USA Field Hockey will be featuring weekly spotlights of U.S. U-21 Women's National Team members selected to represent Team USA at the women's Hockey Junior World Cup 2016 (JWC).
She's from a loud, hand-moving, storytelling Cuban family and enjoys spending quality time with all of her relatives. She has a mouthwatering taste for Chickies & Pete's fries and enjoys snowboarding with her brothers. She aspired to play college softball growing up but her dream changed when she fell in love with the speed of the game of field hockey. Meet U.S. U-21 Women's National Team member Amanda Magadan.
When she was younger, Amanda played competitive softball and had aspirations to play at the collegiate level. After discovering field hockey her freshman year of high school, she fell in love with speed of the game, but still had no plans to play in college. After attending a field hockey camp to sharpen her skills for the high school season, she realized she could play at the collegiate level. She began to pursue the potential of being a dual-athlete in college but later decided only to play field hockey.
Prior to playing competitive softball, Amanda also did gymnastics, dance, basketball and soccer. Although sports filled most of her day-to-day routine, in her spare time she also worked at a diner as a hostess with her best friend.
Following graduation from Lafayette College, Amanda plans to go to graduate school for a Master's in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), which is a field that works primarily with Autistic children. She thoroughly enjoys learning about how and why people behave the way they do and she loves helping others and working with children. She finds it fascinating and rewarding to watch the growth of a child with autism within just one (ABA) session.
Amanda comes from a loud, hand-moving, storytelling Cuban family so you can probably hear her before you see her. She loves spending time with her entire family including her aunts, uncles, grandparents, cousins... everyone! Some of her favorite memories are from their holiday gatherings or family vacations. She is specifically fond of her family ski trips because she gets to spend time with her brothers while snowboarding. Besides spending time with her loud family, she also enjoys hanging out with her friends and boyfriend, traveling, binge watching Law & Order, baking and attending sporting events. She also loves Chickies & Pete's fries, the beach, donuts, coffee and puppies. Although she has never had a dog, she wants to get a golden doodle when she is older.
Quick Facts about Amanda
Position: Midfield
Hometown: Randolph, N.J.
Joined Junior High Performance: Summer 2014
High School: Randolph High School
Club Team: Rapid Fire Elite
College: Lafayette College
Major: Economics and Psychology
International Playing Experience: U.S. U-21 Women's National Team Holland Tour and Junior Pan American Championship
Field Hockey Awards: 2015 Patriot League Tournament Team, First Team All-Region, All-Patriot League First team, 2014 All-Patriot League Second Team
Began Playing Field Hockey: 2009 (freshman year of high school)
Game Day Mantra: "When you think you are tired, keep going!"
Best Words of Advice: "What lies behind you and what lies in front of you, pales comparison to what lies inside of you." - Ralph Waldo Emerson
Most Memorable Field Hockey Moment: Beating Boston University (No. 5) after double overtime and shootouts on our home turf
Favorite Vacation Sports: Beach
Favorite Past Times: Ski trips with my family
Favorite Pump-U Song: Closer by The Chainsmokers
Parents: Aldo and Silvia Magadan
Siblings: Nicholas and Christopher, brothers
Consider supporting the U.S U-21 Women's National Team as they prepare to wear the red, white and blue on the world stage November 23 - December 4, 2016 by donating to their Rally U.S. to the Cup campaign or bid on one of the many items up for auction on their Winning Cause Auction website. Auction deadline is Saturday, October 29, 2016. All funds raised will be used to help supply coverage of travel, meals, medical treatment and more for the U-21 USWNT. Click here to donate. #rallyUStothecup #SQUAD
Photo Credit: Rick Smith & Amanda Magadan