Should I quit field hockey?

I've been playing field hockey since freshman year. I started off badly, but at the end of the year I received the most improved award. Sophomore year I felt a lot better, I was first line on JV, and that was fine because no one really goes to varsity sophomore year. Now I'm a junior, and I am one of the five juniors on varsity. I have lost all love for the sport because of our coach. She disrespects the juniors on JV and makes us go to all of the varsity games, but she doesn't even stick around to watch our games. She acts like we are not part of the team whatsoever. I'm so miserable, and this is a really important year in school. I have a really heavy class and workload. 

So, my point is, I know that I should quit, but I want SO badly to be good, and I want SO badly to prove them wrong. I want to make it through senior year. If I quit, I would immediately start training for a half marathon, so staying in shape isn't a worry. I really want to quit right now, but I feel like maybe I should just keep going.

What do you all think?

I quit playing basketball after my sophomore year because of a horrible coach.  Totally regret it to this day.  So my advice is that if you like the sport, and you want to be good at it, stick with it in spite of her.  You don't have to look at the coach as a role model, or even as a team leader; she's just the person who puts together drills for you to run and decides on the line up.  Take her as a challenge and make it your goal to kick her expectations in the ass.  Just my $.02.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

I was in a similar situation as you when I played JV lacrosse - my coach knew nothing about the sport, so instead he tried to teach us life lessons and other BS. I really wanted to quit like many of my teammates, but because I was the only goalie I felt obligated to continue playing.

Now I'm a Junior and play for the varsity team at my high school and am really happy that I didn't quit. Don't let the coach ruin the sport for you.

In my opinion, I think you should keep going with hockey!

I think it is a good idea that you do go and watch more experienced teams play, as it will help you realise what you're doing wrong, and how you can play better.  In general, the more years you play, the more experienced you will be, and hopefully the better you will become. 

If playing for the school team is really not an option, then look at other options such as club hockey, or even summer hockey...

When I was in high school, I had a coach who acted the same way towards the girls soccer team vs. the guys team. He would schedule the same practice times and make us do silly repetitive drills while the boys team learned strategy, and he only ever came to one girls game, and that was because they switched the times the girls and guys played (so he came by accident). He would normally come see the guys play then leave and said something about needing to be home early, but then when we switched to girls playing first, he just showed up after our game. We had a coach from another school volunteer to sit at are games with us so that we were allowed to play. Anyway, hated the coach. He sucked, and I still blame him for a stress fracture due to his constant 'just push through it' attitude.

Looking back though, I loved playing, I loved my team, and I remember that a lot more often than I remember disliking my coach.

I also played field hockey in high school, and thru a lot of hard work, managed to get onto Varsity my sophomore year. We had the same problem with coaches - shipped us off to training camp over the summer, and then did nothing to improve skill sets during the season. Just there for the paycheck. Maybe worse than your coach, but I know the feeling. The last straw was when I was badmouthed by the JV coach for "faking" a terrible ankle sprain that left me in an air cast for weeks. I quit the team.

Field hockey was really fun, and there are days when I think back and wonder what would've happened if I stayed. But unless you are good enough to get a college scholarship, don't put yourself thru so much misery. You're supposed to be enjoying life right now. Other sports are out there. Other teams are waiting. It's more important to get good grades and get into a good school.

i say stick with it!

i had my fair share of bad high school coaches and my fair share of really good ones.  the truth of the matter is that once you are out of school, it's hard to find a chance to play and compet in team sports on the same level as you do in high school and college. 

forget about your coach, not the sport!  enjoy the game and your teammates!

Life is too short to do recreational sports that you hate. *shrug Are there any field hockey programs outside the school?

UD

I played field hockey year round for 6 solid years, plus camps and clinics.  I went the whole 9 yards even though I was not planning on playing in college.  I experienced many coaches that were hard to deal with but at the end of the day I realized they didn't matter.  I look back now on the time I spent playing hockey and it always brings a smile to my face.  If you love the game as much as I did, there should be no question.  You need to ask yourself if you would still want to quit playing if you had a different coach.  If the answer is yes, then you probably should respectfully leave the team in order to focus on school work.  If the only reason you want to quit is your coach, then stick it out!  Some of my favorite memeories are from field hockey, and most of it wasn't during practice.  Once you come to the conclusion that your coach has no idea what she is doing and you accept that, things will be much more enjoyable.  Take what she says with a grain of salt and always play for YOU, not THEM.

Thanks everyone for your input.

However, some things have changed. Since I posted this, I heard that about half the team, including my best friend (who I thought incapable) were caught smoking and drinking. Now I feel like if the varsity starters don't have a respect for themselves, or their team, AND the coach is a jerk, why should I keep playing? The team has seriously let me down. I would just LOVE to have their spots, and they are practically giving them up.

That's a shame, maybe you can find a club to play for?