Kendall Ballard: Current
Field hockey runs in Kendall Ballard’s blood. She’s began playing as soon as she was big enough to hold a stick, joining her sister at field hockey practice where their mother coached. The three-sport athlete graduated from C.H.S. in 2015 with a full ride scholarship to Ohio University.
Ballard had to choose between either pursuing field hockey or basketball in college. Ultimately, in the eighth grade, she switched from playing A.A.U. (Amateur Athletic Union) basketball year-round to club field hockey year-round and started pursuing playing Division I field hockey. Since coaches can’t reach out to field hockey athletes until the start of junior year, sophomore Ballard contacted them instead. She was given the chance to work with college coaches through spring play days and summer camps. Junior year she began taking unofficial visits to schools she was interested in where she could work with coaches and meet the teams. At the end of the process, Ballard was recruited to Syracuse University and Ohio University, eventually committing to Ohio University the summer before her senior year.
Ballard compared getting the offer from Ohio University like, “a giant weight being lifted off my shoulders,” because of all of the hard work she had put in to establish her name. “You spend two or three years trying to get someone to notice you and to believe in you and your potential.” Ballard continued on to say, “finally hearing that someone wants you, gives all of your hard work a purpose.” Her decision was greatly impacted by the scholarship offer she received, since she is responsible for paying for her own education. The second biggest factor was how much the school itself was suitable to her needs, just in case she was no longer able to play field hockey. And the deciding factor between Syracuse and Ohio was the level of competition and standards she was being held to. Ballard said she gave up the chance to play at a bigger school (Syracuse) because she believed that going to a smaller school would give her the opportunity to make a difference in their program by, “helping them take a step towards becoming something like Syracuse. I believe that this has given me the opportunity to grow as a leader and develop into a stronger person.”
As a sophomore, she led the team in goals (16), points (280), shots (55), and shots on goal (31). She was recently named to the 2017 U.S. U-21 Women’s National Team. Ballard hopes to make the national team and continue to play field hockey for as long as possible.
As for her advice for those recruited to play in college? “Congratulations, you have made it through the first step! Particularly if you are playing Division I, this is now your job and you need to treat it as such. Especially if you are on a scholarship, you are being paid to play your sport through receiving an education. Understand that it is a privilege, not a right, to be in your position. There are plenty of athletes that would love to take your place, so take nothing for granted. It is going to be hard and you will have some days where you just want to curl up in a ball and hide from everything you have to do that day. You have to truly love and be passionate about your sport or it is going to be a long four to five years. Be prepared for long days with practice, lifting, conditioning, class, and then eating and sleeping somewhere in between it all, not to mention homework assignments and studying. You will no longer be the only superstar (sorry!) because your team is full of high school superstars. It is not your coach’s job to be your friend, but instead to pull out all of your potential and make you the best player possible. Sometimes that is going to feel like you are being ripped to shreds by your coach. Understand that it is nothing personal, and that if your coach didn’t yell at you every once in awhile, they have probably given up on you. Know that you will have so many resources at your disposal to help you through what might seem like the impossible–so I assure you it is possible. These will be the best four to five years of your life; I wouldn’t and I hope you won’t trade this experience for anything. The friends and memories I have made are irreplaceable. I have become a stronger, more confident person and I am prepared for the real world. Not to mention you are still able to play the sport you love everyday!”