Fielding Questions with Kara Lentz
9/29/2006 12:00:00 AM | Field Hockey
Senior tri-captain Kara Lentz knows the feeling of standing under the lights and being introduced as a member of one of the final four teams in the country still fortunate enough to be playing field hockey come late November. It has been three seasons since the Wolverines reached the final stage of the NCAA Tournament, and Lentz, along with her classmates, is determined to conclude her collegiate career just as it began and return to the lights of national prominence. A leader by example on the field and a constant source of amusement off the field, Lentz has proven herself an invaluable member of the U-M lineup. A four-year mainstay in the U-M backfield, Lentz took over striking responsibilities on the penalty corner last season and more than doubled her career statistics in every scoring category. In the midst of a big weekend in State College, Pa., Kara stopped to discuss her origins in field hockey, the uniqueness of the penalty corner and the homefield advantage provided by Phyllis Ocker Field.
On the best thing about playing for Michigan
"Being able to represent the university and competing against other Big Ten schools with the knowledge that you carry something a lot bigger than yourself. That has probably been the biggest reward. Being a part of a program that reaches back 20 years and carrying on the traditions that alumni have set in the past. It is a great honor to carry that 'M' and represent the university as a whole. You can look at that as pressure, or you can look at it as a great opportunity. It can be stressful as times, but that's part of playing with a Division I athletic program. It's a thrill; it's a great time, and it's always exciting."
On continuing her field hockey career in college
"I started playing field hockey in seventh grade. I was a really competitive soccer player; it was my life. When I went away to high school, I couldn't play with my club anymore, so I was playing field hockey as my only fall sport. Then I got involved in Futures, and I guess I exceled in field hockey. I saw my chance of going to a Division I school a lot more promising in field hockey than other sports. I liked it. I got better every year, and I really liked the promise it had for me in the future as a career collegiately. It opened a lot of doors for me. I really just loved playing the game. It always was exciting."
On the penalty corner
"The penalty corner is a great scoring opportunity. Our biggest goal on a penalty corner is execution. So, if we have a set play to hit it to the far post, that is your main focus when you're at the top of the circle striking. You just try to execute the play as best you can. If you mess up, try to make the best of it. Try to get a shot off. I don't really see the people running at me. I block them out and look for our players. Defensive corners are terrifying. That's why you want to limit them as much as possible. You just need to have really good composure and be calm and settled. Everyone has a specific role on a defensive corner with only the four players and goalie back there. If you just fulfill your role and stay calm, than it's okay."
On reaching the NCAA Final Four during her freshman season
"It was one thing to make the tournament and be one of the only 16 teams to be playing field hockey at that time, but it make it down to four was just absolutely thrilling. All of your hard work as team was paying off, and it was just a great experience. It's always a goal of ours to make it to the Final Four and win the NCAA Championship. It's always a goal every year to be the Big Ten Conference winner and tournament winners. It's always a goal we set for ourselves at the beginning of preseason."
On Michigan in tournament competition
"It's more important how you end a season than how you start out. We've had a great track record with evolving as a team into a very successful program as the season progresses. It is important that we bring our best game come tournament time, and we are a team that does that."
On her greatest field hockey strength
"I am successful with two-touch passing. I have the ability to put the ball on somebody's stick at a quick pace. So, I think passing would be my greatest strength and doing it quickly. I don't like to hold onto the ball for very long, because the longer I hold onto it the greater chance that it's going to get taken away. I like to give it and get it. Ball movement is really important in the backfield."
On playing at Phyllis Ocker Field
"I like the personality of the field and the intimacy of it. The bleachers are really close to the field, and people will stand along the fieldhouse. I like that intimacy that you have with people watching on the sideline. I have some bumps in the field; it was struck by lightning. So, I think Ocker Field has a lot of character, and we do have a big homefield advantage. We have been looking forward to hosting the Big Ten Tournament all year, and the seniors and I have been waiting for the Big Ten Tournament to come since we've been here. It should be a great advantage, and we're hoping to draw a lot of fans."
On the Michigan field hockey family
"One of the greatest things about having the parents around is that the kids whose parents don't travel as much, like the foreign kids on the team and the kids from California, have these adopted parents. I think we have such a great support system from them, not only for their own child but for everyone else. They where the pins and where the other kids' pins who don't have their parents present. It is really like a Michigan family."
On her future plans
"Ideally, I'd like to go to Chicago and work on a creative team with an advertising firm. I'm also interested in broadcast, tv and radio production and PR. I'd like to get into magazine ads or tv commercials, like script writing or creating story lines. Chicago would be ideal, because I'd like to stay in the midwest a little longer. There are a lot of advertising firms in Chicago; it's sort of a hotbed for it. It's a great city, a young city. There's a lot of stuff to do, and I haven't really experienced it before."
Contact: Leah Howard (734) 763-4423
