On-Tap with Maddie Copeland

It’s unfamiliar territory for the members of Princeton field hockey, who have yet to earn a win through four contests this season. The Tigers, national champions in 2012 and a perennial powerhouse, haven’t lost an Ivy League game since 2011, so it’s certain that the victories will come. Junior forward Maddie Copeland sat down with The Daily Princetonian to discuss her desire to win as well as her hair-care technique.

Daily Princetonian: Where are you from, and what’s it like there?

Maddie Copeland: I’m from Miami. Well, just south of Miami — Key Largo. It’s nice, warm all year-round, good weather.

DP: What concentration are you?

MC: Psychology.

DP: How does that make you feel?

MC: Indifferent.

DP: Would you rather be salt, pepper or oregano, and why?

MC: Salt because I just think it always adds good flavor to food.

DP: Could you describe your team role on the field?

MC: I’m a forward, so I’m supposed to be a goal scorer. Pretty much my job to put the ball in the net.

DP: Off the field?

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MC: Off the field, I feel like I’m the social coordinator for the team. I put together our social gatherings.

DP: Goals or assists, and why?

MC: Goals because I want to win the game. But I feel like the right answer should be assists because you’re not supposed to care. But I want to win. (laughing)

DP: On that note, what’s the best part of playing field hockey?

MC: Our team is awesome. It’s a great group of girls, and they just make it that much more fun. It’s obviously stressful sometimes, but they just make it better.

DP: What’s the worst part?

MC: Running. I hate running. Run tests, hate all that.

DP: What’s the most noteworthy pregame ritual you go through before games?

MC: Well, I always do my hair the same way for games. [Junior] Kate [Ferrara], she always does my hair for me. And we always just listen to music in the locker room.

DP: Country music for you?

MC: Oh yeah.

DP: On that note, how hard do you find you have to defend your political views to your teammates?

MC: Actually, I’d say everyone feels pretty similarly to me. I don’t have to defend myself too much.

DP: How many times a week do you use shampoo?

MC: Probably every day.

DP: Conditioner?

MC: Oh yeah, lots of it.

DP: Blonde or dirty blonde?

MC: Blonde. As blonde as possible — I just think it looks good.

DP: Who is your funniest teammate?

MC: Probably one of the freshman: Rachel [Park]. She has a really witty personality, and she’s good at quoting movies.

DP: Field hockey is quite popular, played at all the Ivy League schools, but it often seems to lose young athletes to other sports, such as lacrosse. What would you say to encourage young players to pick up a field hockey stick over a lacrosse stick or nothing?

MC: This is kind of bad, but I definitely think field hockey requires a lot more skill than girls’ lacrosse does. So I personally think that girls’ field hockey players are a lot more skilled. It’s a really fun game. It’s hard, but I think it’s a lot of fun.

DP: Why do you wear the number 22?

MC: Well, all the other numbers were taken, and I liked repeating numbers.

DP: It’s a big lacrosse number.

MC: Yeah I didn’t know that until I came here. Tom Schreiber ’14.

DP: Do you have a hidden talent that most people don’t know about?

MC: No, not really. I can juggle three balls. That’s about it.

DP: What eating club are you a member of?

MC: Cottage.

DP: Do people there also have great personalities, or are they just beautiful?

MC: Both.

DP: Role model growing up?

MC: Before Princeton, I always looked up to Kat Sharkey ’12, and then I ended up being on the same team as her.

DP: Did you ever tell her that?

MC: No.

DP: If you could be a fruit or a vegetable, which and why?

MC: I hate vegetables. I’d probably be a fruit and then an apple.

DP: What type of apple?

MC: I like Granny Smith apples.

DP: Do you have any sort of team nickname?

MC: Oh God, I have so many. People call me “Mad Dog.”

DP: Why is that?

MC: Just an alter ego. My Instagram name is “Maddie the Meatball,” so people always call me “Meatball” or “Meat” or whatever. I’m also always the one playing the music, so people call me “DJ Meatball.” People call me so many variations of those.