Oliviagon Calves, a student at Garden City Middle School, discovered her passion for field hockey during her third year of school. It quickly became clear to her that she had a knack for the sport.
“I really wanted to play at an elite level,” the now eighth-grader, age 13, shared.
However, in suburban Long Island—a region known for producing top talents in soccer and lacrosse—Goncalves found the lack of development opportunities for field hockey surprising.
“When I first started playing, there weren’t many club options around here,” she explained.
A few years ago, she decided to join the challenging AGH club in Greenwich, Connecticut, seeking a team that pushed her as a midfielder while still playing locally.
High fire
Now a proud member of the Garden City Middle School team, Goncalves juggles her training schedule, making the commute multiple nights a week.
Despite a tight schedule, she embraces the extra practice as beneficial for her game.
“At first, I wasn’t used to long car rides… the initial two weeks were tough,” Goncalves admitted, noting the AGH program’s intensity was challenging in the beginning.
But she got comfortable, appreciating how everyone around her helped her improve. “I love it so much now. I’m getting much better,” she remarked.
With dreams of reaching the college level—potentially in ACC programs like Duke or Wake Forest—she’s impressively balanced her athletic pursuits with her schoolwork.
“I’ve always tried to do my homework in the car whenever I could,” she said of the nearly 60-mile round trip.
I have one goal in mind
Her parents may not like looking at the e-zpass bills that come from their commitment to her dreams, but Goncalves appreciates the sacrifices they make.
With a strong desire to grow the sport locally, she hopes to inspire the next generation.
“I want to encourage girls to start playing games at a younger age,” she emphasized.
Last May, she took on a Girl Scout Silver Star project aimed at boosting field hockey’s visibility on the island.
Through a series of clinics featuring the sport, she had the chance to share her skills with elementary school students.
Her teammates were thrilled to support her initiatives, volunteering to coach at the camp and lifting her spirits.
“I also created training videos for my local elementary school and donated sticks to the community,” she noted.
“This way, they can enhance their skills as they grow up.”
Goncalves acknowledged that finding resources for games on Long Island can be tough from her own experiences.
In response, she developed a website that lists clubs on the island as well as local university youth camps.
Now, as the season approaches, she’s already busy organizing spring clinics for her Gold Star Awards project.
“I want to attract more girls to the sport. It makes me so happy to see someone who came to my first clinic get involved,” she shared.
“I’m thrilled to hear they bought sticks, are working to improve, or are starting to play more seriously.”
