Field-Hockey
Favorite athlete: Julia Reinprecht
Favorite team: University of Maryland Field Hockey
Favorite memory competing in sports: Scoring in the first minute of our game against Abington last year.
Most embarrassing/funniest thing that has happened while competing in sports: At our Senior Night game this year, we were running around the track for a warm-up, and right as we passed the fan section, our goalie tripped and fell flat on her face. Thankfully, she had all of her goalie equipment on, so she didn’t get hurt. It was so funny, we couldn’t stop laughing.
Music on iPod: Twenty One Pilots
Future plans: I plan on majoring in either Early Childhood and Special Education or Speech Pathology.
Words to live by: “Be a model, not a judge.” –Coach Rauchut
One goal before turning 30: To own a white Jeep Wrangler
One thing people don’t know about me: I like every type of food, except mushrooms.
By Mary Jane Souder
Isabelle Michaud won’t fall under the star category on the hockey field, but talk to coach Kaitlyn Rauchut, and it’s clear – the William Tennent senior is an invaluable member of the squad.
For starters, there’s the positive leadership the two-year captain brings to an inexperienced squad that returned just three starters this season.
“This is my ninth year at William Tennent, and she is by far the best captain I’ve ever had,” Rauchut said. “She is not only organized, punctual and dependable, but she’s also enthusiastic and positive in all aspects.
“She is respected and admired by all her teammates through her continual encouragement and uncompromising perseverance. She has the ability to understand, empathize and motivate others.”
Tennent not only lost the nucleus of last year’s squad to graduation, the team moved from the SOL National to the SOL Continental and is still in search of its first conference win.
“We’re in a new place and we’re trying to define who we are,” Rauchut said. “We know who we are because of our leadership.
“It’s not about me as a coach, it’s about our captains. Belle as a captain defines us. We’re not going to shy away from challenges, and we’re going to ultimately capitalize on the opportunities we have. At the same time, we’re going to grow as a program because we’re excited, we’re enthusiastic.”
In Michaud, Rauchut saw leadership qualities that she knew would serve her team well in the good times and bad, so when she lost one of last year’s captains during the preseason, Rauchut didn’t hesitate to name Michaud to fill the spot.
“I was really surprised when she made me captain, but I was really excited at the same time,” Michaud said. “I kept doing what I was doing. I figured what I was doing was right.”
What Michaud was doing was bringing enthusiasm and a positive approach to the field every day, traits that have served the Panthers well during this season of transition.
“She keeps us going,” Rauchut said. “At the end of the day, we’ve had many losses, but the reason we keep going is because of people like her.
“She strengthens the girls. With three (returning) starters, you really can’t expect us to go out and win championships, and we’re fine with that. At the same time, she’s been able to cultivate a culture.
“From the beginning, I said to the girls, ‘It’s not about us or me. It’s about the team.’ She’s a person who always puts the team first, and that’s what makes her the ultimate best captain.”
Michaud acknowledged that the move to a new conference has not been easy.
“We’re not used to playing these schools,” she said. “I know positivity is one of the things that’s kept us going, and it’s great because the other captains and I and a lot of the other girls on the team – we just try to stay positive.”
As for the culture Rauchut talks about, Machaud gets it.
“The William Tennent culture is that grit to remain positive and just encourage each other even when we might be down in those situations,” the Panthers’ senior captain said.
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Michaud became involved in gymnastics when she was five years old, and that was the extent of her involvement in sports until she arrived at middle school.
“My mother signed me up because she said I was like a monkey around the house, and I really enjoyed it,” she said. “I stopped in middle school.
“I wanted to get involved in my school more, so in seventh grade, I signed up to be on the field hockey team. I just really liked it. I don’t know what it was about it.”
She stayed with the sport and hasn’t regretted it for a minute.
“It’s great the relationships I made,” Michaud said. “Being able to bond playing on the field together is really great.
“My life would not be the same without it. My love for the sport has continued to grow, and it keeps affecting my life in a positive way.”
A swing player as a sophomore, Michaud is a two-year varsity starter.
“Belle’s strengths are consistency on the field, tactical awareness and vision to execute on the pitch,” Rauchut said of her right forward. “She’s humble, outgoing and encouraging.
“She has worked extremely hard on her stick skills the past two years. She is willing to push herself offensively and defensively, so she is always supporting her teammates. I am amazed and inspired by Belle’s work ethic.”
Michaud carries that same work ethic into the classroom. A distinguished honors student, she has taken honors classes throughout high school as well as several AP classes. She boasts a weighted GPA of 3.84 and is a member of the National Honor Society, Science Honor Society, Math Honor Society and Social Studies Honor Society. She is involved in Tennent’s Key club, Student Government and Athletic Council and has volunteered her time to tutor students at Davis Elementary School. The Tennent senior reserves a special spot for Tennent’s AHA Club (Athletes Helping Athletes), a club that connects special needs athletes with mainstream athletes.
Michaud – who says she may continue her hockey career at the club level - is interested in pursuing a degree in education, specifically special education.
“My brother has special needs, and he’s been a really big part of my life and an inspiration,” she said. “I really loved getting involved with AHA and being around the kids. My passion has grown even more.”
Michaud is also active in her church’s youth group and has gone on mission trips to Kentucky, Detroit (Mich.) and this past summer – South Dakota.
“Whatever they needed help with, that’s what we would do,” Michaud said. “One of the major things that the trips taught me is to be selfless and to be grateful for what I have because going out there and seeing what some people are going through is an eye opener.”
For now, Michaud is leaving her mark on a Tennent squad that is entering the final week of its season.
“Her openness to all people, cultures and customs, her keen intelligence, capacity to analyze and ability to make other athletes around her better is praiseworthy,” Rauchut said. “She is one of the most effective and transformational captains I have had in my years of coaching, and she will be greatly missed next year.”
