Greencastle, Ind. - Coming up on her ninth year of playing field hockey, DePauw sophomore Ella Harms's athletic career has helped her gain valuable skills and find a community of support in her team, but field hockey wasn't the first sport she played.

"I played, soccer, volleyball, softball, pretty much everything under the sun–dance. But, I mean I was good because I would say I'm an athletic person, but I wasn't amazing, like excelling at any of them." Harms said.

In third grade, Harms's father took her to a field hockey practice to try it out, and immediately encouraged her to continue with the sport.

"He basically said to me, 'This is your thing. You are so good at this. All the other kids out there looked like they had no idea what they were doing. This is your natural talent, we're doing this.' And I was like, 'Okay, perfect.'" Harms said.

Both Harms's parents became supporters for her as she continued to play for a club team as well as her high school. Traveling with her and giving her emotional support along the way.

"I think both my parents have been a great help in this experience. I mean, my dad came to every single out-of-the-way tournament with me, every practice, every game. He was there, and he was just a very big supporter in my journey of committing to college," Harms said, "And then my mom…even though she had no idea any of the rules of field hockey, she was always there for me after a hard practice or a hard game, we would talk it all through, and she kind of like encouraged me to keep going through it."

Harms's parents weren't the only supporters she had, as Harms attributed a lot of her adopted and learned mentality in game to the on-field support she got from her high school coach.

"My high school coach actually was a huge influence on my field hockey career. The way that she took coaching so seriously. You could tell she really cared. And even today, when I'm playing, I can hear her voice in the back of my head." Harms said.

Her coach's philosophies and encouragement are still relevant to Harms as she plays for DePauw, and she also applies some of those philosophies to how she approaches being a teammate.

"The big thing that she pushed was: These are your teammates. You do not yell at them. She really pushed kindness through the tough times, because a lot of the time in sports, when someone messes up, your immediate reaction is to be like, 'Oh my God. Why'd you do that?' But she really taught me how to come into hard situations with a kind heart and be very understanding." Harms said. 

As Harms has been on multiple teams throughout her time playing field hockey, she's found that the experience of dedicating yourself to a team is unique and creates a special bond.

"I think that sports culture overall, especially in women's sports, is a 'trauma bonding' thing. You go through the same things during season, you're with those girls four hours a day, you're talking about the same things, you're experiencing the same things and, sports overall, is a very emotional and physically taxing thing. And I think that the bond that you form when you're in a team situation is very special, especially when it comes to women's sports." Harms said.

Harms finds the vast number of female athletics at DePauw as something to be proud of, with support coming from her own connections as well as other sports across campus.

"[At] DePauw there are so many girl teams on campus and it's so cool to be a part of that, because a lot of people play sports here, especially female sports, and everyone just uplifts each other. I know the girls in my house will always come to my games if I ask them to, it's just a very uplifting experience." Harms said.

As Harms has grown throughout the years, she's gained a lot of lessons through her play that she tries to apply to both her life on and off the field.

"Confidence is key. Fake it till you make it. And a lot of the time I would really doubt myself going into something, and then a great outcome would come out of that, and I'd be like, 'Oh, I was worrying for no reason.'" Harms said.

She's also adapted to the busy schedule of being a student athlete in a way that's helped her whether she's in-season or out-of-season.

"So something that sports has really taught me is how to time manage. So even outside of season, I force myself to have a routine, because during season I am so productive. I go to practice, I get my homework done, I get my things done,' Harms said, "and then, once you get out of season, that declines a little bit, because you have more time, and then you don't know what to do with all that time. So I think that sports have given me really good discipline in everyday life and a really good work ethic to get my stuff done."

A lot of these traits or lessons are ones that Harms has seen firsthand since she's gotten to DePauw, and has tried to enact in her own life as she wants to reflect those she's looked up to.

"When I got to DePauw, when I was a freshman, seeing the junior and senior class, I was like, I am going to work so hard so I can be even like a fraction of the player that they are. Especially our seniors this year, were such a talented group of girls, on and off the field, and they just spewed confidence everywhere they went." Harms said.

Even with all the stress and lessons of sports, Harms wants to stay present in the moments that matter most. Whether that's laughing with teammates at practice or celebrating a big win, Harms wants to enjoy her time with her team.

"At the very end of the day, it's a game, and you're supposed to be having fun. As much as I take it way too seriously. It is supposed to be fun. Don't stress yourself out over it too much. Things will work out the way that they're supposed to work out." Harms said.