CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (CLARKSVILLENOW) – On Thursday, Sept. 26, Richview Middle School made history, as the school’s stick sports team hosted Ravenwood’s junior varsity team and managed to score the first ever field-hockey goal in Clarksville history.

Richview Middle School teacher and field hockey and lacrosse coach Andrea McCarthy said she couldn’t help but be overcome with emotion, watching her students play the game she grew up loving.

“I can say that I’ve never cried over a sport’s moment before, but when the Richview Stick Sports team scored their first goal, in their first game ever, I certainly teared up,” McCarthy said. “I was overwhelmed with happiness for these kids who scored the first field hockey goal ever here in Clarksville.”

Even though stick sports such as field hockey and lacrosse aren’t necessarily traditional southern sports, McCarthy believes they are equally  important in giving student-athletes another platform to help better their futures.

“Since not every child wants to play basketball or football, by offering field hockey and lacrosse, student horizons are expanded,” McCarthy said. “It is also beneficial to the athletic body to be well-rounded with multiple sports. With all sports, students learn teamwork, successes and celebrations, handling failures and losing with grace. Students gain self-confidence, pride in school and community and can see that nothing comes without hard work. By adding field hockey and lacrosse, we are only giving students more of an opportunity to hone in on all of these things.”

By bringing stick sports to Richview, McCarthy hopes her team members will receive the same sort of happiness she once experienced as a player.

“I want to share with my students, the same joys the sport of field hockey brought me so by bringing stick sports here to Clarksville,” McCarthy said. “My most distinct memories from middle school and high school were those moments attached to the emotions of sports. The pride of wearing my team jersey during the school day, our whole team storming the goalkeeper after an overtime win, and never to forget the long, silent bus rides home after a tough loss. I want students to experience these moments. More than that, sports taught me how to be a leader, a go-getter, a team player and even how to make sacrifices. I want students to learn these things.”

In order to continue gaining popularity in the Clarksville area, McCarthy believes a few things need to happen locally in the stick sports world.

“We need to place sticks in the hands of our children,” McCarthy said. “The Clarksville Kings and Queens have done an incredible job of running demonstrations in our local schools and the Nashville Field Hockey club has been amazing for hosting clinics and being a presence in middle Tennessee. Both sports are fascinating, but we need more student- athletes to see the excitement for themselves. Be on the lookout for playing opportunities at ACME Athletics, with the Nashville FHC, and with the Clarksville Lacrosse club. Play It Again sports is also on board with supporting stick sports.”

As of now, plans to expand sticks sports to other area schools are still in the infancy stages.

“Between the Nashville Field Hockey Club and the Richview Stick Sport club, so far we’ve grown from 11 players to 59 in three years, but we would love to see other schools in the area pick up stick sports to continue our growth trend,” McCarthy said.” To help this happen, we partnered with USA Field Hockey and US Lacrosse last year to run professional development for physical education teachers of both Williamson and Clarksville Montgomery County Schools. The professional development was also an opportunity for all CMCSS teachers, regardless of subject area, to take as part of their ENGAGE professional development hours this past summer. With Richview Middle School as the pilot, we hope to expand into other CMCSS schools, as well as Williamson County Schools, between year three and five.”

Stick sports at Richview Middle School would not be possible without the help and assistance from numerous contributors.

“USA Field Hockey partnered with Harrow Sports and donated 24 sticks, balls and cones to our club,” McCarthy said. “I’d like to thank Sally Goggin and Jenna Ortega, Sport Development Coordinators of USA Field Hockey, for sending us the amazing equipment. I am also presently awaiting word from US Lacrosse as I recently submitted a grant to them in an attempt to receive 30 lacrosse sticks through their First Sticks Program. Thank you to Jamie Bardeen, a lacrosse outreach parent here in Clarksville, for informing me about and helping me to write this grant. Most importantly, thank you to Neil and Pam Padden, the original founders of the Nashville Field Hockey club, for working closely with me to together bring field hockey to middle Tennessee, as well as allowing our club to borrow the new goals purchased for adult and youth play out in Nashville.”

The Richview Stick Sport Team meets every Monday and Wednesday after school from 2:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. for practice and will soon face off against Ravenwood in a rematch, this time in Nashville.

“In the fall we play field hockey, while in the spring we will focus on lacrosse to resemble the true seasons where these sports are established,” McCarthy said. “So far, we only played one game vs. the Ravenwood High School junior varsity field-hockey team, one of the only other teams in the state besides the Webb School out in Knoxville. Vanderbilt’s club field hockey team has been instrumental in supporting the growth of field hockey in Middle Tennessee and we are hoping to use their turf field for our away game.”