Iowa freshman Katie Birch is making a name for herself.
By Michael McCurdy
Field hockey originated in England in the mid-1800s, then made its way across the Atlantic to the United States. As it turns out, Iowa freshman Katie Birch also ventured from England to America to continue her career in the sport.
Birch, a native of York, has been around field hockey most of her life. She began playing at age 7, and when she was 17, Iowa field hockey assistant coach Michael Boal, who is also from England, approached her.
“Michael asked me to play in a game, and afterwards, he told me a bit about the University of Iowa, which I found myself to be really intrigued,” Birch said. “So I did a bit of background information on it, and then it all developed from there.”
Even though Birch is a freshman, her field hockey experience is in no way limited. She played on the English national team and was the team captain.
“I’ve been playing for England since about the age of 15,” she said. “Over the years, we’ve played Holland, Germany, Ireland, and Russia.”
Her love for the game comes from her family, and her twin sister is a freshman field hockey player at Old Dominion. She said the separation from her sister and family has been the hardest part about being in Iowa City. Though thousands of miles away, she still Skypes and texts her family quite a bit.
Traveling thousands of miles to relocate to a new place can be very difficult for people, and the process might be challenging at first. It hasn’t been too hard for Birch, though, and so far, she has enjoyed her time in Iowa City and feels at home.
“It’s really fun, I’ve met loads of new people, and I’m really enjoying my classes,” she said. “Also the food is incredible, both the dorm and restaurant.”
Iowa senior Sophie Plasteras has not noticed any signs that Birch is having a tough time adjusting to Iowa City and the American style of field hockey. Head coach Lisa Cellucci said the styles differ in terms of pace and experience.
With Plasteras being a senior, she understands that most freshmen on the team count on her to be a role model, but that isn’t so much the case for Birch.
“She has so much international experience, so you can’t compare to it. She doesn’t really need a role model because she’s so good in everything,” Plasteras said. “But what I can do as a senior is keep her confidence up.”
Cellucci is also very impressed with the smooth transition Birch has demonstrated the first month of the season.
“Pretty seamless, which is impressive, because for most freshmen, even domestic ones, there’s a lot of transition since it is hard adjusting to the pace,” Cellucci said. “For her there hasn’t been, because she plays on such a high level, and we are just very impressed so far with how consistent she’s been across the board.”
Follow @MMcurd for more information on the Iowa field-hockey team.
