CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Team USA's women's field hockey team has been gearing up for the 2024 Paris Olympics, practicing in the Queen City at UNC Charlotte. There's a saying: Practice like you play. The team's co-captain, Ashley Hoffman, said they are taking that to a different level.
After the team fell short of qualifying for the Summer Games in Tokyo, the team is focused. The team is now working to go from the underdog to the top dog, and Hoffman is a big part of that drive.
"We ended up winning every single game," Hoffman said after they didn't qualify.
Now, the team is preparing to hit the pitch in Paris, France. This year, their advantage starts back stateside. They are practicing on the same turf the team will play on during the 2024 Paris Games.
“This is built to the same specks of the Olympic field," David Koerner, one of the co-founders of the United States Performance Center, said. "We are the largest center for field hockey in the United States. It definitely helped them prepare and quality for the Paris Games.”
There are only two of this type of turf fields in the world, and this is the only one in the United States. It's a turf many American athletes never played on growing up.
“That puts us at a disadvantage, playing on grass," Hoffman said. "We are excited it’s the same one.”
This underdog team is ready to bite back.
And while this is Hoffman's first time competing at the Olympics, she's no stranger to leading her team to victory.
Hoffman played field hockey at UNC-Chapel Hill for four years and started in every game each year. She captained the team her senior year through a perfect season, including the championships for both the ACC and NCAA tournaments. She won multiple awards with the team, including being named MVP for the NCAA and ACC tournaments.
Competing in the Olympics will be a full-circle moment for Hoffman: Her mom is an Olympian, having won a bronze medal in 1984.
Contact Austin Walker at awalker@wcnc.com and follow him on Facebook, X and Instagram.
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