“Notes From the Field” with Erin Matson on Chapelboro.com is proudly presented by Chapel Hill Tire.
Erin Matson is a Tar Heel, world-class athlete, team player and champion. Here, in “Notes From the Field,” she’ll be sharing some of her thoughts in an ongoing series set to cover anything and everything on her mind. You can find the full series so far here, on Chapelboro.
We’ve talked about a lot of moments this season. But the time has come to talk about a particular person. I think you might be able to guess who that might be. (Sorry, Coach. I know you don’t like being in the spotlight, but you deserve to be. Right now, it’s clearly a non-negotiable.)
Years ago, when young Erin and her family were being shown around campus on the well-known Carolina Blue golf cart that Karen Shelton has whipped around Chapel Hill for years, something stuck.
“You know what, Erin? In order to be truly great, you need three things: talent, passion, and support. You can have all the talent and support in the world, but if you don’t want it, you won’t make it happen. You can be the most skilled and care more than anyone, but without support, you’ll never reach your potential. And no matter how much desire or help you have, at the end of the day, if you ain’t talented, well… that’s that.”
I’m not sure she realized exactly how much those words caused me to pause and think in that moment but also in the years to come.
However, that’s the thing. It may have been the first time I thought to myself, “Whoa,” while talking to Coach. But it wouldn’t be the last.
It’s not everyday you find that person who makes you stop and actually listen when they speak. Without asking, of course. Like a ‘lean-in-and-tune-everything-else-out’ type of listen because you want to. But I found mine.
I found the coach I dreamt of playing for as a little girl. The woman of action who rallied hundreds of people to believe in themselves and embrace challenging situations. And the leader we all trusted 10, 20, 30 years ago and will trust until the end of time.
But we also all found someone who we wanted to listen to. Someone who understood that balance of love and toughness. Who accepted all of us for who we are and knew what each of us needed in order to thrive.
When she said, “We play The Carolina Way, we’re a passing team, and we take it one game at a time,” we understood. When she said, “Trust in your preparation,” we trusted her. When she said, “You are strong, beautiful, powerful women,” we believed her.
There are so many field hockey moments. But regardless of how noteworthy her victories on the field are, they’re not the first memories I think of when it comes to Coach. To be able to sit around a table years from now and reflect on our times, share those moments with her, and have been given the opportunity to make those with her and so many superheroes, mean more to me than anything.
No matter what happens next, Coach, we will smile thinking of you carrying Bo and holding Poppy’s hand when walking together, just like after a victory on Karen Shelton Stadium. We’ll cherish the lessons you taught us and pass them on to generations to come. We’ll never forget where we came from and we’ll always be appreciative to the women – including you – who came before us, making it possible for us to chase our dreams.
Thank you for caring so much. For our wellbeing, our future, for this family, this program and university, and so much more.
You built this program with your heart, and subsequently, you’ve taught us to use our in everything we do. You’ve pushed us, challenged us, and set standards; you wouldn’t have made it this far and brought us along if you didn’t. You’ll be the reason for the beautiful memories and the ones that will make our stomachs hurt from laughter with a “how-did-we-make-it-through-that” undertone. You changed our lives, plain and simple.
No matter what happens next, being your players — your girls — will forever be one of our greatest honors.
Feel free to round off your runs instead of stopping on a dime — you’ve earned it. Kick your feet up, with your J’s on, of course. Be unapologetic with how many rounds of golf you want to play, and don’t hold back the gift of fury — we know you won’t. Never stop giving 3 cheers for those who deserve it, but don’t forget to give yourself some as well. And there’s no doubt you’ll trust in your preparation, be adaptable, and be the best Coco there ever was.
But to us, you’ll always be Coach.
We love you. I love you.
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