We are excited to announce that Norah Kirsch has joined the Longstreth/OBO Athlete Program!
Norah has been playing field hockey for 8 years and is a member of the U16 Women’s National Team as well as Mayhem FHC and Spring Ford HS Field Hockey. She is a Max Field Hockey Top 100 Player to Watch and recently competed in the U18 Junior Nexus Championship.
Get To Know The Goalies
What stick do you play with and why?
I use the OBO Robo Straight As stick. I choose this stick because of its perfect balance between being powerful and being lightweight. I love that the stick can clear the ball away on a sweep with speed and is easy to control on a stick save for a lifted shot to make perfect contact. Plus, the stick is pretty nice to shoot on my training partners with when they give up rebounds during goalie training ;)
What leg guards/kickers/helmet do you wear?
I use the OBO Robo Hi-Rebound Leggaurds because I want powerful rebounds but still want the ability to use aggressive grounding skills to close down space. They are really the best of both worlds. For kickers, I use the OBO Robo Plus Kickers. I love the mix of power and finesse that they deliver. Plus, I love that I can be creative with my save surface, having the square toe and more of the inside of my foot to use gives me more surface area that I can make strong contact with. Finally, I use the OBO Carbon Helmet. The light material, adjustable straps, and soft inner foam make the helmet secure and comfortable. When playing at a high level, it is important to know that your helmet is safe but also comfortable to wear when one is wearing it to play so often. The helmet protects from injury while being light enough that my neck never hurts and I love wearing it.
How long have you been playing field hockey and what made you first want to start playing?
I have been playing field hockey for 8 years. I started when I was seven years old and in 2nd grade because my older cousin, who was also a goalkeeper, played ball hockey. After playing it on my driveway with the rest of my cousins, I wanted to be on a team. My mom was not the fondest of me playing a contact sport, so she signed me up for recreation field hockey. I was immediately in love with the sport. After about a year, I started playing goalkeeper because I was annoyed by the rule that the ball could not touch a field player’s foot. My coach heard about this and immediately gave me some pads, jumping at the opportunity to have a goalkeeper, because it’s a job that very few little girls want to have. Now, I am even deeper in love with field hockey. The only time I ever regret this choice is when I realize how fun it is to score when I get to play rebounds on my goalie friends, but I love it so much that I could absolutely never actually change my mind.
What are your pre-game rituals?
I do not do any super-specific rituals before games, but I do have a pregame checklist. The night before a big game, I make sure that I sleep well and go to bed early, but I cannot sleep in because I have to be moving and awake on a game day. I put on a good game day outfit that matches my team’s colors, perfect my hairstyle, and put on makeup. Look good, feel good, play “good”! I make sure that I drink a ton of water with electrolytes and eat meals that will give me good energy. Closer to game time, I must have a small Peach Edition RedBull. The sugar and moderate amount of caffeine is the perfect mixture to help me have energy and focus during the game. Being a goalkeeper may not be as physically exhausting, but a tough game requires a lot of focus and thinking that ends in mental exhaustion, so some caffeine is needed. A lot of my favorite goalkeepers to watch from all over the world are RedBull sponsored, so it is fitting that it is my favorite pregame caffeine source. Then, I make sure that I get a good static stretch in before my actual warm up. I do a full body warmup then I put my pads on. After that, I do something to warm up my eyes. It is usually a shooting drill on the field, but if that cannot happen, I find things to track with my eyes and focus on.
Your go-to pre-game meal?
Like I mentioned I have a Redbull before every game, but I also do have to eat before a game, too. I do not eat the same thing before every game, but I usually have a meal that is mostly carbs with some protein. For a morning game, I will have a whole grain pumpkin muffin from Wegmans, some fruit, and a Stonyfield brand tube yogurt. For a game later in the day, I will have a small sandwich with jam and sunflower seed butter or a turkey sandwich with some lettuce, tomato, and pickles but no cheese. If I play at a weird time that is far from or during a meal, I have an apple sauce pouch and some Biscoff cookies before the game.
Go-to gameday hairstyle?
My go-to gameday hairstyle has recently changed. Before, I would straighten my hair and slick it into a high ponytail that I would pull through my helmet so it could be seen from the outside. I just cut my hair, so now I wear a slicked back low bun. Both of these hairstyles have to be perfectly positioned and slicked. I have my method down to a science because I need to look good to play “good”. I do get a little sad that I cannot be as creative with my hair as I want to be, since I wear a helmet. But, these two styles are tried and true for OBO helmets, and they are pretty cute.
Favorite pump-up songs?
My favorite pregame song changes pretty frequently, but right now it is JUMPIN by Pitbull. Some of my classic favorites are Mama Said Knock You Out by LL COOL J, Jump Around by House of Pain, and Number One Spot by Ludacris. I also like Drake, Kanye West, and Travis Scott, I’m really not picky.
Three words to describe your playing style.
I would describe my playing style as calculated, decisive, and efficient. I almost think of my saves as a performance. I make the best contact when my saves look simple, effortless, and pretty.
What do you enjoy doing when you’re not playing field hockey?
When I am not playing, I love coaching, lifting, art, talking to my friends and family, true crime podcasts, and especially shopping. I am definitely a workaholic and I have a hard time sitting still and relaxing, but I am working on actually relaxing and resting when I have the time to.
Any gameday superstitions?
I am not very superstitious, so I do not purposefully do anything before every game like wearing special socks or a headband. But, something that is out of my control always happens. On game day, I find a penny on the ground before every game. I do not search for these pennies, but they are always right where I cannot miss them. They could be right outside my car door, on the sidewalk right outside the door of a restaurant, or even on the floor inside the stall I chose in a bathroom. It does not matter if it is heads up or not, but I pick it up, put it in the pocket of my shorts that I wear under my pads, and keep it with me during the game. After the game, I wash the shorts with the penny inside, then take it out and place it in a jar that I have in my bedroom. To me, these pennies are what my family and I call “God winks”. They let me know that God or the universe or a guardian angel is watching me and that everything will be okay, no matter what happens on the field. It was a little creepy at first, but I think about it as a reminder that I am on the right path and that someone or something greater than this Earth is in my corner.
Favorite motivational quote?
My favorite motivational quote is, “Fate whispers to the warrior, 'You cannot withstand the storm. ‘The warrior whispers back, 'I am the storm. '” - Unknown. This quote reminds me that there are powerful things and people in this world, but I am also powerful and capable of surviving them, surpassing them, and coming out even better on the other side. I wore a necklace that went with this quote and said “I am the storm.” for a very long time, and, now, I hope to get a tattoo that says this, one day.
What are you looking forward to most in the upcoming fall season?
This fall, I am looking forward to coming back to my high school team for year 2 and being a better leader than I was last year. Goalkeepers have to be team leaders, even if they are younger underclassmen. Although I was on varsity last year, high school field hockey was a new experience to me, since I was a freshman. I tried my best to be a leader for the defensive half of the field and sometimes the whole team, but I definitely had a lot to learn in the new environment. I had never been on a team with such varying hockey IQs, varying skill levels, and seniority was something I needed to navigate. This year, I want to lead the team and discuss issues with more confidence and experience backing me. I hope that after I do this, we can beat some teams that we lost to in past years and make it farther into districts and possibly even states.
Your favorite field hockey memory?
My favorite field hockey memory is my first international play. I travelled with the U16 junior USWNT this spring to The Netherlands to play in a tournament with the national teams from Germany, Belgium, and The Netherlands. Getting to play such high level hockey was amazing. Though, what I think I loved the most was representing my country. Putting on a USA jersey and taking pictures wrapped in an American Flag really solidified my dreams of representing the United States in the Olympics.
Where do you attend school?
I attend Spring-Ford Senoir High School, right over the Schuylkill River from Longstreth. It is an amazing school with amazing opportunities. I love taking AP and honors classes and getting to explore classes that interest me like the many art and psychology courses and even a strength and conditioning class instead of traditional Phys. Ed. Our field hockey team is one of the most hardworking teams I have ever been a part of, and I hope we can go far this year. I am very proud to be a Ram!
