Two Generations of USA Field Hockey Olympians Speak at Foxcroft

Students also got to see Stauffer-Hoffman’s 1984 Olympic Bronze Medal up close, as she passed the encased medal around the room. 

“I had my dream very young, because I had such an incredible role model in my mom,” began Hoffman, “so as you look at this, whether you're an athlete or not, let this be a reminder to take examples from people older than you. Seniors, of course, these freshmen are looking up to you on the stairs, and you have amazing faculty behind you. There's inspiration in every person and moment that you come in contact with.”

Hoffman then highlighted her achievements at the University of North Carolina (UNC), including a national championship and ACC Player of the Year, emphasizing the importance of heart and character over accomplishments, and her mother recounted her experiences at Penn State, including earning collegiate player of the year in 1982, and her time on Team USA. Both women underscored the importance of discipline and the significance of a growth mindset. They also discussed the value of belonging and shared fun to solidify team bonds and success. 

“One thing I've noticed with successful teams that I played on was the sense of belonging was really, really high,” shared Hoffman. “Everyone could show up as their authentic self and with their different strengths, with their different quirks and personalities, and it was accepted. That type of belonging translates to the moments where you have to dig deep for each other, where you have to work really hard, but you know you're with a group of people that will hold you up. Whereas if you don't have that, there are cracks in the team, which get bigger and build into cracks in mindset. So that's the one thing I've noticed from UNC to the National team, to the various teams I've played with around the world — that sense of belonging is really important to cultivate.”

Stauffer-Hoffman agreed and included fun as a part of that bond, “I totally agree. The more you bond together and respect each other, your team's going to do so much better, and it's much more fun, and mostly if you have fun, you play better. So you need to have fun.”

During a robust Q&A, both women offered tips and strategies for handling stress and maintaining a growth mindset, in particular, adopting a goldfish mentality in our daily lives when dealing with disappointments to foster focus and adaptability in high-pressure situations.

“If I don't practice my goldfish mentality at training, or in my life, I'm not going to be able to do it in a high pressure game, so this is part of my training outside and before a pressure situation,” shared Hoffman, who went on to explain, “A goldfish mentality is staying completely focused in the present moment, so that you forget anything that happened before. Especially in a game when things are very fast-paced, if you're dwelling on a mistake, it's going to affect how you perform the next move, so the faster you're able to forget mistakes and move on and stay present-focused, the better it will be for your play.”

In the afternoon, Hoffman worked with Foxcroft’s field hockey players during their practice, and over the weekend, the mother-daughter duo hosted a field hockey clinic at Foxcroft for players from the area.

“Working with Olympians Ashley Hoffman and her mother, Brenda Stauffer-Hoffman, was an incredible experience,” shared Varsity Field Hockey player Cece Y. ’27. “From defense work to shooting drills, I've seen improvement in my skills over just two days. Not only did Ashley work with us on field skills, but she also shared how she prepares off the field — how she gets ready for games and works hard to be the best teammate possible. I will carry these skills into the rest of my field hockey career.”