Louise Gibbs wishes she could be a singer. But as soon as that little surprise escapes her lips she acknowledges that singing, except maybe in the shower, is not in her future. Her future does, however, include enjoying her senior year of high school. And according to Gibbs, fun begins with CVU field hockey.

Gibbs, a senior tri-captain, picked up a field hockey stick in sixth grade at the Shelburne Community School and never put it down. "I wasn't very good at soccer," she explained. "So I tried field hockey in middle school and stuck with it."
Born on June 29, 1993, Gibbs has lived in Shelburne her entire life. Her family includes parents, Lauren and Peter, older brother Thomas, a freshman at Curry College, and their dog Maggie.

A 3-year varsity field hockey player, Gibbs currently plays center forward for CVU. For those as clueless about field hockey as I am, a forward is usually fast, strong, and accurate and they are the chief scorer on the team. That obviously holds true for Gibbs. Three games into the season and she has already picked up two goals and an assist.

It's certainly not her game day ritual of eating a scrambled egg with cheese for breakfast that has her scoring goals. Or the special water bottle she brings to every game. It's not even the unusual team ritual of lying down in a circle holding hands while a Nelson Mandela poem is read. It's simply this, "Louise has got a rocket of a shot on goal, and she's an integral part of our past and future success. She is a gem and we're hoping for big things from her this season," says field hockey head coach Kate McDonald.

Reminiscing about her early field hockey days, Gibbs shares a proud moment, "When I was on the junior varsity team as a freshman I received the Coach's Award. At the time my coach was Enid Wonnacott, and it was really special."

Coach McDonald thinks Gibbs is special too. "Louise Gibbs is great! I've known her since she was a sixth grader when she came to UVM field hockey camp, and I've been a fan ever since!  She is enthusiastic, athletic, and always ready to play," McDonald added. "You can count on Louise to bring a blend of humor and skill to each practice," she said.

In addition to field hockey, Gibbs is a 3-year varsity lacrosse player who also enjoys recreational downhill skiing at either Sugarbush Mountain Resort or nearby Bolton Valley. She also likes warm weather sports including water skiing, wakeboarding, and golfing near the family's vacation home in Westport, N.Y.

Gibbs' plan for the future definitely includes college, most likely a Division III school in the Boston area. But she is having the great college debate: to play or not to play field hockey next year. There's much to be done if she wants to pursue college field hockey: video taping, letter writing, meeting coaches, and college tours, to name a few. Gibbs takes all the details in stride. For now, high school is calling and there are field hockey games yet to be played. Ah, yes field hockey games. Now that is probably music to her ears.