Fire Victims to Benefit From Field Hockey Rivals

Character, giving back, charity and family. Those are things not normally associated with high school sports rivals. But they are if you’re talking about field hockey.

Members of the Wayne Hills field hockey team will attend a special pancake breakfast on Sunday to help the Schweighardt family. 

The Schweighardt’s home was severely damaged by a fire Christmas night. Christie Schweighardt plays on the Wayne Valley field hockey team. Schweighardt's teammates are helping run the event.

“I think it is a great time to come together and show support,” said senior Elizabeth Yorey, a senior and one of the captains of the Wayne Valley team this past season. “Myself and the two other captains worked very hard this year to be a family and I think it’s very important to extend that feeling of family to the Hills team,”

Yorey said that first-year coach Tina Londino has worked hard to instill a sense of family among the players.

“I think that most towns who have two schools of course want to win but when these girls get off the field they are such good friends,” Londino said.

While the teams may be cross-town rivals on the field, off Londino said, it is more of a friendly rivalry. Most of the girls have played together since they were young children and throughout middle school.

“I try to instill in them a sense of family both on and off the field,” Londino said. “They are a great group of girls and I couldn’t be more blessed to have them. What they’re doing shows a lot about their character.”

Being someone of good character is one of the principles and lessons Londino wants her players to take away from their playing days.

“Your character and who you are, you never know who may open a door for you and you know who may open a door for you someday,” Londino said. “I’m lucky enough to have girls who are realizing that and jumping on the bandwagon of helping others.”

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