Throughout the 2017 field hockey season, UVM Athletics will be catching up with each Catamount rookie for a question-and-answer session. On Wednesday, we sat down with goalkeeper Shannon English.

Shannon English

Hometown: Lower Hutt, New Zealand
Major: Undecided

Personal

Do you have a nickname?
Some of my friends here and back home call me Shan.
 
Who is your biggest fan and why?
My family has to be the biggest supporters I have. My parents were always supportive of any sport I wanted to try and let me play every sport I could fit in during primary and high school. They funded all my sports and especially the hockey trips I took overseas to China and Argentina. There is no way I would be here in Vermont if it wasn't for them and I am forever grateful to have their love and support.
 
What are some things you enjoy doing in your spare time?
Due to hockey and school over the last three years I haven't had a lot of spare time, but when I do get some I love just relaxing and listening to music or going for a drive and spending time with friends.
 
Could you describe your experiences with the Junior Black Sticks squad in New Zealand?
Training with the Junior Black Sticks Squad was an amazing experience. It was an honor to be chosen in the first place and I really enjoyed being surrounded by national coaches to hear what they are looking for in a goalkeeper and to train with the best under-19 players in the country. It was a great opportunity to really push myself to perform at a higher level of hockey.

Life as a Catamount

What is the best part of being a Catamount?
The best part of being a Catamount would be the community. Our team is really a family where we are all trying to achieve the same goal of giving 100 percent on the field as well as in the classroom.
 
What would be one word you'd use to describe your team?
It would have to be welcoming. As I said before the team is a real family and they immediately welcomed myself and the other freshman into the team. Everyone is on the same level and treated the same, no matter how long you have been here or what year you are.
 
What has been your funniest moment at UVM?
When we climbed Mount Mansfield as a team, after reaching the top we started heading back down. We split into two groups, the first group managed to go down the right side of the mountain but the second group that I was in accidentally took a wrong turn and headed down the opposite side. We had been walking for a good 10-15 minutes before we realized that and then had to climb back up and down the right side. By the time we did this we were running very late and had to climb down as fast as we could otherwise we would have missed the gondola to take us back to the bottom of the mountain. Obviously it wasn't very funny at the time, but it's funny to look back on.


 

Life in Vermont

Why UVM?
I chose UVM for many reasons. One of the main ones was the team atmosphere that I experienced while I was on my official visit, even in those two days that I was on campus I already felt welcomed into the team. Another reason was the environment here in Vermont–it is very similar to New Zealand and a really a beautiful state with the Green Mountains and Lake Champlain framing Burlington.
 
How did you react this summer when you reached the summit of Mount Mansfield with your team?
As when you reach the top of any mountain, there is a real sense of achievement and to experience this as a team was a great bonding experience and an awesome way to kickoff preseason.
 
What's the best part of Vermont that isn't in New Zealand?
UVM offers such an experience to athletes to have this opportunity to play the sport you love while studying to get a degree. There is just nothing like this in New Zealand. When you go to university you go purely to study, there is no athletics attached. If I wanted to carry on playing hockey and go to university [in New Zealand] I would have to separately go and play for a club.
 
What's the best part of New Zealand that isn't in Vermont?
Because New Zealand is an island, you are never more than a few kilometers from the ocean. It's something that I hadn't put a huge amount of thought into before I moved here, but I'm definitely not used to being so landlocked. Another one of the best parts of New Zealand is the Kiwi culture, which is something unique to New Zealand that you can't find anywhere else in the world.

Previous Chat With the Cats Features
September 13 – Sophia Cheever
September 6 – Claudia Cotter