Video Story By: Hannah Lindon
Written story By: Breanna McWhorter
Have you heard the song “All by Myself” by Eric Carmen? Well, that is Kara Guess’s personal anthem. Kara Guess, a Bellarmine Field Hockey senior and captain, is the only player left in her class.
With Covid-19 becoming a serious health concern, Bellarmine student-athletes were allowed to opt-out of their sport season for the spring 2021 semester. Guess’s class originally had five seniors at the beginning of the fall 2020 season. Now, she’s the only one.
“The most challenging thing about being the only senior is probably feeling the pressure of being the oldest,” Guess said. “I want to make sure I’m providing the leadership that the underclassmen deserve from a senior class, but since the senior class is now down to one, sometimes I feel the weight of that responsibility.”
Field hockey is typically a fall semester sport, but this year it has been a fall and spring semester sport for Guess. Normally, field hockey seniors only participate in the fall semester which consists of games and practices. After the fall semester is completed, field hockey seniors don’t participate in the spring semester.
As a field hockey freshman, you look forward to your last season as a senior. Field hockey seniors are celebrated alongside their teammates through senior night where they are given gifts, flowers and recognition for their years of hard work. Now the spotlight is only on Guess.
“I didn’t want all of the hard work I’ve done for the past four years to get to where I am now to go to waste,” Guess said. “ I don’t like to quit, and I wanted to finish out my last year strong.”
The decision to stay and be the only senior was a difficult one. Would you have made the same decision as Guess? She had to incorporate being in a season on top of school and an internship.
“I value her leadership and dedication more than I already did,” said Lindsay Sturgeon, a Bellarmine sophomore and field hockey forward. “Kara not opting out proves she’s committed to herself and the team.”
Even though being the only senior can be difficult there are some positives. Guess’s number one fans are her teammates and coaches.
“It has to be hard not playing with the people you started with,” said Kennedy Dedario, a Bellarmine sophomore and field hockey defender. “Deciding to play an extra semester shows Kara’s character and dedication.”
The support from the field hockey program is what motivates Guess to continue. Guess is always there for her teammates and they are always there for her.
“It’s been awesome to watch my teammates and coaches rally around and support me in this unique situation,” Guess said. “This is what being a team and being a part of a team is all about.
It had been more than 400 days since Bellarmine Field Hockey had been able to play a game prior to its season opener last weekend at St. Louis University. That’s hard to fathom. Imagine practicing for weeks straight without playing a single game. Usually, players see games as a reward for practicing hard. It’s like finishing a hard workout and not rewarding yourself with a cookie or sundae.
“We’ve overcome the postponement of our season, losing teammates, and Covid,” Guess said. “We have been putting in a lot of hard work this year, so now I’m excited for us to finally play together and for that hard work to pay off.”
Guess and her teammates home opener is this weekend. They host Central Michigan on Friday and Saturday at Trager Stadium on the University of Louisville campus (where BU field hockey is playing its home games this season). Both Friday and Saturday’s games begin at 4 pm.