Caroline Kirby '21 Recruiting Profile

There's nothing I'd like more than to continue playing field hockey in college. I got my first taste of the sport at a summer camp leading into my freshman year of high school. As a former competitive swimmer and soccer player, I had found that these sports no longer sparked my passion and was looking for something new to fill the void. This summer camp experience quickly convinced me that I needed to try out for my high school team, no matter my inexperience! The coaches were happy with the way my soccer skills translated to the game and suggested I give the goalkeeper position a try. I quickly discovered I'd found my calling. The challenge and the thrill of preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking their shots invigorates me. Serving as Goalie has also allowed me to function as a leader on and off the field and has instilled great confidence in me contributing to my success in the sport and at school.

As a freshman, my high school coaches invited me to play up in several JV games. As a sophomore I was able to play in several critical Varsity games against some of our state's most accomplished teams and I served as the backup goalie at playoffs - these opportunities to play at a higher level ignited my desire for more playing time leading me to join the Gateway Field Hockey Club of St. Louis at the completion of my sophomore season. The Gateway coaches took immediate notice of my natural ability and appreciated my coachability. I was soaking up the instruction at this more intense and competitive level, especially the specialized Goalie training. I loved the challenge of playing with this group of accomplished athletes. I was quickly invited to join the club as a last-minute addition to their elite travel team already selected to play in the Disney Field Hockey Showcase tournament in Florida. I jumped at this amazing opportunity to play with the best of the best! Ever since I have been 100% focused on developing my skills and playing in as many regional and national tournaments as possible with Gateway. As a Junior, I am the starting Varsity Goalkeeper for my high school team competing against a group of highly competitive St. Louis public and private school teams. My dream now is to continue to elevate my play through the incredible instruction I receive from my Gateway coaches leading into my Senior year and to ultimately have the opportunity to continue playing in college.

In my free time I stay very busy. At school, I am an active member of our Student Council. I also hold a paid position teaching swimming at our local swim club. I love that I am able to tap into the years I put into competitive swimming by teaching the strokes to my students while also channeling the leadership skills I've gained from field hockey into my job responsibilities. I also spend a lot of time volunteering as a member of the National Charity League (NCL), a national philanthropic organization. NCL is committed to youth leadership development and improving local communities through hands-on volunteer work with 63,000+ national members. I have held various leadership positions in my NCL class and have earned two national Presidential Service Awards - Silver in 2016 for completing 75 hours of volunteer service and a Gold Presidential Award in 2017 for completing more than 100 hours of volunteer service. NCL enables me to volunteer at many different local organizations. One particular opportunity I had to serve as a Summer Camp Counselor at Variety Adventure Day Camp in St. Louis for children with physical and developmental disabilities had a significant influence on me. The exposure to special needs children and the rewards of serving and bonding with them taught me the value of patience, empathy, compassion, and joy. I love the reward of volunteering and the value of giving back to my community.

I strive to work hard and challenge myself at all I do - whether in the classroom, on the playing field or in my extracurricular activities. I am looking forward to my final two years playing for Gateway in as many field hockey tournaments, camps, and clinics as possible. I am soaking up as much instruction as possible with my talented club coaches, always looking to improve my skills while being cognizant to enjoy every last minute! I always work hard no matter the challenge to meet my goals, I will never quit. I understand the dedication and hard work it takes to play at the collegiate level and I look forward to the challenge.