Jodie Crutchley keeps the ball inbounds during a 4-2 loss to Allentown on Oct. 11, 2013. (Staff photo by Samantha Sciarrotta.)
Jodie Crutchley is always on the go.
Ewing High School field hockey head coach Leslie Conant says the senior captain is constantly moving, whether she’s baking cupcakes for her team or running an errand for her mom.
The same, Conant said, applies to Crutchley’s approach the field hockey pitch. She rarely takes breaks during practices, and, come game time, she’s all over the field.
“She’s bubbly, energetic, always on to go. You never hear her say, ‘Oh yeah, I just went home and watched TV,’” Conant said. “She comes to practice every day, and you can legitimately see she loves it. She never takes a break. She’s always shooting. She’s always working on her stick skills. She never ever rests, and as a coach, that’s the type of player you dream about, a girl that just keeps going.”
Crutchley said it’s been that way since she first stepped on the field as a sixth grader at Fisher Middle School. She was chiefly a softball player but picked up an extra sport because she had heard good things about the coach.
It was love at first hit.
“You have to have your own strengths. Being on a field hockey team, you can’t be one person. Everybody has to work together,” she said. “I love how much contact there is. In softball, nobody ever comes in contact. You’re just on your own side. In this game, you’re always in it. It’s a lot of stress relief. It’s really my sport. I love this sport.”
Conant said the other Blue Devils have caught on to Crutchley’s outlook.
“Her love of the game is definitely infectious,” she said. It’s not just her now, it’s the entire team. You see a lot of the other girls not going to the water right away. You see them kind of impersonating that along the way.”
Crutchley, a forward with 14 goals on the season, had a little growing up to do before she got to this point. Conant said she’s transformed herself over the last four years.
“She came in as a freshman, and she kind of had a little bit of an ego, like ‘I’m Jodie Crutchley,’” Conant said with a laugh. “A little bit immature, but she was 14 years old. To see her grow unto the woman and the player that she is now has just been incredible, especially from last year to this year. Her maturity, her understanding of the game and her teammates, is really incredible.”
Conant thinks Crutchley learned a lot about leadership by watching last year’s seniors. Crutchley agreed.
“I try to keep everybody’s heads up,” she said. “If there’s no hope for winning or there’s to want to win, then you won’t end up doing it. If everybody’s heads stay up and everybody’s happy and everybody’s having fun, they’ll most likely stick with it and be happier in the game. At practice, we have so much fun together. Even before a game, warming up, we all can laugh together. Everybody enjoys the game just as much as I do.”
Crutchley said she’s looking at her final season a little differently than her previous three.
“It’s my year,” she said. “If anything, I have to play harder and increase my game just so I can say I definitely gave my all the last year.”
Conant already feels Crutchley’s loss.
“She keeps you on your toes,” Conant said. “She’s just a joy. She really is. I’ve loved every minute of it. I can’t believe she’s seriously a senior. She’s definitely going. We’re going to miss her huge next year. She’s definitely been a great asset, a great leader. Everything that you hope and dream for one of your players to become, Jodie has.”
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