Fullback reflects on tough year at Boston University

After a challenging first year at Boston University, Whangarei hockey player Jacinda McLeod is enjoying a two-month break with her family and some home comforts.
The 19-year-old began a full academic and sporting scholarship at Boston University after contesting the Under-21 Hockey World Cup with the New Zealand girls in August last year.

 While the rest of the team returned to New Zealand, McLeod started her intense schedule of general academic studies combined with heavy training  for the Boston University Field Hockey team, which was all a bit of a shock.

 "I found the first semester really challenging fitting everything in, but in the second semester I got a way better grade point average," she said.
"The hockey girls' weeks were really busy - and we were always pretty tired. We had classes early in the morning and had to be finished by 2pm.
"Training started at 2.30pm and we did two hours on the turf, weights and a run - depending on what our coaches wanted us to do."
These long sessions happened at least three times a week, followed by dinner in the halls and then any assignments that needed to be done.
"There wasn't too much time to socialise, except for at dinner, and on the weekends we would play our games and go watch other college sport - I loved the basketball."
The girls' hard work paid off when Boston took out the American Eastern Conference.
"We played an entry-bid to get into the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) Sweet 16 Country final where the top 16 play in a knockout tournament, but lost to Stanford California in overtime," McLeod explained.
The team is young, however, with mostly freshmen and sophomores and only two seniors. So it still had plenty of future potential, the Kiwi fullback said.
McLeod's time so far in Boston has been beneficial with certain areas of her game improving.
"My strength is better, and I'm trying to develop my drag-flick, do bigger overheads and getting my game on target a bit more."
A bit of rest and relaxation, getting a holiday job and playing hockey for her clubside Springfield in the Northland premier women's competition is on the cards for McLeod while in Whangarei, before returning to Boston in late July for her second year of general studies.
"I'm loving being back - it's really good to eat some 'homely' food. You get all the same foods over there. It just doesn't taste as good as when it is home-cooked," she said.
McLeod's scholarship is for four years and she hopes to specialise in occupational therapy.