When Courtney Sommer, a junior defender for the field hockey team, is asked the traditional back-to-school question of what she did this summer, she might reply, "Oh, nothing much. I was just an alternate for the United States national team and a member of the regional team in North Carolina that won the U.S. Summer League Championship."
After competing in training sessions throughout the spring, Sommer was named one of four alternates to the 16 player national team that appeared in the Pan-American games this summer.
"It is quite an honor for me to be a part of this team, and it was an experience I worked really hard for," Sommer said. "As an alternate, we didn't get to go play in the Pan-Am games, but we went out and trained with the team over eight days at the height of their training."
It was quite a week for Sommer, who was playing among the best field hockey players in the nation just weeks before their worldwide competition.
Sommer's climb up the ladder to this level of competition was much faster than most who reach this level.
She first joined the national circuit by attending a training camp when she was a junior in high school. Last summer, she played for the 19-and-under national team and this year she made her biggest jump yet.
"One year I was playing with this under-19 group, then the next year I was thrown into this situation with the national team," Sommer said. "It was quite an adjustment, and I still think I am making adjustments when I play with them."
Following a bout with mono in March, Sommer made a strong impression on U.S. coach Tracey Belbin and earned
The 10-day round was intense and the team played twice a day nearly every day. Sommer wasn't intimidated being the youngest player in the 32-participant field, but the experience was certainly different.
"There are only three of us on the team that still have college eligibility," Sommer said. "The age range was from 19, which was me, to about 32. So, there were some women there who had been on the team longer than I have been playing the game."
When the final roster was posted, Sommer learned that she was named an alternate to the team. Although it was quite an honor, she had her goals set a little higher.
"I trained really hard all spring," Sommer said. "And I felt like I played very well during the trials. I tried not to put any expectations on myself since it was a hard thing to do being so young, but that is not really an excuse. If you are there, obviously somebody thinks you should be there.
"I just went into it trying not to expect too much and to try my hardest. I felt like I played my best, so I really can't be disappointed in the way that I played. Sometimes it just doesn't work out."
Each alternate was placed on a regional team for the summer and Sommer wound up playing for the North Carolina squad. Instead of sulking over not making the national team, the Tulsa native helped her team win the U.S. Championship for the league.
"Courtney has just improved so much," Duke coach Liz Tchou said. "She brings a lot more experience and leadership to our group. One day she will make that [national] team. I know she was somewhat disappointed, but she is also very humble and knows what she needs to work on to improve and make the team."
This summer experience will certainly influence Sommer's play this season in a Duke uniform. She hopes to carry a few lessons she learned from her tryouts and practices into the Blue Devils' practices and games.
"I really learned a lot from playing with the other members of the national team," Sommer said. "The biggest thing I take away from my experience is a level of intensity that I am trying to bring to the Duke team. Every minute of practice with the U.S. team is very intense and fast-paced, and you get more out of practice when it is like that."
Sommer and the rest of the defenders will have quite a task before them this year. With the new wide-open attacking style implemented by Tchou, the defense could end up in some difficult situations.
Sommer, however, likes to look at the offense-defense relationship in terms of a team concept.
"Hopefully, if the whole team is into the philosophy of attacking as a team, then we will also believe in the idea of defending as a team," Sommer said with a laugh. "If we work together and everyone covers for each other, things will be fine for us."
There is no doubt that things are headed in the right direction for Sommer. As the youngest member of the national team, Tchou knows Sommer will only get better with time.
"Courtney is such a fierce competitor," the coach said. "I think she wants to be at the level [of the national team] right now. She has got a great future ahead of her. All she needs is just some more experience."
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