COLUMN: Away games are beneficial
With field hockey’s season wrapping up, it heads into the post-season play and remains hopeful for a Mid-American Conference championship.
The Chippewas spend two of their last three games at their home field, which is only the third time they have played there all season.
Now, one might think that having such a short home season a team could be lacking in areas because of all the traveling.
Yes, traveling can be stressful. It can be tiring when you are getting back at 4 a.m. the day you have 8 a.m. class, but guess what, your body will be better conditioned for it than one who has home game after home game.
In fact, all that traveling and visits to opponents' fields is actually beneficial to the team.
If a team is not used to playing on its home field, it's going to be more likely to play well away. Playing a lot of home games is what makes teams spoiled, and everyone knows nothing good comes from something that is spoiled.
They get used to the field, the smells, the air, the fans, even the sights they see while on the field. To me, this is a bad thing. No conference championship game is played at someone’s home field.
Another positive is that when the team finally comes home, it's motivated, which could be a result of the Chippewas 3-0 record at home today.
This team will be used to traveling, they will be used to other fields and fans. Being able to play a lot of away games is truly a positive thing. Perhaps it's a reason the team is in position to win the MAC regular-season title and were picked in the preseason to win the tournament.
