GILROY—Anyone who has seen Katrina Carter play field hockey had no doubts she’d continue her career in college. But if you would’ve asked Carter if she thought she’d get to this level eight years ago, she probably would’ve laughed at the thought.
Even when sitting in a room full of her Gilroy High teammates, coaches and family members signing her letter of intent on Nov. 12 to play at University of California Berkeley next season, Carter still said it felt unreal.
“I committed here, but signing it is just crazy,” she said with a smile beaming from her face. “My hand was shaking. I’m honestly so excited, but it’s weird thinking that I still have a semester of high school left before I go. I don’t know—I’m just really excited.”
Carter, the stud of the Mustangs squad, had offers pouring in from all over the country and said she originally thought she’d end up on the East Coast because of the caliber of programs and players that emerge from it. But after visiting Cal’s campus and learning more about the team, she realized the perfect fit was just 80 miles north of Gilroy.
“After researching different programs, I kind of realized I’m California grown and I want to be that player that comes out of California, but can stay up with the East Coast girls—that’s my motivation,” Carter said. “Though there were so many programs—like Top 10 for field hockey—it was really appealing, but when I visited certain schools like Virginia and Massachusetts, I just wasn’t sure. I love the weather in California, it’s close to my family and I can get just as good coaching as I could on the East Coast. That’s kind of why I decided.”
From the very first visit, Katrina said Cal felt like home. Not only did she fall in love with the coaches and her future teammates, but it also offers her major of Molecular Biology and will help guide her into her dream career of being a Marine Biologist.
A new, welcoming team and a school that would help her achieve her dreams, Katrina said, was the ultimate “package deal.”
“I got to talk to girls individually and stay with them and they talked about how they loved the coaching staff and how fun it was to play, but how intense it was at the same time,” she said. “It really appealed to me because everyone was so close. The camaraderie level with the team was close and I just felt so excited after that. I was like ‘OK, I’m going here’.”
Her decision to stay close to home delighted her mother, Amy Carter, and the rest of her family. A member of the USA Field Hockey Futures team, Katrina has travelled all over the country and played with the best and brightest up-and-coming athletes. And her mother Amy was right there with her every step of the way.
“It does take a lot of dedication to get to where you want to go. She set up goals for herself and really worked hard to achieve them,” Amy said. “We’ve had a really great time together visiting different states and I made sure we don’t spend all the time on the pitch. We’ve actually visited historical things and done stuff. We’ve got a really great relationship going and we’ve had a lot of fun travelling.”
Katrina started playing field hockey eight years ago when the Mustangs’ coach—and coach of the Infinity club team—Adam Gemar saw her running around during one of her older sister’s practices. At the time, Infinity only had a U19 team and even though she was only 9, Gemar saw her potential and persuaded Amy have Katrina join the team. Katrina traded her baseball bat—she was playing with the Morgan Hill PONY program—for a field hockey stick and never looked back.
“That honestly helped me a lot because with that type of skill, I was able to progress faster than U12 girls do now because they’re with girls of their level,” Katrina said. “I think that’s what really helped me because I had Adam helping me and pushing me individually and then I had the older girls who really knew how to play helping me and telling me what I was doing wrong and what I was doing right.”
Now Katrina is not only preparing for Cal, but is helping the Mustangs through the Central Coast Section playoffs, has played in the Junior Olympics and is currently vying for a spot on the U19 women’s national team. When she looks to the future, Katrina said she only has one man to thank for all her success: Adam Gemar.
“The thing I’m going to miss most about Gilroy is definitely Adam,” she said. “Adam has been my coach for the past eight years and it’s going to be so weird not seeing him everyday, talking to him and laughing at all his weird humor. He’s really pushed me to exceed my expectations in field hockey. … He saw the potential in me before I even started playing. I honestly would not be here without him.”
