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| Alesha Widdall |
Chat live with field hockey goalie Alesha Widdall on Thursday at 11:45 a.m. right here at UMassAthletics.com. Fresh off competing with Team USA at the Junior World Cup, the 2008 All-American is preparing for the beginning of her sophomore season. The #17 Minutewomen begin the season on Saturday against #20 Providence at Garber Field at 1 p.m.
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Alesha Widdall: Hi everyone! Alesha here, thanks everybody for joining me here for this chat. I'm am hanging out in the Media Relations office and waiting for your questions. |
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| Maury (Bernardstown): Why do you wear No. 76 ... Its an odd number. Are you very patriotic Spirit of 1776? |
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Alesha Widdall: Thanks for the question Maury. Actually, when I was in seventh grade, it was the only number available and I stuck with it. Sorry, no deep meaning to it. |
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| Skip Connors (Springfield): How cool was it playing for Team USA? What did it mean to have USA on your chest? |
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Alesha Widdall: Thanks Skip! It was a huge honor playing for Team USA. It was an amazing experience and I was very proud to where the USA on my jersey. I hope I get the opportunity again. |
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| Cortland: Do you have any pre-game rituals? What is the biggest difference for you as the season starts this season versus last year? What kind of music gets you ready for a game? |
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Alesha Widdall: That's a big question! I don't have any pregame rituals. I am not superstitious. I don't want anything to go wrong that could mess up my flow. The biggest difference this season is that we have a much younger team. The new free hit rule also is forcing us all to learn everything all over again. As for music, I like Billy Joel, Rascal Flatts, Van Morrison, and Nirvana ... I have a variety of tastes. |
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| Sam (Boston): How do you feel mentally going into your sophomore season compared to going into your freshman season? Are you more confident this year? Can you guys make it a third A-10 Championship run? |
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Alesha Widdall: Hi Sam. Last year I was a small-fry freshman and this year I feel like I can be more of a leader on the team. I am very confident going into this year and our team has a lot of potential to make it a third A-10 title run. |
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| Alicia (Staten Island, NY): Why is your name spelled so weird ... What happened to Alicia? Or Allicia? Good luck this season ... Just curous why your parents picked that spelling if you have any idea. |
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Alesha Widdall: Good question Alicia! I think my Dad liked that spelling. he's the one that picked the name. |
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| Lacy (Amherst): Alesha - How does Amherst compare to your hometown of Whitney Point? Do you miss living in the best place in America? |
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Alesha Widdall: Great question Lacy! Amherst is actually a little more city-like than Whitney Point, which is a small town with farms and everyone knows everyone. It's nice having a little change when coming to UMass, but I do miss the wide open spaces sometimes. |
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| Cortland: I see you have a large family, lots of brothers and sisters on your bio. Does it influence your team relationships? Where are you in the mix of siblings? |
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Alesha Widdall: Hello Cortland! I don't think all the siblings really helps me with the team because I have four brothers and I'm not used to so many females. I am the youngest ... the baby of the family. |
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| Ben (Belchertown): Who are the funniest girls on the team? I bet you have a lot of goofballs. |
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Alesha Widdall: Hi Ben. Katie Kelly is probably the funniest girl on the team. Makaela and Nikki have similar personalities to me, they are very sarcastic and witty. As a team we like to have a lot of fun and keep things light. |
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| Pete Z. (Buffalo): Do yu know Carla Tagliente from maryland. Isn't she from your hometown? |
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Alesha Widdall: Hi Pete. Carla is from Marathon, NY, about 15 minutes down the road from Whitney Point. Our schools are big rivals. |
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| Sydney (Wilbraham, MA): Why did you start playing goalie? How come you chose that position? |
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Alesha Widdall: Good question Sydney. Well when I was younger I was the chubby kid who couldn't run so I decided to be the goalkeeper, then I turned out to be pretty good at it. |
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Alesha Widdall: OK everybody, thanks for stopping by. I had a lot of fun. Now I'm off to grab some lunch. Be sure to come to our game on Saturday against Providence at 1 PM. If you can't make it, you can watch it online. Bye! |
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