By DAVE O’SULLIVAN
Staff Writer
For a coach, stepping away from the game is one of the hardest things they’ll ever do in their life. Many are dragged kicking and screaming from the field, unwilling to let go of the rush that competition provides. Few step down at the height of their careers. Fewer still walk away after winning three state championships in a five-year span.
But Cory Terry, who led the Ocean City field hockey team to 145 wins, six South Jersey titles and three Group 3 state championships in seven years, said she felt as though now was the time to pursue other interests in her life. The news of Terry stepping away from one of the most successful programs in South Jersey history took many in the field hockey world by surprise when it was announced last month, but Terry said she never intended to be a lifer on the bench.
“People who know me knew I wasn’t going to be a lifer coach who does this for 20 or 30 years. I’ve been doing this since I was 11 years old, and I feel like now is a good time (to step away) because it’s a good, fresh group (for a new coach) to work with. I know when Trish retired it was a similar situation. Coming in as a head coach, it was nice to be able to put my mark on the program from the beginning with a newer group of players. I just think it was the right time for a change,” Terry said recently. “Anybody who knows how I am knows that whatever I do, I have to give 500 percent to it. I have other things I’m thinking about entertaining and pursuing. I have a master’s degree in life coaching and I’m working on a side start-up business. There are a lot of things I want to do, and if I can’t commit 500 percent to field hockey — it wouldn’t be just for another year because I’d be invested in a whole other group. It would never end, and I just feel like now is a good time.”
This past fall, the Red Raiders had nearly a dozen seniors who helped lead Ocean City to a 22-4 record and a 5-0 win over Warren Hills in the state championship game. Terry stepping away from the program came as a surprise to many of those seniors.
“At first, I was really surprised. I didn’t understand at first, but once I heard what she had to say about it, I completely understand her viewpoint,” said Julia Herrington, a University of North Carolina recruit. “I had a very long conversation with her, and I think she made the right decision. She has other things in her life she wants to accomplish.”
“I was pretty surprised. It was a shocker, but I understand why she would want to step down to concentrate on other things in her life. She’s put so much into the program, so now it’s her turn to go out and do things she wants to do,” said Rialee Allen, who became the school’s all-time leading scorer this past fall and is a La Salle recruit. “She’s always told us to go and follow our dreams, and that’s what she’s doing. And that’s OK, because she’s put so much time and effort into this program and that’s why we have been so successful. I know a lot of the girls were very upset, but they understand. They know she wants to do other things in her life.”
Terry, an outstanding player during her days at Ocean City and Princeton University, took over for legendary coach Trish LeFever in 2010 and proceeded to guide the Red Raiders to a 21-1 record and a South Jersey Group 3 championship. She went on to win five more South Jersey titles, from 2012-2016, and the Red Raiders won state titles in 2012, 2013 and 2016. Terry said she felt like now was a good time considering how many seniors would be graduating in June.
“I think it’s something I’ve known for a while. Not necessarily this year. But I saw myself doing this for a while, maybe about 10 years, and I’ve been a coach in some capacity for 10 years. I’ve been thinking about it, but I’m one of those people who tries to be mindful not to think about it all the time,” Terry said. “I didn’t want to be coaching and thinking this would be the last season. I wanted to fully experience it without those kinds of thoughts or notions. Did I know it would definitely this year? No, but I think going into this I thought it might be a good year (to step away), but I wanted to see how everything played out and the dynamics of everything. I think something fresh for the program wouldn’t be bad, and I’m sure there are a lot of people out there who would love to coach at Ocean City who are hockey people, and they would be stepping into something wonderful.”
Terry said she credits her assistants, the players, parents and administration for allowing her to be as successful as she was as head coach.
“The administration has always been so great to me. And the booster club, the girls, the community — everybody has been absolutely fabulous. I’ve had a lot of very supportive people who understand that this is almost like a second full-time job, and they are happy for me being able to pursue other things in my life. Everyone is sad to see me go, I think, but at the same time they’ve all been so supportive. Whoever steps in will be in a great position because of the administration, the girls and the parents and everything else,” Terry said. “At the end of the day, for me, it was all about the spirit of the game and trying to get these girls to play pretty hockey and playing the game the right way. The hardest part about all of this is the relationships I’ve developed with these girls, with the booster club members, with the administration and with the community members. This program is so welcoming. That’s probably what I’m going to miss the most are those connections with all those people.”
She certainly had an impact on her players.
“I’ll definitely remember her passion and intensity. She has a drive that compares to no one else. That’s what I hope I can continue in my career at La Salle, and in my life in general, to just be passionate in everything that I do. That’s something you don’t find in everyone — her drive and will to make us better, both as players and people,” Allen said. “She was an outstanding player (in high school and college) and you don’t come across those kinds of players every day, so we knew she was going to be a great coach. If we followed her footsteps, we knew we would be successful. I owe it all to her and the other coaches. They’ve been so supportive, and I fell in love with the game because of them. They’ve all contributed to my success as a player. No matter how many times I wanted to give up, they always gave me a reason not to. Yes, they were hard on me and I got down on myself sometimes, but they made me want to prove myself and prove that my abilities were good enough to play at the highest level.”
“She’s not only shaped me as a player, but she’s shaped me as a individual. I’ve learned a lot of life lessons from her,” Herrington said. “She’s given me the hockey skills I need to play at the next level. She’s prepared me for the next level, and I couldn’t have asked for a better coach.”
Terry said her advice to whoever takes over her position would be to just be themselves. Don’t try to be Cory Terry, just as she didn’t try to be Trish LeFever.
“To whoever steps in, I would just say overwhelm these kids with your enthusiasm for field hockey and they will respond. When I stepped in as the head coach, I tried not to be Trish or compare myself to Trish, or p
utting any expectations other than giving all of myself and loving this program and this sport,” she said. “I think it’s going to be weird (not coaching). Hockey has always been a part of my life, so it will definitely be weird. The hardest part is going to be not seeing the faces of the girls and being with them every day.”
Contact Dave O’Sullivan: sully@acglorydays.com; on Twitter @GDsullysays