Hillary Paul Metcalf will represent the USA in international field hockey tourney
By Cary Shuman
her stick at a workout on the turf field at the Mary C. Burke
Complex.
Hillary Paul Metcalf was an All-State field hockey player and two-time state champion at Concord (N.H.) High School and an All-American at Stevens Institute of Technology in New Jersey.
And now the 38-year-old Chelsea resident is once again demonstrating that she is one of the best field hockey athletes in the country. Paul Metcalf has been selected to the USA team that will compete in the World Masters Hockey World Cup in July in Rotterdam, Netherlands.
Paul Metcalf, who lives in the city with her husband, David, and their three children, Everett, Murphy, and Clifford, said she decided to try out for the Masters team after attending the Shooting Stars Tournament at Amherst College and winning the Masters division with a team made up of others trying out for the team.
“That tournament was super fun and a lot of the players there were trying out for the Masters team, and I decided to attend the practices,” said Paul Metcalf, who learned in February that she had been selected to the O-35 team. “I’ve been really impressed with all the people I’ve met during this process.”
Paul Metcalf said she’s “really excited” to have earned a spot on the team and have the honor of wearing the USA uniform in the tournament. She is the lone player from Massachusetts on the 18-member O-35 team that is being led by Saint Joseph’s University coach Michelle Finegan.
“Our whole family is going to the tournament – my parents, Dave’s parents, along with my college field hockey friends,” said Paul Metcalf.
The Netherlands, where field hockey is a huge national sport, will likely be the favorite in the tournament. Belgium, Argentina, Australia, England, and New Zealand, and Canada are among the entrants. Teams will play in a round-robin format before the elimination and medal rounds.
A 5-foot-3-inch forward and midfielder with outstanding speed and stickhandling skill, Paul Metcalf is being counted upon to be one of the USA team’s top goal scorers.
Her career began in sixth grade
Paul Metcalf began competing in field hockey as a sixth grader.
“I had done competition dance, and I thought the field hockey uniforms (players wear skirts or kilts) were pretty cool, and I said, “I could get into that,’ said Paul Metcalf.
Paul Metcalf competed in both dance and field hockey “for a while, and then it became too much. In tenth grade, I had to make a decision, and I chose field hockey.”
Paul Metcalf said the big breakthrough in her career came in college when she had the opportunity to compete in the newly established Stevens Institute program.
“I’m really grateful for the game experience that I was able to get as a freshman,” said Paul Metcalf, who transitioned to offense after her All-State career as a defender in high school.
Paul Metcalf, who is looking forward to receiving her official Team USA red, white, and blue jersey and uniform, said the contingent will be playing in a tournament in June.
What’s been the reaction from her friends and former college teammates?
“They’re so excited, and that response has amplified my excitement, too,” said Paul Metcalf. “I’m excited to be myself in representing the country. I’m really proud to be a mom who’s come back from pretty difficult pregnancies to be here and get to play on an international stage. That’s just really special.”
All roads lead to
Rotterdam
Paul Metcalf has competed in other world-renowned sports events, having completed the 2015 Boston Marathon, finishing the 26-mile, 385-yard course in under four hours.
But she is now in full field-hockey mode, frequently doing training and conditioning at the Mary C. Burke Complex turf field, Mary O’Malley Park, and Highland Park. She also works out at the Carter Park Cross Fit Gym in Chelsea.
A former science teacher and track coach at Chelsea High School for three years, Paul Metcalf works for prestigious Stanford University where she designs special learning for teachers and administrators.
Paul Metcalf said she is happy to be part of the explosion of women’s sports in the United States.
“I love it and I’m here for it,” said Metcalf. “Everybody is watching women’s sports and they’re entertaining and important. I’m really proud of what the female athletes in the United States have done for women’s sports.”
Chelsea fans now have their own star athlete to follow, and Paul Metcalf is hoping to bring back some gold (medal) to the city she loves and calls home.
Chelsea residents can follow Hillary Paul Metcalf on her journey to the Netherlands on her Instagram account.