The hustle and bustle of college life can be dizzying.
The demands placed on students are wide-ranging. But, not every college student has the same story or, even, support.
For Phia Gladieux, of Oley, Pennsylvania, she has a cherished experience that most NCAA athletes will never have.
The fifth-year Division I student-athlete represented USA Field Hockey at the 2024 Paris Olympics. And, even with the validation of being selected to represent the red, white, and blue, Gladieux, a third-grade student teacher, openly admits she often finds herself battling negative mental thoughts.
Anxiety and athletic validation are part of her daily routine. She said it started when she was younger when she traveled all the time. She said constantly feeling like she was playing on new teams created a sense of brain overload.
“With both things, I think I just really try to find things in my day-to-day life that really keep me grounded and keep me sane,” Gladieux told Female Athlete News. “I think it’s really easy to get lost in the field hockey world and get caught up in everything, but I think again just, finding those things that really bring me back down to Earth helps.”
Her family – mostly her dad, sister, and boyfriend – has been her backbone of support, when it comes to her mental health and managing stressors that trigger emotional feelings when she’s about to perform on big stages, she said.
She also leans on her role model, recently retired, longstanding Penn State Field Hockey head coach Char Morett-Curtiss.
“She’s just given me nothing but unconditional love and support throughout my whole field hockey journey, and she’s not only pushed me, but also supported me in ways that I needed when it came to the anxiety and all those things,” Gladieux said.
Her day-to-day is hectic enough, but it got even more chaotic in February when she got the text that her dream had come true that she was being invited to tryout for the Olympic roster. Without hesitation, she moved to Charlotte, North Carolina in March, which is when she had to halt student teaching.
“When I unenrolled last year, I was student teaching with Melissa, my mentor teacher, and I told her what my situation was with going down to Charlotte and she was like, ‘Oh my gosh, you have to go, do not stay here, this will be here when you get back,'” Gladieux said. “She was just so supportive and so was everyone else in the school and I really appreciate that.”
Gladieux was officially named an Olympian in June. She took off for the Olympics in July and returned to the states – field hockey wiser – in August.
Once she arrived back at State College from Paris, the elementary school threw her a welcome back party to celebrate her and her iconic team goal she scored in the USA versus Spain game. The school also supported her in getting back into her routine.
With her last season at Penn State coming to an end soon, Gladieux has a lot to celebrate. This season she became Penn State’s all-time leading goal scorer and all-time leading points scorer.
With her degree in education already attained, she continues to focus on balancing another new routine. During the season, she woke up every day at 6:30 a.m., arrived in the third-grade classroom, and was there from 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
During practices, she stepped up to lead in her role as captain. She focused on motivating her team, whether that was getting them in a huddle or pushing her teammates during drills. She poured her energy into practice and always communicated with Penn State Head Coach Lisa Bervinchak Love.
The team practiced from about 3 to 6 p.m. And, from there, she would go home, get ready for the next day, eat dinner and then was in bed by 10 p.m.
“It’s pretty hectic, but gotta make it work,” Gladieux said.
Looking into the future, Gladieux plans on moving to Charlotte – another new routine – to train with the USA Women’s National Field Hockey Team for a few years. She also hopes to continue coaching at Leap Hockey, as well as finding a job, hopefully in education.
“I definitely want to have an actual job besides playing field hockey, because I think one, I want a source of income, two, balance, I think it’s super important. And three, it just feels good to be able to do other things and achieve other things. So, I definitely plan on not full-time teaching, obviously, but if I can sub, mentor or any of those types of things that would be available, I’d love to do that,” Gladieux said.
Penn State plays Maryland at State College today in the team’s last regular game of the season. The Big Ten matchup starts at 4 p.m.
Thank you for reading Female Athlete News. Follow us on our social media pages or reach us at [email protected] with a story idea.
Photo: Iowa at Penn State, October 2023, Bob Benscoter
