?聽
Aldred: Every sport has ups and downs, wins and losses. We were lucky to not experience a lot of loss this past season, but when we did, I used it as a teaching moment and as motivation to want to come back out the next day to get better so you can work toward not having to experience that loss again.
Describe your proudest coaching moment.
Aldred: My proudest coaching moment didn’t revolve around a win or a loss. My proudest coaching moment at BHHS this season was the culture we created on the team and it being a place that each member of our team wanted to be a part of. This was embodied by one of the seniors, who had the most unfortunate string of injuries throughout the season, but even when she couldn’t play, still showed up to practice to be with her team and be part of the community. That’s what sports are all about, building community and learning through educational athletics.
What is the biggest life lesson you’ve learned from being a coach?聽
Aldred: Coaching has taught me the importance of relationships. Students and adults alike can be going through things that you would never know from the outside. In order to be a successful program, it’s important to really know your athletes, the people around you, so you can care for them, look out for them, and push them appropriately. This is applicable in all areas of life.
What legacy do you hope to leave as a coach?聽
Aldred: Coaching has been the biggest joy of my life. It allows me to pour into the lives of young people, be a support system, an encourager, a motivator. 聽I hope that athletes I have a chance to coach turn around and be that support system, encourager, motivator to someone else in their life, and continue to pass on the value of looking out for each other.
In the sport of field hockey, I want to leave the program in a better place than we started, with a strong middle school feeder program so that the team can be set up for success for many years to come.
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