Musselmann will be taking over as the new Live Oak varsity field
hockey coach, bringing her hard-nosed no-nonsense style that she
used to earn her respect the past two years as JV coach.
Christy Musselmann’s name is one of those names that is just asking to be misspelled. While the name may provoke thoughts of power or of some marine mollusk, the name has become synonymous with Live Oak field hockey over the years.
Musselmann will be taking over as the new Live Oak varsity field hockey coach, bringing her hard-nosed no-nonsense style that she used to earn her respect the past two years as JV coach.
“It is a lot more work than JV – more administrative stuff,” Musselmann said. “I love being out there with the girls. A lot of them are girls I started with my first year in JV. Its exciting to see how they have progressed. This is pretty much that same team.”
For Musselmann, winning is important, but it is not everything.
“The most important thing is for the girls to have fun,” Musselmann said. “When they look back, they are not going to remember their exact records from season to season. They will remember the camaraderie between each other and the fun they had.”
“Team work and dedication is important,” Musselmann added. “If you have those, you will win games. The focus is not solely on winning, but if we put out the effort at practice, wins will happen.”
Musselmann, a 1992 Live Oak graduate who played field hockey and soccer, played soccer at California Baptist University.
She graduated in 1996 with a degree in Kinesiology (Physical Education).
When she is not busy drawing up plays, she works as a science and PE teacher at Britton Middle School, where she has been for three years after teaching at Martin Murphy for a year.
As a science teacher, Musselmann knows the chemical compound chart and knows the winning recipe for success.
She knows how to dissect what’s wrong in a team and label it. Although in the past two years, she hasn’t needed to get the scalpel out too many times.
While coaching the JV team, she helped lead the team to the division title both years, losing just one game in that span. In her first year, the team allowed just one goal to be scored.
But Musselmann will have her work cut out for her, replacing “Colonel” Mike Sanders, who stepped down after a two-year stint as head coach and a year as trainer. Sanders will concentrate his efforts on putting out fires in buildings now rather than the ones one the field.
“Some of the things we’ve built together, I will be carrying on,” Musselmann said. “I have got big shoes to fill. But I am excited about the chance. Mike was really good on staying on top of things and brought a lot of enthusiasm to the team.”
Musselmann plans to enforce some of the rules that were in place from when she played field hockey at Live Oak.
She stressed that attending practice is real important if a player wishes to see time in a game.
“They won’t play if they miss practice unless it is extreme emergency even if they make three of the four practices,” Musselmann said. “Attending practice shows the dedication. It is not fair to the girls who are out there if they miss. It hurts the whole team. If I have to be out there, they have to.”
Although the Acorns remain in the same league as when Musselmann played for Live Oak, the game has changed a lot since then.
“The equipment has improved a lot,” Musselmann said. “The level of play is still the same, but it is more intense and more competitive. The girls know the game more because it is similar to soccer. They are a lot more involved in sports now.”
Even with the elimination of offsides, scores have still become tighter,” Musselmann said.
“Now the games are lot closer in scoring,” Musselmann said. “Even when the other team is not as good, the score will still be only 2-0, which is like killing them. Live Oak has had a lot of games we dominated and won only 2-1. There was a lot more scoring when I played.”
The JV team will be coached by Irene Thrappas, who graduated from Live Oak in 2002 and was known for her strong defensive play.
Alice Kay is helping out for the third year as an assistant coach on both varsity and JV.
About 50 girls including returning players participated in the field hockey camp last week.
“They come to play and bring it,” said Muscleman of the potential field hockey players. “A lot are eager to get. going. That enthusiasm is always welcome.”
Official practice begins on Aug. 18. Live Oak will face a tough preseason schedule, playing some of the top contenders like Los Gatos and St. Francis.
The Mount Hamilton Division of the Blossom Valley Athletic League will also be a little tougher this year with the addition of Saint Ignacius, who dropped down from the “A” division to the “B” Division.
