She wears kickers to cover her shoes. They are clunky. So are the leg pads. Then there are the padded pants, chest protector and helmet.

Soccer, cross country and volleyball attract the majority of the lady athletes at local high schools. But Cassie Halpin chose field hockey and all the equipment that comes with the position of goalie. Besides all that equipment, Cassie plays a position that is very noticeable, especially when a mistake by her net changes the numbers on the scoreboard.

Cassie plays for Lakeland High School in Westchester County. The team has won the state championship the last seven consecutive years. Her sister once was a Lakeland goalie and now she plays for the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. Surely, big pads to fill for Cassie.

But, Cassie enjoys it. She gets a rush when an opposing player comes right at her. She equates it to riding a roller coaster as it takes that initial drop.

Another lady goalie in the area is Alyssa Sanchez of Suffern High School in Rockland County. She also plays lacrosse and next year she is committed to SUNY-Binghamton to play defense. She was a street hockey goalie before playing field hockey. Both positions can be mentally taxing, but Alyssa has her priorities in order. She has short-term memory after a goal is scored on her.

Both these girls have the “stuff’ that coaches seek in goalies. The Lakeland coach values players who have the athletic ability along with intelligence, competitiveness, dedication and mental toughness. The coach believes that goalies must know that they are one of the best athletes on the team and that they possess leadership qualities to influence a positive outcome for any single game.

The Suffern coach, for her goalies, sites courage, desire, poise, thick-skinned leadership, the ability to communicate with teammates and the ability to shake off mistakes.

A goalie in any sport is a unique individual. We often have heard that a catcher in baseball, similar to a goalie in other sports, wears the tools of ignorance. But, we have come to learn that the catcher often is the most knowledgeable player on the field. The entire game is in front of the catcher, who must concentrate simultaneously on so many elements of the game.

The same can be said of goalies. The same can be said of Cassie and Alyssa.

Cathedral High School in Manhattan has a billiards club. With the new school year under way, the club is banking on improving upon last year, its best year, when it chalked-up 15 members and qualified for the Billiard Education Foundation’s 28th annual Junior National 9-Ball Championships.

The club began during 2002. It was started by Mike Muldoon, a religion teacher. He enjoyed playing pool but he did not think that the principal would approve his idea to bring the game into the school. But she approved his proposal and the program has continued to grow each year.

This year, two additional billiard tables (bringing the total to three) will be added at the school, which received its first table just a year earlier. Until that first table arrived, the students practiced at local billiards clubs.

Mike is ready for another great year. His club members enjoy the practices and the spirit of competition, and everyone has fun.

Mike is hopeful that he will have about 20 members during the current school year.  With three club members at last season’s nationals outside of Chicago, the club has placed a significant challenge on the table for this year’s members to repeat and expand upon the success. The two additional tables, along with the added coaching assistance of a professional player/tutor, already have created a buzz among students.

All the students in the club learn that the game of pool is challenging, but that the creation of a strategy to plan the shots helps boost confidence and success. As the new season begins, the club is focused on competing at the state qualifier during May, with hopes that players again will qualify for the junior nationals.

Oh, I forgot to mention that all the students in the club are girls. Cathedral is an all-girls school overseen by the New York Archdiocese.