Pitch Session

On the final show before Andrew and Kirstin head to Paris for the Olympic Games, California head coach Shellie Onstead joins the show.  In addition to having just completed her 30th season at the helm of the Golden Bears, Shellie was an assistant on the staff of the 2008 U.S. Olympic team that finished 8th in the Beijing Olympics, and she is a member of the California Hall of Fame for her playing career at Cal.
 
They discuss her 2008 Olympic experience and what members of the team and staff are likely experiencing now as they prep to open Olympic play against Argentina on Saturday.  In the second half of their discussion, they reminisce about Cal's time in the America East and what's changing for the Golden Bears as they debut in the ACC this fall.
 
Andrew and Kirstin then make their picks for gold in Paris.  Spoiler:  Both think it'll be an orange-tinted gold.
 
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With one week left until the Olympic Games in Paris, Andrew and Kirstin take a look at the men's tournament, make their predictions for the men's gold medal and look ahead to their trip to Paris.

Andrew and Kirstin get in the Olympic Spirit by chatting with Team USA forward Phia Gladieux a few days before she and the team depart for Europe.  They discuss where Phia was when she got the call -- well, text -- about joining the Olympic Team, and how she and her teammates are preparing for the Olympic tournament to begin on July 27.
 
They also discuss their upcoming trip to Paris, have a look around Pool A of the women's tournament and look at the betting odds for both the men's and women's gold medal favorites.

Andrew and Kirstin are back from their spring hiatus to preview their previews for the field hockey tournament in the upcoming Olympics Games.  They discuss their plans for Paris, look at Team USA's roster, and have a first look at their schedule in Pool B of the Olympic tournament.

Andrew and Kirstin begin this episode with a look at some conference changes that will effect field hockey, including UMass moving to the MAC.  Then Kirstin is joined by USA women's national team head coach David Passmore and the two discuss qualifying for the Olympics in India, preparations for this summer's Olympics, what David would choose to compete in the normal person Olympics, and more.

Andrew and Kirstin are joined today by a pair of two-time Olympians, Yale Head Coach Melissa Gonzalez and Temple Head Coach Michelle Vittese.  The two share their experiences in the run-up to both the 2012 London Games and the 2016 Rio Games, what they remember from their time during the Olympics, and how their Olympic runs affect their current head coaching roles.  They also share what it is like finding out that they made the Olympic roster, the feeling when their Olympic careers ended in a quarterfinal loss to Germany in 2016 and begin to prepare as their two teams face each other in October in New Haven.

Andrew and Kirstin are joined by US National Team GK Kelsey Bing following her and her teammates qualifying for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.  Kelsey discusses her experience during the qualifying tournament, what she and her teammates have done since qualifying (spoiler: they're still in India) and how they will begin to prepare for the Olympic Games.
We also briefly breakdown the two pools for the Olympic Tournament and look at the Hockey5's World Cup that's underway in Oman.

Andrew and Kirstin bring warmth to the harsh winter by looking at Team USA's run through the Olympic Qualifier in Ranchi, India en route to an Olympic berth in Paris this summer.  They look back at the USA's dominant run through pool play and their gripping 2-1 win over Japan to qualify for the Olympic Games on Thursday morning.
 
They're also joined by the head coach at Kutztown University Marci Scheuing.  Marcie and Kutztown were just awarded the NFHCA's Division II Coaching Staff of the Year award on the heels of their Division II national championship -- the first in both program and school history.

Andrew and Kirstin are joined by Allison Keefe from Graphing the Game to discuss her involvement in field hockey and what exactly it is she does for teams that have retained her consulting services.  We also briefly discuss the Junior World Cup in Santiago, Lindenwood ending its field hockey program, and an update on our GoFundMe to get to Paris for the Olympics.  (Spoiler: it's still about $10,000 short of the $10,000 goal).

Andrew and Kirstin reminisce about the epic national championship game between North Carolina and Northwestern, while attempting to highlight all the standout performance and moments from the game.
Then they're joined by several guests including the Pitch Session Bracket Spectacular champion* Caitlin Fredericks, 2023 National Champions Charly Bruder, Katie Dixon, and Maddie Kahn, and North Carolina head coach Erin Matson.
They also throw some love to the D2 and D3 national champs and look ahead to the offseason.