STATE COLLEGE, Pa.- During a time that most children would be going on playdates and learning their multiplication tables, Sophia Gladieux was in her garage practicing hits and drives, with tunnel vision on her goal: field hockey.
"While most kids are outside doing what kids do, she would come home from school and spend hours learning a new field hockey skill or trick she saw in a video," said Sophia's father, Bernard L. Gladieux III, 59, of Boyertown, Pa.
The 19-year-old sophomore from Boyertown, Pa. is a powerhouse for Penn State field hockey, starting all 14 games as a true freshman and earning All-Big Ten, All-Region and All-America honors.
Gladieux, like many athletes, earned her skill level through dedication, motivation and passion over the course of many years.
"My first-year of field hockey I was really not good at all" said Gladieux. "I was really horrible."
While it is hard to imagine celebrated players not playing at the level they currently are at, Gladieux was a novice when she started playing in third grade in her town's youth program, following in her older sisters' footsteps.
"Watching her sister have success in youth league field hockey," said her father, "was the seed that motivated her in ways that are hard to describe for a kid in third grade."
Gladieux's father, or "Bunky" as friends would call him, was a large presence in her growth as a player. "I would introduce a new skill and she wouldn't stop practicing it until she was satisfied," he recalled.
Like any supportive parent, Bernard Gladieux would hit the ball around with his daughter and drive her to the turf to practice on cage. Over time, hours were spent repeating skills and perfecting shots.
Her mother Lynn and Bernard noticed her passion for the sport and that led to Gladieux joining a club team, the next step into competitive field hockey. This was the decision that exposed her to new opportunities.
Gladieux joined the X-Caliber club field hockey team, coached by Brian Hope, a well-known coach in the field hockey world.
It was during this point during her athletic career that she began to sculpt her skills and transition into the player that is on the field today.
"I think that's when I started to get looks more because I was so young and so small, but I had a good knowledge of the game at a young age," Gladieux stated.
The travel tournaments and competitive practices then lead to her big break in the sport.
"It started to become very real when I started sixth grade when I made the USA U17 Junior national camp," she reflected. "I was surrounded with the most talented girls I've ever seen at that age."
Although Gladieux's skills and knowledge of game benefitted from this team, the pressures of the team commitments combined with entering high school and club proved to be difficult.
"This was probably one of the most difficult periods of her life," her father stated. "As a 13-year-old she was selected to the roster of the USA U17 team scheduled to travel overseas. This proved to be the tipping point for her emotional wellbeing."
This can be referred to as a "burnout" period by athletes, it can be detrimental to their relationship with the sport. For Gladieux, it meant declining the spot on Team USA.
For some this decision could seem like an opportunity lost, but for Gladiuex it led to her reigniting the passion she had for the sport.
"I was able to take a break from the national team and just focus on club and high school and it was one of the best decisions I've ever made, and I just fell in love with the sport all over again," she stated.
Knowing one's own limits is an important aspect of competitive athletics and is often overlooked by athletes due to pressure from family, friends, coaches and even themselves.
"At first I was disappointed but for selfish reasons," said her father on the decision to decline the spot. "But seeing the weight of the world lifted from [Sophia's] shoulders made me realize the insanity of the load she was carrying."
Having experienced the pressures of competitive athletics, Gladieux is a strong advocate for athlete mental wellbeing and being aware of your own opinion, wants and needs.
"Know your limits and if you're feeling overwhelmed with the recruiting process or pressures from family, friends and coaches, try to put all of that input in the back of your head because the most important person is yourself," she says.
"Take your own opinion and make that your priority. If it wasn't for that mindset, I would not be where I am today, wanting to get better and loving this sport."
