From London to Cherry Hill, Vittese Family Delivering Great Field Hockey

For a little over a week, Camden Catholic High School junior Tara Vittese got to witness the sport of field hockey at the most elite level. Vittese, along with family, traveled to London over the summer to watch her sister, Michelle, compete as part of the U.S. Olympic field hockey team.

It was a trip, and an experience, she won’t soon forget.

"At times I was speechless,” said Vittese, who was selected as a First-Team All-South Jersey midfielder by the Field Hockey Club of South Jersey. “The play was just outstanding. Watching the Dutch team and the Argentina team was some of the greatest things I have ever seen. It makes you want to try even harder and improve and get to be as good as them some day.”

And although the Americans were never in the hunt for a medal, the opportunity to watch her sister play alongside the best players the country has to offer was a special experience.

“It was awesome going to see them play even thought they didn’t do as well as they hoped,” Vittese said. “Just the experience of getting to do that was incredible.”

Vittese also spoke highly of the time spent in a rented house with her family and the different types of foods as highlights of the trip—not to mention a little sight seeing.

“It was cool getting to see the Tower of London and the London Bridge,” she said.

Michelle and Tara are not the only members of the Vittese family who have achieved success in the sport. Tara’s sister, Clarissa, was also a high school standout and is currently playing at the University of Virginia. Her father, Mark, is an assistant coach at Camden Catholic, while her mother, Patricia, was a high school standout herself at Delaware Valley Regional High School in Hunterdon County.  

Clearly, the sport runs in the family’s bloodlines.

“My mom played and she introduced it to my sisters and myself,” Tara said. “Just watching both of (my sisters) play makes me want to do that much more. Just going on trips together when we were younger was awesome because we got to watch each other and learn.”

This fall, the Camden Catholic junior continued to add to her reputation as one of the areas top players. As a central midfielder, Vittese was involved on the offensive and defensive side of the game. Her consistent play was one of the main reasons the Irish won a Group 2 South Jersey title. The team fell a game short of winning a state title, losing to rival Bishop Eustace in a tight, 1-0 game.

“I thought we had a tough schedule and road to get to states, but I thought we played very hard every game,” she said. “I like that we played so much hard competition because I think that is how you get better.”

The Field Hockey Club of South Jersey is comprised of coaches, officials and enthusiasts of the sport. The coaches vote for first and second team members, making the honor extra special for Vittese.

“It means a lot just because you are getting voted on by a lot of coaches in South Jersey,” she said. “It’s a group of the better players in the game and it’s nice to be on there. You work so hard during the season, so it’s good to be rewarded.”