Scattered all around her is the chaos of the game. Whistles blowing, movement, and coaches everywhere to be seen. She moves swiftly and with agility, making sure her jobs are completed to the best of her ability.

A starter on the turf, a newbie on the ice, and a manager on the court.

Junior Emma Dodson is currently an ice hockey goalie at GRAHA, a field hockey left forward for Forest Hills, and a manager of varsity Rangerball at FHC. With every team Emma is involved with, she has a separate role.

“[Being a member of so many teams is] very different– it keeps it interesting,” Emma said. “It’s kind of nice not doing the same thing all the time because I feel like I would get bored of that.”

Emma has been a member of field hockey for a number of years now. She possesses a natural talent for the sport and is also an incredibly accomplished player. She is a state champion after winning alongside the rest of her team at states this year.

“It was well needed and earned,” Emma said. “The past two years we made it to state-semis and lost in overtime, so going and winning was just amazing.”

On top of the win at states, Emma is fortunate to have the opportunity to play in college if she chooses to do so. Although she is unsure what the future for field hockey holds for her, she is currently enjoying things one day at a time and will let the decisions come to her when the time is right.

Although field hockey has been a passion of Emma’s for years, last year she volunteered to become the Rangerball team manager. Emma is considered a member of the team and takes on many difficult challenges day to day. She describes her role as doing “anything Mr. George doesn’t want to do.” She has made many sacrifices for the team, and some have even been seen as humorous.

“During camp last summer, there was a leak in the ceiling, and Mr. George asked me to lay under it before they fixed it,” Emma said.

Emma has helped organize Rangerball and is a vital part of the team. Although she does not play basketball, her role is very important.

“Even if you’re not on the team and you just help out, you still feel like you’re a part of the team,” Emma said.

Emma has had some scheduling conflicts this upcoming season due to her involvement with ice hockey, but her and coach Ken George have been able to adjust to the new situation. No matter how busy she is, she plans on making her management job a priority.

In her most recent commitment, Emma has become involved in playing ice hockey on the U19 team at GRAHA. Her school tutor was a coach at GRAHA and approached her to play.

“I’ve grown up in ice rinks, and I know the game,” Emma said. “[My tutor] looked at me one day and said, “You should so try this,a�� and I was like, “Yeah okay I’ll try it!a�� And here we are.”

Picking up a new sport has been difficult for her. Many girls have trained for years, while she is just getting started with the sport. On top of that, the translation from a forward for the field hockey team to a goalie for ice hockey has proven burdensome. However, Emma has been taking on the challenges with the best positive attitude she can.

“It’s very different from going from one of the better players on the field hockey team to being the brand new person that has no idea what she’s doing,” Emma said. “I’ve improved a lot, but I wouldn’t say I’m great at it, so it’s a different mindset going from being really good at something to struggling with something and learning it.”

Without all the commitments she has, Emma would not be the person she is today. From each sport, she’s gained individual lessons. From field hockey, she has learned about staying humble. From ice hockey, she’s learned about remaining collected and confident. From managing, she’s learned how everyone’s role on a team is important no matter what. Emma has applied some of the many lessons she’s learned from athletics in her day to day life. On top of that, Emma has learned an overall mantra to apply to many different situations in her life.

“No matter what you do, you’re always going to feel a part of a team,” Emma said. “You’re always going to have that family aspect in what you’re doing.”