HB field hockey star Sydney Kirby takes a swing at golf, leads her team to state.
That Hathaway Brown's field hockey standout Sydney Kirby is an exceptional athlete is already a matter of record. But her ability to excel on the golf course with little advance preparation is leading the Blazers to the state girls golf tournament on Friday.CLEVELAND, Ohio -- A friend called Sydney Kirby this summer and asked if she wanted to go golfing. Sure, she said, it's been a while. Playing field hockey on an international level and working her way to a 3.9 GPA at Hathaway Brown School had sucked away most of her free time.
Kirby borrowed her brother's clubs -- it had been so long since she golfed, she had outgrown her own -- and shot a 79.
Hmm, she thought. This all feels so familiar, so perfect.
Golfers all know that feeling. One good round and you think you've solved the ridiculously unsolvable game.
So inspired, Kirby arranged with Hathaway to try out for the golf team while playing for the Blazers' highly regarded field hockey squad. Two months later, she's leading HB to the state golf tournament Friday in Columbus. She shot Hathaway Brown's low round, another 79, at last week's district tournament, which HB won.
Kirby is one of the area's most gifted, if lesser known, athletes. Those close to her say she thrives in stressful and challenging situations, which might explain why she has taken on so much.
"At a school that is as academically tough as any in the nation, to be able to not only play two sports, but be very successful in two sports, she has done an exceptional job," said Paul Barlow, HB's golf coach and assistant athletic director.
Kirby led Hathaway Brown to a state field hockey championship in 2008 and is a two-time Plain Dealer Player of the Year. She made USA Field Hockey's U16 team as a 14-year-old and the U19 team as a 17-year-old. She's played extensively in Europe and South America, where field hockey is a much bigger deal. Now a Hathaway Brown senior, she'll play field hockey at Princeton next fall.
Only 11 Northeast Ohio schools play field hockey, so the level of competition obviously is much lower than what Kirby sees the rest of the year, and she's had to adjust. She's the school's all-time leader in goals and assists, but she received a red card early in the season, causing her to sit out two games, after questioning a referee, which is more permissible in international play.
"It's a lot different," said Kirby, a midfielder with the rare ability to play as fast with the ball as without. "[Team USA] games are all on [artificial] turf. I don't even consider it the same game when you play it on grass, especially the grass we play on in high school. The pace of play is slower to begin with and I can't do the moves I'm used to doing, and the refs aren't used to some of the techniques. I get called a lot, which can be frustrating."
Golf has become her outlet, and her play this fall is not a huge surprise. She had a successful youth career in the works in Richmond, Va., until her family moved here three years ago and she decided to concentrate on field hockey.
Dropping the clubs will be more difficult this time.
"Now it's a problem," Kirby said, laughing. "I want to golf more. I'm excited. I want our team to win."