TOWAMENCIN – North Penn High School senior and Girl’s Varsity Field Hockey captain Kylie Barwis didn’t just lead her team to a 2-1 win against Plymouth Whitemarsh on September 18, but won herself the title of Player of the Game with skilled offense and defense along the way.
“This was our first game that was super competitive. We came into the game not knowing if we were going to win, and we lost to them last year and had a stronger team last year so we came in thinking we were going to lose. We all just tried to have new mindsets, reset, and come into it like it’s a new game and last year doesn’t matter, and we came out with the win,” Barwis said.
Coming into this year’s season, the field hockey team had to focus on resetting and rebuilding with the loss of many key players since last year. On top of that, the team found themselves facing losses that they had to power through. It was up to Barwis and her co-captain, Tallie Smink, to bring a comeback.
“We lost a lot of our key players, starters, and we had a bunch of younger players coming in. We really wanted to bring the team up, rebuild it, and come out strong again. We had a rough start to our season. We had like, four losses, and some of them are games that we could have won. Coming out of that, our team was in a slump, and this week we all just came out and brought the energy because we really wanted to win after not doing good,” Barwis explained.
The hard work paid off in a successful win against Plymouth Whitemarsh, with Barwis shining through and bringing not just her leadership and energy, but her speed and skill to the field.
“I play more of an offensive position, but one of my strengths on the field is speed, and there were a bunch of girls on the other team that were really fast so one of my strengths was getting back when other players got caught in front of the ball or couldn’t get back in time,” Barwis explained.
“We were up 1-0 in the first half, and then they scored right before the half was over. They kicked the ball into the goal, so it was really frustrating because we were 1-1 and annoyed that we were about to tie this game just because of a kick. But, me and Tallie just brought the whole team back together and were like, ‘We just gotta keep going.’ When it’s 1-1, me and Tallie like to say it’s a new game. Come out in the second half like none of the first half matters, because it’s technically 0-0. We just came out, and when we scored that second goal, it just boosted our confidence and we went out in the fourth quarter super ready to go and super energetic.”
The 2-1 win was made possible with the mindset that Barwis shares with her other teammates, making sure to heighten the energy for games within school and warmups. As a captain, Barwis brings to her team the spirit they need for a win.
“It all starts in school. Whenever I see my teammates in school, I’m always like ‘It’s gameday, let’s go!’ and hyping them up. During warmups, If people are down, I just have to bring them up. We’ll dance, sing, and play music during our warmups and just get everyone hype. Before the game, I’ll give words of encouragement like, ‘just reset, the whole day doesn’t matter, just focus on this, right now, just escape everything and we’re here.’”
“It means more coming from a teammate than it does from a coach when you’re like ‘let’s get hype,’ because it’s your friends, and you want to have fun with your friends. The game is fun when you make it fun. The coaches will tell us, ‘the energy’s down, let’s go bring it up,’ and then me and Tallie will convey that to the team, and I know they appreciate it a lot,” Barwis said.
In her time spent uplifting the team and playing closely together, Barwis has built friendships and a family within the sport. Playing since she was six years old, Barwis credits her sisters as part of the reason she found herself on the field. It’s the friends she made along the way that helped keep her on it.
“Coming in my freshman year, I was so nervous, but my older sister was on the team and it was so nice and really relieved my nerves. Then I made varsity my freshman year, and it was this big moment for me. That’s what makes me work so hard now. I need to win it to deserve it; it can’t just come naturally, I want to work for it,” Barwis said.
“My sisters have been a huge role in it. It’s always been something that we do together, and last year, all three of us were on the team together. I’ve also made some of my best friends in field hockey playing since I was little. The team is like best friends, and that really brought me closer to the sport.”
In her time on the field, Barwis has found an escape from the outside world, going into games with a strong positive attitude surrounded by the people she’s closest with.
“When I’m on the field, I don’t think about anything else going on. Every single day when I go to practice, it’s like a different life. It’s like, I’m here and I don’t have to worry about anything else at that moment. Especially in games, because it’s just second nature to me. I’m there, I play, and I’m with my best friends,” Barwis said.
Though she’s built a family on the field, Barwis spends most of her time off of the field surrounded by her family.
“After games, I debrief with my parents and my sister. We spend like twenty minutes after every game sitting down at the kitchen counter and debrief the whole game talking about good moments about the game and bad moments, balancing it out so it’s not just one-sided. I’m very family oriented. I like to hangout with my friends on the weekends, but most of my time I spend with my family. I really like to just get out there and not spend time alone; I’m the opposite of a homebody,” Barwis said.
When she isn’t with her family or playing field hockey, Barwis also finds time to stay active and reset her mind through running.
“Running and walking, when I’m not in field hockey, is my to be by myself and at peace,” Barwis said.
North Penn Girl’s Varsity Field Hockey will next play Central Bucks West on Thursday, September 25 at 3:30PM at home. Senior Night will be coming up on October 8th against Souderton.
