Athlete of the Week: Ellie Rousseau

senior Ellie Rousseau has had a lot of things to celebrate recently; she turned 18 on Monday and she was named a Northeastern Conference All-Star for the 2011 season last fall for the Magicians.

Ellie said awards and recognition for her play are nice, but team goals are what are most important to her. Her favorite field hockey moments from last fall were making the state tournament, and dumping Peabody to give head coach Linda Collins her 200^th career victory at Marblehead High.

“Coach (Linda) Collins has been such a big influence on me, as well as my mom and my dad,” Ellie said. “I played field hockey in middle school, I wasn’t even going to play in high school, but they asked me to come out for the freshman team, and Linda’s program was great, it was such a wonderful experience to play for her.”

The co-captain had no problem zipping up and down the field hockey field last season; she runs the 1,000 for the winter track team and the mile in the spring.

“Oh, I do run a lot, my track training comes in handy on the field, for sure,” Ellie said.

A member of the and the National Honor Society, Ellie lives on Devereaux Terrace with her brother Conrad, and her mom. Her dad and his parents are lifelong Headers.

“I want to go away to a big school, absolutely, but I love Marblehead,” Ellie said. “I want to return here, live here and have a family here.”

Rousseau sometimes looks at houses with her mom or her dad when they drive around town and they wonder if she’ll settle down and live there in a few years.

“It’s funny, we look at houses and think, what about there, should I live there, that’s a nice house, Marblehead is so great, just a great small town.”

Rousseau has been accepted at Clemson and the College of Charleston, but is waiting on hearing from a few more school before she makes her final college choice.

“I’d like to study International Business in college,” Ellie said, “In high school I really like AP Calculus and Astronomy.”

Rousseau coaches younger field hockey players and is nursing a broken pinky on her right hand, it’s not affecting her running schedule, but she’s got to take it down a notch during the indoor field hockey season this winter in Danvers.

“I coach the freshman, sophomores and juniors in indoor field hockey, and play with the senior girls,” Ellie said.

“The best thing about being an athlete in Marblehead is the support from students and coaches, Mr. (AD Mark) Tarmey is great, it’s a close group, a supportive group and I’m really going to miss Marblehead next year, but I’ll be back,” Ellie said.

Colleges are recruiting Rousseau for field hockey, but she hasn’t made a decision on that yet.

“I’ll always run though.”

The Ellie Rousseau File:

Age – 18

Class – Senior at MHS

Favorite food – Steak

Favorite TV Show – Law & Order

Favorite athlete – Jacoby Ellsbury

Favorite Team - NE Patriots

Favorite movie- “Elf since it’s the Christmas season, and Zoolander too.”

Dream – “I always want to be able to play field hockey, and I want to live in Marblehead.”

Biggest influences – “My parents and coach Collins, for sure.”