Lauren Miller had an enviable decision to make. The senior at Kent Denver knew from a young age that Duke University was her school of choice after graduation. But would she play field hockey or tennis once there?
“It wasn’t a hard decision for me,” said Miller, a three-time Class 4A No. 2 singles champion in tennis and the best prep field hockey player in the state. “Ever since I was a freshman, field hockey is where my heart was. It’s my passion.”
But it still was not an easy move to grasp for some of the people around her, including Miller’s mother, Mindy.
How could it be after Miller had peaked at No. 32 in the United States Tennis Association junior rankings? How could it be after three seasons of undefeated high school play?
“It was hard for my mom to accept my decision,” Miller said. “And after all the time I had put into tennis, it felt like I was wasting people’s time.”
Once on the field, however, the reasons behind Miller’s choice became obvious.
“Lauren is the strongest player to ever come out of Colorado,” said Cherry Creek field hockey coach Ashley Thompson, who has seen some good ones, including last season’s Denver Post player of the year, Steph Hoyer, a former Bruins star.
“I am a little biased toward Steph,” Thompson said, “but Lauren is the best all-around player. Her talent alone gives other kids in the state something to strive for.”
Miller started playing field hockey in eighth grade after signing up for Kent Denver’s middle school program. It did not take long to catch the coaches’ attention.
On the first day of practice, Kent Denver’s eighth grade coach, Jeannie Lindley, went to Kathy James, the school’s varsity coach who has won five of the past seven state titles, with an unusual problem.
Miller’s drive was too powerful.
“I went over and watched, and she would just kill the ball,” James said. “It would go, like, 50 yards on grass.”
To those unfamiliar with field hockey, a 50-yard stroke on grass is similar to a home run reaching the upper deck – a blast.
But the best part about Miller might be her unofficial role as an ambassador for the sport in Colorado. Her success simultaneously makes the players around her better and attracts college coaches from the East Coast, the sport’s heartland.
“Lauren has really made this sport a priority,” Colorado Academy coach Katy Hills said. “She has brought the play in Colorado to a new level. Our game has come so far here, and Lauren is a part of that. She has given it a new face.”
Miller has seven goals and eight assists this season, a deceptive stat because she often moves the ball around to teammates rather than shoot. And she does not see the field when the Sun Devils take a big lead.
“She scored a goal on accident (against a recent opponent). But she could have scored 25 if I let her loose,” James said.
More telling of Miller’s skills is that she is the youngest player (17 years old) ever to be selected to USA Field Hockey’s under-21 A team. There are few high school athletes on the team, and it puts Miller only steps from joining the national team and, possibly, playing in the 2012 Olympics.
“I’ve never done any of this on my own,” Miller said. “None of this would have been possible without the coaches here in Colorado. … I am just playing the sport that I love.”
