Specific goalkeeper training made all the difference in my game.  As a high school athlete, I first learned about field hockey when I was in 9th grade.  I began playing as a field player my freshman year and half way through my sophomore year I became a goalkeeper.  I had big shoes to fill when the very talented goalkeeper before me, Sarah Egnaczyk, graduated and continued her field hockey career at Boston College.  I had a wonderful high school coach, Theresa Napolitano.  She was not a goalkeeper but she spent many sessions with me and placed a lot of emphasis on the position.
 
In college I was lucky to get recruited by Boston College and re-join my high school teammate, Sarah Egnaczyk.  I red-shirted my first year and was able to practice every day while not playing in any games so that I could save that year of eligibility.  In Sarah, I had the perfect example of someone who was greatly talented, worked extremely hard, and never gave up on the ball. Training alongside her, I learned so much.
 
My sophomore year, Donna Lee Chung, a former 1988 Olympic goalkeeper joined the staff at Boston College.  Donna taught me not only the basics, but also how to read the game and develop a “sixth sense”. I learned from her to read the opponents and get a sense of their next move on the field.  I credit the specific goalkeeper training I received from Donna, along with the positive experiences I had with teammates and coaches, as being the reason I later made the USA National Team.
 
I believe all goalkeepers are unique and have their own style and set of skills and strengths.  After my playing career with the USA National Team, I was an Assistant Coach at the University at Albany, Indiana University, and Cal, Berkeley.  I really enjoyed coaching at the Division I level but always thought about how much better all goalkeepers would be if they got specific position training before college.
 
I knew I was lucky to get the training that I did in my career and thought it was time to pass on that knowledge.
 
I decided to return to San Diego where I had lived when I was in residency with the USA National Team.  The perfect weather made it easy to train year round and start my company, Blockstar Field Hockey.   
 
Blockstar Field Hockey was created to provide specific training to any keeper who wants it.  All camps are open to all keepers. The idea is a collaboration of goalkeepers working together to improve their individual games.  It is a goalkeeper only environment so that every drill is geared toward the benefit of the goalkeeper. With Blockstar the aim is to eliminate the chance of signing up for a camp and not receiving proper training.  All coaches played the position of goalkeeper at the Division I level or higher. The atmosphere aims to be positive and empower the goalkeepers to take charge of their training.