Madison Burtner '22 Recruiting Profile

In 8th grade, I discovered field hockey when my school decided to bring field hockey to our middle/ high school. After the first practice, I was already in love with the sport. I went home every single day to practice in my backyard, and when Freshman year rolled around, I decided to play for a community team through Charlotte Ambush. I made The JV team, but I played up at almost all of the Varsity games, which surprised me very much considering most of the girls on the team had been playing longer than me and had more experience. 

After outdoor in the fall of my Freshman season, I wanted to play indoor but due to personal reasons, I was not able to pick up the sport again until Spring of 2020 at my club tryouts. I knew that I was at a disadvantage compared to other girls, but during quarantine and summer of 2020, I practiced every single day and worked out every day to grow as an athlete and get right back to where everyone else was at. It took many private lessons, small group sessions, clinics, dedication, and a positive mindset to flourish my skills again. 

I am continuing to focus on taking every opportunity that comes my way as an athlete and focusing on upcoming tournaments in the future in hopes of growing even more as a player. As an athlete I think there is always room for growth. I think most people would have given up the sport and have a negative mindset with not being able to play for a year, but I think it is so important to push yourself and chase your dreams. My dream is playing in college and I will continue to push towards that goal.