Photo by Wolfgang Sternberger

Scaling the Heights

It has been an extraordinary few months for US midfield player Lauren Powley.

She has met the President of the United States, helped steer her Maryland team to the national collegiate championship and cycled across America in a mammoth fund-raising effort.

And just for good measure, she was part of the squad which qualified for the World Cup in Madrid. Howard Thomas managed to catch up with her.

The USA centre midfielder may not yet be on top of the world, but she’s getting very close.

Continuing a meteoric rise in her young hockey career, Powley, 22, completed a championship season at the U.S. university level, earned a best-ever finish for the U.S. juniors at the Junior World Cup and clinched a World Cup qualifying spot with the U.S. senior team all within an eight-month span in 2005-06.

“My favourite aspect of this year and all of its different events was the ability to work hard toward a common goal with so many different groups of people,” said Powley on her whirlwind world tour.

“The bonds made while giving everything you have toward something you love is something I believe are unbreakable. They are friendships I will have for a lifetime.”

Powley began her world conquest in the USA where she guided her Maryland team to a 23-2 record on its way to the national championship. For her efforts, she earned All-America honours for the fourth time in her university career and the team was invited to the White House for a reception hosted by U.S. President George W. Bush.

“The trip to the White House was an unforgettable moment in my life,” said Powley who was literally at the right hand of President Bush for the official White House photo.

“To be recognized by the President of the United States of America with a group of girls who I love so much is truly something special and a once in a lifetime event.”

During the course of her college campaign, Powley took a break to help lead the USA to a best-ever seventh place finish at the Junior World Cup in Santiago. The team narrowly missed qualifying for the semi finals and featured a talented group of rising stars such as Rachel Dawson, Katie O’Donnell, Katelyn Falgowski and Lauren Crandall who would join Powley on tournament rosters for the U.S. senior team.

At the end of the traditional hockey season, Powley continued to leave her mark on the U.S. hockey landscape – tyre tread marks.

Embarking on a coast-to-coast bicycle ride across the USA, Powley and her father Ken trekked more than 4000km on the 35-day trip from California to Florida. The trip helped raised funds for the U.S. women’s national team.

“I loved challenging myself and experiencing something I never thought I would have the chance to do,” said Powley after completing the ride across the USA. “The country is beautiful, and I would love to see more.”

In spite of its cross-training benefits, the ride offered a painful reminder to Powley when she got off the bike to return to the pitch.

“I would have to say that if there was one point that I wish I could just skip over, it would be after the bike trip when I first started to play hockey again,” said a grimacing Powley.

“I think all field hockey players know the soreness that can make your life miserable for a few days when starting up again!”

After successfully conquering the United States and significantly raising the status of the U.S. juniors, Powley and the USA quickly set their sights on a World Cup qualifying berth.

Entering the Samsung Hockey World Cup Qualifier in Rome as the number six seed, the USA locked-up one of the five qualifying spots early in the tournament after a draw with Ireland and wins over second-seeds New Zealand, hosts Italy and Azerbaijan.

“After we qualified all of the excitement and an immense feeling of honour to be a part of this team really came over me,” said Powley who raised her international cap total to a mere 21 as the starting centre midfielder. “I'm excited to not only to play against the best teams in the world, but truly compete with the best teams.”

The USA will get an early chance to compete with the world’s top teams when the squad hosts the world’s number one-ranked team, Netherlands, current world champions Argentina, and Commonwealth Games champions Australia in a pre-World Cup, double round-robin tournament in August at the University of Maryland and Virginia Beach.

“We would like to make the statement that we are ready to break into the top five in the world and be a threat to top teams,” said Powely. “I believe that the success we have had is due to the hard work and dedication to this team from everyone who surrounds it.

“The coaching staff, our captain and even the young players have set a new standard and work ethic that everyone has risen to and has driven us to where we stand today.”

With coach Lee Bodimeade completing his first full year at the helm of the U.S. team and a roster full of young and talented players the future continues to look bright for Powley and the USA.

“The great part about this team is that everybody is on the same page,” said Powley. “We are all aware of the level of play that we are capable of playing at and need to strive to reach.

“In order to do this we go out everyday and work on the little things that make the difference between being in or out of the top five teams in the world. However, we also know that an important part of this process is to have fun while doing it.

“That is what really makes this team special, the ability to work so hard while having fun.”

With proven success at every level, Powley and her USA teammates can continue working hard for the ultimate goal of a successful World Cup and a spot at the top of the hockey world.

It doesn’t get much more fun than that.

Fact File - Lauren Powley
Born: 5 March 1984
Position: Midfield
International Caps: 21
Birth Place: Kingston, Pa.
Hometown: Mountain Top, Pa.
Occupation: Student
Major Tournaments:
2006: Samsung Hockey World Cup Qualifier (4th)
2005: BDO Hockey Junior World Cup (7th)
2005: Rabobank Champions Challenge (5th)
2005: Pan American Jr Championships (2nd)