Senior Profile: Terras tearing up field hockey pitch

She plays a sport considered by many in the North State to be "dead," but for Keara Terras, a Corning High senior, the sport and her passion for it are very much alive.

"I like the intensity of it and that it is unique," Terras explained.

Given the fact that there are no "little leagues" in which to hone field hockey skills before high school, the fact that Terras has gone from never having played until high school, to becoming one of the Cardinals' leaders is that much more remarkable.

"I never played until tryouts my freshman year," Terras said, "and I took it up as a conditioning sport."

While she also plays basketball for the Lady Cardinals, field hockey has grown into her favorite sport, possibly because of her fascination with NHL hockey and the San Jose Sharks.

Using the same stick she has played with all four years, Terras plays forward for Corning, and if she's not in the action, she's not too far away from it.

"I play inside. We're supposed to use the sidelines and our job is to score and always make sure somebody is in front of the cage with their stick down," Terras said. "I also have to come back to the mids and get open for passes and make plays on long corners."

She's apparently made the plays too, as she said she was last year's leading scorer, but was unsure of what her statistics were for this season. "Coach tells us that at our awards banquet."

Field hockey, after all, is a team sport, and those who play it for the Cardinals are not only playing for this season, but to help instill the love of the game in younger sisters who watch of young girls who attend the camps put on each summer.

Like any sport, field hockey is one that requires a lot of practice and presents its own unique challenges to the girls who play it.

When asked what the toughest aspects of her sport are, Terras said, "Conditioning," which is a necessary evil since so much running is required. "And keeping focus. Everywhere we go (for road matches) is so far away and the practices are long."

While her immediate focus is on what she and her teammates can accomplish on the field hockey pitch, like most seniors she also has her eyes focused on her future, once she puts away her shin guards and stick.

While nothing is yet etched in stone, Terras said she would probably begin furthering her studies at a junior college, perhaps getting into the pharmaceutical field or something in healthcare.

For now, she said the majority of her interests surround activities at school that include her friends and going to football games.

"I'm a people person," she smiled.

Terras' quick rise in a sport that was brand-new to her just four years ago speaks volumes about what she might accomplish in her life if given just a little bit of time.

CONTACT Craig Purcell at 824-1036 or cpurcell@tcnpress.com.