When you’re suddenly playing Division I sports
With Queens University of Charlotte now competing on a bigger national stage, here's what the change has been like for one student athlete.
This article was published in The Charlotte Ledger e-newsletter on November 2, 2022. Find out more and sign up for free here.
Changes came quickly to my Queens field hockey team: more travel, sponsorship deals and fiercer competition
Ellie Fitzgerald, a Queens University of Charlotte senior from Dublin, Ireland, noticed changes to the school’s approach to athletics this summer — with more staff and pumped up social media content.
by Ellie Fitzgerald
The rumors had been whispering their way through the Queens University of Charlotte campus last school year, and in early May, it became official: our Division II school was moving to Division I, the highest level in college athletics.
I’m an international student from Dublin, Ireland, on the Queens field hockey team, and when I arrived on campus — my first time setting foot in the U.S. — I had little knowledge of the working of collegiate sports. So, while some of my fellow athletes were excited or apprehensive about what the change would bring, I was more or less indifferent; if it meant I was playing field hockey, then it was good to me.
A change in athletic divisions is a big deal on any campus, and in our school with just over 2,000 students, it’s huge. Moving into the world of Division I means playing bigger, tougher teams, traveling further for games and more visibility on the national college athletics stage.
The transition to Division I began immediately, and when we returned to campus in August we could see that clear and defining changes were already underway. The university’s athletic department social media content was booming, new staff including athletic trainers and nutritionists were hired, and a partnership with Atrium Health was up and running. Many of the Queens sports teams were now in the ASUN conference, while others, like our field hockey team, were (and still are) waiting to learn what conference they’d be part of. Queens athletes began engaging with national brands who they could promote on their social media.
As my team ends its first Division I season this week, here’s a look at what it’s been like to play on this bigger national stage:
◼️ Fiercer competitors — and fire: Perhaps the most noticeable difference in the move to Division I is that the schools we compete against are far bigger and stronger than the ones we played in Division II, and they have established and well-oiled athletics programs. We’re playing teams that are nationally ranked, with years of Division I titles stacked in their trophy cabinet. That means the pace of games is faster, the ball moves quicker and the competitors are stronger. (It also means we lose games far more often than we were used to in Division II — more on that later.) Competing at that higher level is thrilling, and not only is the level of intensity higher, but the production that goes on behind the scenes is next-level.
One game this season that stood out to me was our game against Liberty University, which is currently ranked 22nd in the NCAA. It wasn’t just a game, it was an event. As each Liberty player stepped up to center field to announce the starting lineup, each one had a personalized video displayed on the scoreboard, as though they were in the Super Bowl.
The videos alone made me think, “wow.” But to add to the production, each time Liberty scored a goal, flames went off. Fire — every time a ball entered the back of the net — which happened 11 times. (It was a tough 11-0 loss for us.) To see the level of entertainment and organization that goes into a program like Liberty’s was incredible, and also intimidating. While it can be hard to compete against a team that is a step quicker to the ball and has flames burning from the scoreboard, it’s an experience we’d never have had in Division II.
◼️ More adventures on the road: With a new division, comes a new group of competitors from different places. Because we weren’t assigned to a conference this year, we are playing a selection of different Division I teams from around the country. This means more nights in hotels, more weekends away from campus, and many days traveling six or seven hours on a bus to compete. We have a total of three home games and 12 away games this season.
We also get to fly to games — a first for our team. This season we flew to Missouri and Boston. With this amount of travel comes complications, such as breakdowns at midnight in the middle of the highway, missing hotel reservations, delayed flights, and buses refusing to start before we even leave campus. The travel hiccups were frustrating at the time, but now our team looks back and laughs at these moments (well, most of them).
◼️ The mental game: One of the biggest differences between Division I and Division II is the mental game. By mental game, I mean the mental challenges that you have to face competing at this level. Showing up every day to work hard and compete with your teammates is demanding. Training is tougher, the practice hours are longer, and the need for higher intensity is eminent.
Spending so much more time traveling for long hours on buses and planes can be exhausting, and losing is taxing. Playing tougher teams and not having the outcome you want can be draining. When you were part of a team that was used to winning, like we were in Division II, it’s hard to accept the losses. Our team is going into its final game this weekend with an 0-14 record.
However, this is where having a growth mentality is important. That’s one of our team’s core values — to have a mindset of growth and adaptability. This is much easier said than done, especially during a tough season, and it’s something we struggle with. Growth mentality doesn’t appear overnight; it’s like a muscle we need to build.
◼️ Promotion and publicity: As we have gone up a division, the talk of NILs — or Name, Image and Likeness contracts — have become more frequent in conversations among athletes and brands. NILs allow athletes to use their image and status to promote and advertise certain brands and receive compensation by doing so. NILs are popular among bigger Division I schools, with many athletes promoting brands and companies on their social media platforms.
I have begun to see the opportunity of NILs creep into the athlete population here at Queens. Although small in comparison to more established Division I schools, there are NIL deals surfacing at Queens. For example, many of my teammates have some sort of partnership with Liquid I.V., an electrolyte drink company. As an international student, I can’t take part in the promotion of my name, image and likeness because it would affect my visa status, and there are limitations to my ability to work in the United States.
◼️ Pride in being the first: This has been a year that nobody could have predicted. Many of us didn’t expect Queens to transition to Division I during our time in college. While I won’t experience the peak of Queens field hockey dominance in Division I, I’m proud to have been a part of the success it saw in Division II and a member of our first Division I team.
Ellie Fitzgerald is a senior in the James L. Knight School of Communication at Queens University of Charlotte. This piece was produced in coordination with the Queens University News Service.
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