FRONTENAC – Paige Jackson dreamed of playing basketball for Geno Auriemma at the University of Connecticut.
With exceptional speed, footwork and hand-eye coordination, Jackson played six different sports before the age of 13 and became a budding basketball and soccer star.
Field hockey was not on her radar until Villa Duchesne coach Kate Graft suggested it when Jackson was in the seventh grade.
“The first practice I fell in love with it, and I’ve been playing ever since,” Jackson said.
Jackson’s dream of becoming a collegiate athlete in the Constitution state will come true this fall, as she signed her letter of intent to become a field hockey goalie for Fairfield University Friday at St. Joseph’s Academy.
“It wasn’t UCONN (basketball), but it’s fine. It’s in Connecticut,” Jackson said with a smile.
The goalie position provided an interesting change from the end-to-end sprinting in which Jackson was accustomed, but the blend of soccer footwork and basketball quickness became the perfect combination for a field hockey goalie.
“It took a little bit of courage to play (goalie), but it was something I could make into my own,” Jackson said.
Jackson certainly turned the position into her own, sprinting far away from the cage to challenge shooters, sliding across the crease for highlight-reel saves and preventing certain goals with a fully-extended blocker and stick.
“I make sure I stay on my toes; you don’t want to be flat-footed,” Jackson said. “You have to be ready for that quick shot, and if there’s a rebound you have to be ready to make that next save.”
Jackson began her varsity career at Villa Duchesne and won a state championship as a reliable backup to then-senior Claire Douglass. She attended St. Joseph’s Academy as a sophomore with a deep appreciation for the Villa Duchesne program and Graft, who remained her Gateway Field Hockey club coach.
As a sophomore at St. Joseph’s, Jackson split minutes with then-senior Lauren Dulick and quickly became a leader of a stout Angels’ defense.
“I learned that no matter your age, you still have a voice on the team. I’m a shy person, but I put myself out there,” Jackson said.
Stopping shots became her specialty, but when a ball would sneak past her, recovering mentally was difficult.
“I’m an overthinker, and any goal I allowed, I would get on myself,” Jackson said. “That goal would stay with me the whole game, and then I’d go back and think about it later. It would cause a lot of stress.”
She added, “Now, I set a five-second limit to get it all out before I start thinking about the next play.”
During the summer of her sophomore year, Jackson traveled the country with her club team and noticed that few people of color played club field hockey. Even fewer played the position of goalie.
“It opened my eyes that there are sports that not many Black people play,” Jackson said. “I try to show that it doesn’t matter the sport, as long as you are determined and put in the work, you can succeed.”
Jackson learned that not everyone shared that inclusive sentiment when a video surfaced on social media of a spectator directing comments with racist language towards her.
“I didn’t hear it during the game but seeing the video really affected me. I just didn’t think that would ever come out of someone’s mouth. It was very hurtful,” Jackson said. “It is hard knowing that, in some people’s mindset, they don’t want certain people of color playing a particular sport.”
She added, “I’m still going to run into those types of situations for the rest of my life, but I know I’ll be able to deal with it. I just hope that people can see that we’re all the same, it doesn’t matter your skin color.”
Jackson’s ability to handle tough situations both on and off the field became evident throughout her high school career.
As a junior, she saved 84 percent of shots attempted and helped St. Joseph’s advance to its first final four since 2016. In the semifinal matchup with Villa Duchesne, she made seven saves, many of the spectacular variety, but the Angels eventually lost in overtime.
As a senior captain, Jackson finished top-four in the St. Louis area in wins, goals against average and save percentage and helped the Angels advance to the state championship game where they lost to an undefeated John Burroughs team.
Jackson knew she wanted to continue playing field hockey in college, but despite her strong play on both the high school and club level, her phone was not ringing.
“It was bumpy, no one was talking to me,” Jackson said.
She stopped searching for a university based on its field hockey program and started looking for one that fit her academic goals as a biology major on a pre-med track. As a Girl Scout and the co-president of National Honor Society, she also sought a university that provided community service opportunities.
She found Fairfield University and was pleasantly surprised to learn what else they had to offer.
“I was like, ‘Wait, they have field hockey,’ so I reached out to the head coach,” she said.
At Fairfield, Jackson hopes her collegiate experience can serve as an invitation for more Black athletes to try field hockey, including the position of goalie.
“Sometimes, (her participation) can be a bridge for those who don’t see people of color playing this sport,” her father Rollin Jackson said.
And while Paige continues to open the eyes of others, she remains grateful for the doors that the sport of field hockey opened for her.
“Field hockey taught me how to make sacrifices and build relationships,” she said. “It also taught me, ‘If you believe it, you can do it.’”