By DAVE THOMAS | La Mesa Courier

It does not take long for a sports season to fly by. This is especially true on the scholastic level.

That said, it is important to take advantage of the time given and the opportunities presented.

One young woman taking advantage of her time at Helix High is senior field hockey member Paige Scarbrough.

As Helix High field hockey head coach Rhona St. Clair-Moore noted, “Paige has been the backbone of our team for the past three years. Brought up from JV as a freshman, she honed her skills quickly and is continually learning and passing on her knowledge. She has an amazing understanding of the field and is a good teacher for the younger girls. Off of the field, she is a shining example of an honor student with many outside interests and she beautifully balances them all.”

With Scarbrough (center defense/sweeper) competing in her final season of scholastic field hockey, St. Clair-Moore has wanted to make sure her senior takes advantage of everything in front of her at this moment.

“As one of the team captains and an excellent example of behavior on and off of the field, I have no doubt that she will instill in the younger players the importance of being part of a team as well as making that extra effort to get the job done,” St. Clair-Moore continued. “Asking questions when you don’t know something and always doing your best. Those qualities are Paige in a nutshell and she is already accomplishing that goal.”

La Mesa Courier recently caught up with Scarbrough for an email interview.

How did you get started playing the sport and at what age?

In eighth grade when I found out I was going to Helix, my mom started talking to other parents at the school and we found out about field hockey. I went to a few summer practices and fell in love with the sport right away.

What do you enjoy most about being part of this team?

By far my favorite part of Helix field hockey is the feeling of family. On this team, I can tell my coach or any teammate what happened that day at school or how I’m feeling and they are there for me even if it has nothing to do with field hockey.

Coming into the season, what goal or goals have you been looking to accomplish?

My goal for this senior year of field hockey is to help strengthen our younger girls who are on defense with me. The past few years I have been a strong part of the defensive line and I want to make sure they learn as much as possible so Helix field hockey can continue to grow and thrive once I graduate.

Are you involved in any other sports, clubs etc. at school? Any plans for college and maybe even playing the sport at that level too?

As well as four years of field hockey, I played two years of water polo and four years of varsity lacrosse. I plan on going to an out-of-state college to study exercise science and play lacrosse. If field hockey is still an option for me at the school I choose then I would love to continue playing.

For any girls thinking of coming out for the team next season, what advice would you give to them?

The advice I would give for aspiring field hockey players is to never stop trying. When I started my freshman year and even most of my sophomore year, learning the skills and techniques were so hard for me. I would watch other girls who started after me pick up skills quicker, but if you keep trying and ask questions, really get engaged at practice, then the skills and enjoyment will soon follow. Field hockey is an amazing sport that I never thought I would love so much. If you think you want to play, go ahead and try and make sure to continue trying for a while; field hockey is a challenge sport.

— Dave Thomas is a freelance sports writer. If you are a fall or winter sports varsity head coach at Helix High and have an athlete you think would make a good feature story, email [email protected].