HAWK TALK

September 2019

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20 D eb Brickey was a freshman in high school when some of her friends took up field hockey. "I was like, why not?" Brickey said. A multi-sport athlete at Parkway North High School in Creve Coeur, Missouri, she had found her calling. "Once I stepped on the field and saw how fast- paced and exciting the game was, I think I was sold aer that," Brickey recalled. "It was a fun, competitive game, a cross between ice hockey and soccer. It was perfect for me." Brickey was also a perfect fit at the University of Iowa, where she was a three-time All-Big Ten selection and two-time All-American before graduating in 1985. A two-time team captain, Brickey played on teams that won three Big Ten titles and was an NCAA runner-up in 1984. She was one of seven inductees into the 31st National Iowa Varsity Club Hall of Fame class Aug. 30. "It's humbling," Brickey said. "Especially with all my teammates, all the great people who have played at Iowa, all the great people that have gone on to bigger and greater things aer their field hockey careers. I feel honored and have a huge responsibility to all those players because there are so many that deserve this honor. "e pressure is on me to keep performing and upholding that great tradition that Iowa field hockey is about." Field hockey has become Brickey's lifelong passion. Aer getting her bachelor of science degree in 1985, she would go on to earn a spot on the United States National Field Hockey team (1988-90). She was also an alternate on the 1988 U.S. Olympic Team. A member of the Big Ten All-Decade team in the 1980s, she coached at the Division I level for more than a decade before leaving to pursue a business career. at dream has taken her back to field hockey. She now lives in Madison, Connecticut, and is owner and director of the HTC (Hear the Cheers) Field Hockey Club. "We started with 20 kids and now we're up over 500," Brickey said. HTC emphasizes having fun with the game. "We're going to try to win all these tournaments, and get kids to play in college and move on to the next level," Brickey said. "But the bottom line is everyone is going to enjoy themselves, with no pressure." Brickey and Marcia Pankratz, another former Iowa field hockey standout, also run 4Goals LLC. ey conduct tournaments and clinics across the country. Brickey's career was shaped by two coaches along the way. e first was Cathy urwacther, her coach at Parkway North. "I remember from those days just how passionate she was for the team, and for us, and how she made it fun," Brickey said. "She took a group of public school kids and we played a couple years DEB BRICKEY

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