Q&A with Sophomore Field Hockey Player Gabby Major

Usually when Patch asks coaches to make recommendations for a Q&A session with a player, the coaches recommend a senior leader on the team. However, this time around we got a sophomore in field hockey's Gabby Major.

Don't let Major's class-rank fool you. The mature team star has been recognized around the county as a goal scorer and team leader and has threatened many teams with her offensive strikes. She has helped the Rams to a 6-2 record thus far.

Major took some time to sit down with Limerick-Royersford-Spring City Patch to discuss her field hockey career, college and her family history in athletics in this week’s Q&A.

LRSC Patch: Take us through your beginning years of field hockey... When did you start? When did you fall in love with it? When did you realize you were good at it?

Gabby Major: Well, my grandmom's best friend was on the national team. She was really good and my grandmother played, too. She got me into it. She was my coach for like three years. I was six when I started. She helped me a lot and I really started liking it. I got good at it early and knew at an early age that I loved it and wanted to play it.

Patch: Being so young and making the varsity squad - what does that mean to you as a player?

Major: It means a lot. Having all four years to be on varsity, it gives me the opportunity to make a difference and help the team. I can do whatever I can to help us win.

Patch: I guess you've been having a pretty good season. What can you say about that and your development over the course of this year so far?

Major: Well, it is really early. It's been great so far and I'm really excited for us to keep going.

Patch: What can you say about the rest of this team? The way you girls mesh and the way the team plays as a whole?

Major: Well, I think there's a lot of younger girls on the team. We did lose seniors last year. I think we work really well together. As the season goes, we're only going to get better and develop more. There's a few of us that have played together for a really long time and the other girls fit in great with no problem.

Patch: Now there's another kid in school named Paul Major. Is that your brother?

Major: Yeah, that's my brother. He's a lacrosse player.

Patch: So, you guys are a family of athletes then. What's it like growing up with that environment?

Major: He's into it like I am in field hockey. My mom was a gymnast, my dad played hockey. It's nice, because everyone knows what you're going through. You have to balance athletics and school and all that. We're all there for each other. There's nice support.

Patch: Do you have plans to play in college?

Major: I actually committed already to the University of North Carolina in the beginning of August.

Patch: So were they actively recruiting you since you were a freshman?

Major: Yeah, it's been a few years. They've been looking at me, we've been talking and after looking at all the other schools, I decided on them.

Patch: Did you go down there and tour the campus?

Major: Yeah. I went down there for camp this summer. I'd been there before and loved the campus. When I went down for camp, I got to talk to the coach and she showed me around and showed me the dorms. I loved it.

Patch: That's pretty far from home. Why all the way down there and not somewhere closer to here?

Major: Well, I was looking at Maryland and that's a lot closer. There's a lot of schools, but I want to go to the Olympics. That's my big dream is to go to the Olympics. There's only a few schools that allow people to do that with the coaching. It's such a good program and it's a perfect fit. The distance didn't really matter to me.

Patch: What are your expectations for this team this year?

Major: I expect the team to go really far. We definitely have the potential to win the PAC-10s and do well in districts. We have the girls for that.

Patch: Do you know what you want to do in college academically?

Major: I've been thinking about it. I've always liked something with sports like medicine or orthepedics. I haven't narrowed it down yet. I'm still thinking about that.

Patch: What's your favorite part about growing up in this area?

Major: This area? I love Spring-Ford. Just the whole community and how everyone's so involved with school and athletics and all the support. The people that live around here are so nice. I love it.

Patch: If you could go back in time one year and talk to freshman Gabby and give her some tips coming into this year, what would they be?

Major: Probably just keep working hard and never slack off. Keep everyone else around you positive. That's about it.