Heidi Qua has been a cornerstone of Fay’s field hockey program for 20 years, coaching at both the JV and varsity levels. Her dedication and love for the sport have been critical to the program’s success, which has produced not only strong teams but also players who have gone on to excel at the collegiate level. “I tell my athletes all the time that, more than anything, I hope to instill in them a passion for the sport that they’ll carry with them,” she shares.

One of Heidi’s greatest joys is watching players grow within the program, starting at the 5-6 level and eventually contributing to the varsity team. She intentionally builds camaraderie between the Upper and Lower School players so that students can see their path continuing in Fay field hockey. Every season, she creates “Field Hockey Families” within the program, comprising a mixture of students from grades five through nine. Every few weeks, they’ll stay on campus to work on skills together. “They get a chance to really know each other, and the older students mentor the younger players.” One of Heidi’s favorite memories from the fall season was seeing the 5-6 field hockey players lined up along the sidelines at Friday Night Lights with homemade signs they had made to cheer on the older players in their field hockey family, noting, “It was really sweet and showed how connected our program is.”