Senior Madison Beach spent the weekends of her sophomore year visiting colleges and playing field hockey, while spending her plane rides home doing her homework. In her junior year, she traveled to Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands to play for the U-18 USA Junior National Field Hockey Team.
“When I was being recruited for field hockey, every weekend I’d be gone going to camps and clinics, and it was just my norm,” said Beach. “I lived out of a suitcase in a way, and now it’s just part of me.”
Beach began to get serious about field hockey when she realized college coaches showed interest in her the spring of her freshman year, she said.
“I just came home from school, and my mom was like, ‘Madison, you’re not gonna believe this,’” said Beach. “[College coaches] reached out to me … I was like, ‘Wow, I can’t believe they’re all interested in me.’”
Beach was named as the IHSFHA 2022 Player of the Year. Thomas Rosenbaum, head coach of the Glenbrook field hockey team, went to Beach’s house to present the award to her in person.
“My coach came to my house and told me, and I was like, ‘Oh my God. I had no idea,’” Beach said.
The U-18 USA Junior National Field Hockey Team was given a corner in a game against the U-18 Netherlands Junior National Team, giving the offense the chance to shoot the ball when there was a penalty committed by the defense.
“The ball was chipped in the air, and my stick just deflected it into the goal,” Beach said.
Beach’s goal contributed to a 4-1 win for Beach’s team.
One day after a game in Germany, the U-18 USA Junior National Field Hockey Team had lunch with a German team.
“One girl told me to just stick with it, work hard and have fun,” said Beach. “It’s not that much of advice, but I always think about it to get myself to continue to work hard and have fun.”
Beach was introduced to field hockey by her mom when she was only two or three years old.
Beach’s mom played field hockey in the 1996 Olympics for Team USA and is now the director of Windy City Field Hockey.
Beach would help her mom on the sidelines while her mom was coaching.
“She would be like, ‘Oh, girls go pick up the cones, go see how many cones you can get,’” said Beach. “Things that were fun but helped us not only keep busy while she was coaching but also really get involved with the sport.”
Beach noticed her field hockey IQ began to develop when she was young.
Beach’s field hockey IQ makes her and everyone else around her better, Rosenbaum said.
According to Beach, she noticed her field hockey IQ progress when she would watch her mom coach.
“I would sit on the field with [my mom] all day and just being there, watching and learning what she says and how the girls respond has really advanced my field hockey IQ,” said Beach. “I think that helps me now with how I play and my smartness on the ball, but then also my awareness off the ball.”