Field Hockey
Favorite athlete: Erin Matson
Favorite team: Phillies
Favorite memory competing in sports: Winning 1st place at the Thanksgiving Shooting Stars Showcase in my last fall season of club.
Most embarrassing/funniest thing that has happened while competing in sports: One time I tried to keep the ball inbounds by driving it, and it was raining so my stick swung out of my hand, and I rolled backwards as I missed.
Music on playlist: Country: Tim McGraw
Future plans: Play field hockey at Bloomsburg and then get a job as a speech pathologist after college.
Words to live by: YOLO (You only live once)
One goal before turning 30: Travel to at least three places in Europe.
One thing people don’t know about me: I detail motorcycles with my dad.
By Mary Jane Souder
Faith Jampo was born to be a defender.
Name the sport, and it’s a safe bet the Wissahickon senior – if she played it – was on the defensive end of the field. And listening to field hockey coach Lucy Gil talk about her standout defensive back, it’s easy to understand why.
“I think what made her a great defender is knowing when to be patient and knowing when to go in hard for an interception,” the Trojans’ hockey coach said. “She’s really quick, so when she makes those decisions, she can do it. She’s quick enough to the ball where she can get it and take it down the field. She also has patience and knows when to make the tackle.”
From the moment she stepped onto the field as a freshman, Jampo was in the starting lineup at left defensive back.
“She made an impact right away,” Gil said. “She started at the left back position, which is probably the hardest position on the field because you’re defending on the wrong side of the stick.”
For three years, Jampo, according to her coach, “owned that position.’
“I love being able to see the field and the plays ahead of me while also stopping the ball, which was always a good feeling,” Jampo said.
This past season – out of necessity – the all-league defender was moved to the midfield.
“I needed her to take more of a central role, and she was great,” the Trojans’ coach said. “I don’t think she liked it, but she did it.”
Gil might be surprised to know that Jampo says she genuinely enjoyed it, but then again, she knows that Jampo is a team-first player.
“She’s a great kid overall, just a wonderful human being, and she also happens to be super talented,” Gil said. “She’s always about the team, always super dedicated.”
For four years, Jampo started every game, and this fall, she will be taking her talents on the hockey field to the next level at Bloomsburg University.
Back to the beginning
Jampo began competing in sports at a young age, beginning with soccer.
“My mom (Cindy Jampo) just signed me up to play a bunch of sports, and I played mainly field hockey, soccer and lacrosse,” she said. “Through middle school, I did hockey and lacrosse, and in high school, I only did field hockey.”
In fifth grade, Jampo broke her leg when double-bounced on a trampoline and was in a cast for eight weeks.
“When I returned, I drifted more toward field hockey,” she said. “It was just more fun, and I picked it up a lot faster.”
In seventh grade, Jampo tried out and earned a spot with Mayhem Field Hockey Club.
“From there, I just really loved it, and I started learning a lot more,” she said. “I stayed with them and still play for them to this day.”
The extra investment in her sport paid dividends when she arrived in high school, and she was the lone freshman in the starting lineup during the COVID-shortened season.
“It was very intimidating,” Jampo said. “I just had to try my best to show that I deserved to be there.
“(Because of COVID), the only time I would see any of these people was when I went to practice or games. There was no socializing outside of the sport, so it was hard to have team bonding.”
Jampo’s recruiting journey began early in 10th grade,
“Playing with Mayhem, I went to a lot of showcase festivals,” she said. “I became interested in playing for college seeing all the older girls, especially in high school and club, committing. I thought it would be fun to continue.”
In the end, Jampo’s final list came down to a pair of PSAC schools – Bloomsburg and East Stroudsburg, and she committed to Bloomsburg in November of her junior year.
“It just felt like a really homey town around it,” Jampo said. “It has a good program for my major, the coach was nice, and I really liked the team aspect.”
A lot has changed since Jampo’s shortened freshman season, but one thing has remained constant for a Trojan squad that has captured at least a share of the last three SOL Liberty Division titles. Jampo has been a fixture in the lineup and this year served as a captain.
“She’s always been very quiet, but not in a meek kind of way – that’s just who she is,” Gil said. “She definitely leads by example. She’s the hardest working kid out there, and she always pushes everybody else to do the same.
“She’s not sitting there going – ‘Oh, they can do whatever they want, I’m going to work hard.’ She’s like, ‘Come on, come on, come on, let’s go, let’s go, let’s go.’ She’s a good motivator.
“She’s strong, she tells people what she thinks. She not over the top in your face. She’s the strong, quiet type.”
Jampo leads by communicating with her co-captain as well as her teammates.
“I made sure we were in a good environment and always encouraging everyone,” she said, going on to note the highlight of her high school experience. “Just the team bonding and getting to play with people I have fun with.”
As a senior, Jampo earned first team All-SOL Liberty Division and second team PHSFHCA All-State recognition. She also was recognized with a GPA award by the PHSFHCA for carrying a grade point average above 3.6.
A look ahead
It’s not a coincidence that Jampo is an outstanding communicator. It’s a skill she refined long before she came to high school.
“My father (Jeff Jampo) was born deaf,” she said. “He reads lips, and I always had to look him the eyes to talk to him. Especially during COVID, I had to communicate for him. I think it helped me learn stuff in the real world growing up.
“His loss of hearing impacted me as a listener and a communicator, teaching me to be patient, attentive and understanding.”
They are traits that will serve her well. Jampo plans to major in speech pathology with a possible minor in sign language.
“Bloomsburg has a good five-year program, which is another reason I chose it,” she said.
Jampo, whose course load has included honors and several AP classes, is a member of the National Honor Society and the German Honor Society.
“She’s a very, very good student,” Gil said. “She’s just super all around.”
