Hello and welcome to BEHIND THE SHIELD, an article series where I, your host, Denzel Valera, will be sitting down with some of your favorite Worcester State Athletes to get to know a bit more about what is inside the mind of these athletes and what inspires and motivates them everyday. 

On this week's episode I sat down with the MASCAC All-Academic Team, Class of 2026,  Midfielder and forward, from Attleboro, Mass.,  #22 Kaelin Coleman.  

To ease into the interview, I started off with some simple push pass questions for Kaelin, as we eased into the interview:

DV: How did you find your love for field hockey?

Coleman: Going into my freshman year of high school two of my best friends at the time played field hockey and I figured I'd try it out. I ended up being good at the sport so I decided to join a club team. Club had shown me so many new opportunities with the sport that made me enjoy and love the sport, and I decided to pursue a dream to play in college. 

DV: What do you feel is better for your sport, weightlifting in the gym or calisthenics?

Coleman: I feel like both are great to help build strength for field hockey but calisthenics helps build endurance which is an important thing to have when playing field hockey 

DV: Why did you choose Worcester State University?

Coleman: I chose Worcester State because it has the major that I want to pursue and allows me to play the sport that I love with less stress than a D1 or D2 school. I also love the team chemistry and energy. Everyone on the team wants what's best for each other and always supports each other in everything we do. 

As we worked our way through some standard questions, it was time to delve a bit deeper into who is Kaelin Coleman….

DV: Would you rather have speed or strength? 

Coleman: For field hockey I would rather have speed over strength. Again, both are very important for the sport, but as a midfielder you need to have the speed to get from one end line to the other.

DV: Do you feel as if it's important to have a good connection with your teammates and have team building exercises or do you feel as if you're a good player you should just be able to conform to the standards the team requires and exceed them? 

Coleman: I have always found it important to have a good connection with your teammates and have team building exercises. Without having a good connection and great energy between a team you will not succeed. 

Getting to learn a bit more about Kaelin Coleman has been fun, but there are some real personal questions we have to drive into now...

DV: What's your favorite movie and scene in the movie?  

Coleman: The Karate Kid. My favorite scene in the movie is when he ends up winning in the end. 

DV: Who's your favorite field hockey player, and how did they inspire you? 

Coleman: Erin Matson. She always had drive and passion for this sport and it always paid off. 

DV: What/Who are your top 5 musical artists? 

Coleman:

Top 5 Musical Artists:

1.   Morgan Wallen 

2.   Drake

3.   SZA

4.   Youngboy Never Broke Again

5.   A Boogie wit da Hoodie

Then we moved into a speed round, five seconds to see what comes out…… (Shouldn't be too hard, she is a master at shootouts, so why not this too!)

DV: What's your favorite food? 

Coleman:  My favorite food is popcorn.

DV: Instead of making it pro what is your dream job? 

Coleman:  My dream job is to become a hand specialized occupational therapist or working in a sports rehabilitation center

DV: Where do you want to travel to?

Coleman: I would like to go to Ireland and Bora Bora

DV: What (Field, Stadium, Arena) would you like to play in, in your future? 

Coleman: On the NCAA tournament turf when my team wins the MASCAC Championship

DV: Who was your biggest role model growing up? 

Coleman: My mom. She always supports me in anything that I do, or the goals I have for the future. 

DV: Who do you model your play style after? 

Coleman: Honestly, a bunch of my older teammates have helped me become more confident in my playing style and abilities.

DV: What is your personal goal this upcoming season? 

Coleman: My personal goal for this season is to at least get a goal this season or more than one goal. (First goal already in the books, knocked in a beauty on September 26 versus Fitchburg State….onto to goal #2!)

DV: What is your team goal this upcoming season/regular season? 

Coleman: My team goal for this season is to win the MASCAC championships and I have no doubt that we can do it. 

For the final question of the interview, 

 Do you have any final remarks or comments? 

Coleman: I'm excited for this season and I cannot wait to see where the rest of this season takes this team and how well we do. 

Which is always exciting to hear as we all love having Kaelin Coleman as a part of the Worcester State Field Hockey team. Thanks for joining us in this issue of BEHIND THE SHIELD and I will see you next time we lower the SHIELD!

~Denzel Valera~