Maine Means More to Ohio Field Hockey's Bodhi and Weslee Littlefield
9/13/2023 11:00:00 AM | Field Hockey
ATHENS, Ohio — Weslee Littlefield and Bodhi Littlefield grew up going to University of Maine field hockey games. They'd drive up from Winslow, Maine, to the UMaine Field Hockey Complex to watch the Black Bears take on various opponents. It was a treat for them as kids.Â
On Sept. 3, the Littlefields got to play a game on the field they once sat in the bleachers at.Â
The Littlefields knew that the crowd would be big, but walking into the stadium and seeing the seats packed with their family and friends was something the two will never forget. They don't get to play in front of their home crowd too often due to the distance, so each moment spent on the field with their support system in attendance means the world to them.Â
"I would say, playing in Maine was like a full circle moment for us," Bodhi said. "Having our family in the stands, having the Winslow community come out and watch us and seeing those little girls, it was just kind of a full circle moment. It was a lot of fun, and it was just like a once in a lifetime experience."
Community is important to the Littlefield family. They've always been connected to the Winslow community through sport. Their father, Wes, is a high school football coach and Weslee runs field hockey skills camps throughout the spring and summer.Â
Both sisters help coach field hockey athletes from Kindergarten to eighth grade through the Winslow Parks and Rec program, and they've also mentored high school athletes in the area. They enjoy giving back to the programs they grew up in.
"All those girls were there, all those coaches were there to watch them play, and it was pretty amazing to see the shirts they had got made up," Wes said. "It said 'Our favorite field hockey players are Bo and Wes' and it had their numbers on it. All the field hockey girls had those on and, and just people in the audience, old friends as far as competitors that they went up against and obviously played a lot of field hockey with showed up for the game. So it was quite a cool experience." Â
All eyes were on Weslee and Bodhi, but they didn't feel nervous. They were surrounded in a blanket of comfort knowing that their loved ones and their mentees were in attendance. It fueled them to want to win.Â
A win against Maine would hold more weight than usual. It would mean the world to Weslee and Bodhi, but also to the little girls there to watch them.Â
"Weslee said something going into the huddle like 'all the little girls that are sitting there, all these girls are watching us play and they want to be us one day, so let's give them a show. Let's play hard for them.' That's one thing that resonated with me playing back home," Bodhi said. "It's so much more than field hockey. At that moment, it's family. It's a community. It's everything."Â
Seeing how Weslee and Bodhi interacted with the young fans took Wes back to when his daughters were starry-eyed in the stands. They were 5 years old when they started playing field hockey, and now they're both Division I student-athletes, one of which graduates soon.Â
It was a pinnacle moment for him as a father, and for them as athletes.Â
"I think because we've always believed in having goals and stuff like that, so even from a young age, the girls played three sports and field hockey was their love. They wanted to play division one field hockey since I can remember. And for that to happen that was pretty special," Wes said.
Weslee shared a similar sentiment. Â
"I'm a fifth year, so going back home and playing in front of my family and my community, that felt so special to me because that would be truly the last time they all see me play in person," Weslee said.Â
Ohio may not have defeated Maine that day, but the Littlefields had one of the biggest wins of their career. They got to blend the infectious joy of their home with the team they've come to view as family.Â
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