On October 30th, the Girls’ Varsity Field Hockey team suited up to play in the most important game of their season against Green Farms Academy. A win against higher-ranked GFA would help secure their bid in the playoffs. In addition to the high stakes of the game, Berkshire was playing for something beyond the game of field hockey. They dedicated the game in support of One Love. One Love is a nonprofit foundation created in honor of Yeardley Love, a student-athlete at the University of Virginia who was tragically killed by her abusive boyfriend. The foundation, with a mission of ending relationship abuse, through educating young people with the signs of healthy and unhealthy relationships, was created by Love’s mom and sister.
One Love was brought to Berkshire last spring by Bailey Luts ’25 and Natalie Heldfond ’25. “We wanted to do something for lacrosse as in something to play for,” Luts said. “We did some research and Ms. Simmons, (The Girls Varsity Lacrosse Coach) helped lead us to One Love.” After looking into One Love, Luts and Heldfond decided it was something that they wanted to bring to the Berkshire community. When asked “Why One Love?” Luts responded, “We thought it was a really good idea especially because our boarding school relationships are so important, and whether it’s a friendship or romantic relationship we are around each other 24/7 so it’s important to maintain healthy relationships.”
This fall Luts and Heldfond generated two games dedicated to One Love, a Varsity Field Hockey game and a Varsity Volleyball game. Before the games, they held a One Love workshop to educate the teams on unhealthy relationships and what to do if you or someone you know is in one. As one in three women and one in four men will experience relationship violence in their lifetime, it is important to empower others with the knowledge of distinguishing healthy and unhealthy relationships before it’s too late.
On October 30, the field hockey team dedicated their game to One Love. While wearing blue ribbons in their hair, One Love shirts during warmups, and writing “One Love”, “For something bigger” or “For (name)” on their arms as a reminder of what they were playing for, they played a 63-minute game for an overtime win over GFA. The team went into the game knowing that it was a must-win game. Berkshire at the time had just slipped into the eighth seed for Class B passing Suffield Academy who they had lost to 3-2 earlier in the season. (The top eight teams make it to the postseason). To secure their place in the playoffs a win over GFA was a must. Since GFA was ranked higher than Berkshire in the New England rankings, a win against a higher-ranked team would certainly help secure their bid.
Berkshire came out strong from the start holding GFA to zero at the half. Going into the second half the team got together and reminded each other what and who they were playing for. Berkshire then dominated the third quarter taking a 2-0 lead with goals from Chloe Egan ‘26 and Sophia Busa ‘26, both goals assisted by Kendal Dobratz ‘27. GFA then tied up the game with 2 goals coming from corner plays, which sent the game into overtime. The team gathered together before stepping back out on the field and again reminded each other who and what they were playing for. There was no mention of playoffs, everyone knew they were playing for something beyond the game of field hockey. Berkshire then played 3 minutes of 7 v 7 overtime before Dobratz drew a corner. With only seven players on the field compared to the normal eleven, their two primary inserters were not on the field, so Addie Lang ‘28 who had never inserted the ball before stepped up to the plate. With a perfect insert from Lang, Dobratz hit a strong shot at the net from the top of the circle. The GFA defender got a stick on it, but Lang was there to call the game, scoring the game-winning goal 3 minutes into overtime. The team rushed the field, celebrating the amazing win.
When the team came together after the game and discussed the outcome, Captain Alex Flynn ‘25 said “We played a full 63 minutes knowing we were playing for something bigger than field hockey.” Dobratz added, “The energy started in the locker room before the game. You could feel that this game had a bigger meaning.” When the team thanked their teammate Luts for organizing the game she said, “I’m just so happy,” with the biggest smile on her face.
Luts and Heldfond hope to host at least four One Love games this year. With Luts and Heldfond graduating this Spring, they hope One Love doesn’t graduate Berkshire with them and instead gets passed down to underclassmen who will continue to educate the community with this life-saving knowledge.
To learn more about One Love, visit joinonelove.org.
Sources:
One Love Foundation: Learn about Relationships, https://www.joinonelove.org/. Accessed 31 October 2024.
