She was named a varsity player for the Northern field hockey team in her freshman year, and Frey, who built a relationship with Emma’s parents starting in the fourth grade, was notified of some of the struggles to keep an eye out for on the field.
“She’s very humble, but very tough on herself, so you have to keep her encouraged and keep her head up when she makes mistakes,” Frey said. “The first two years, it was definitely more frequently [when she would leave the field with her head down]. Just to help her gain a perspective that this is a growing process.”
“Emma needed to learn to trust that no matter what happened, no matter what mistakes were made on or off the field, that we still loved her and were proud of her,” Krista said. “It was a long process.”
Her friends, most of whom had been made through club field hockey, began to listen to Emma when she came to them with problems or was struggling.
“When I’m upset they’re right there talking with me and supporting me,” she said. “They just know that I’m the type of person that needs to get everything out and talk about it, and they always have an open ear to everything. Having those best friends — it’s the greatest feeling knowing that I always have someone there for me.”
And even though field hockey is a huge part of Emma’s life in the present, quitting the sport crossed her mind freshman year before she sought therapy.
