On Thursday, the Athletic Department excitedly welcomed alumna Jamie Hagerman-Phinney ’99 back to campus to speak with the Deerfield community about the building blocks for being a great teammate and leader. Currently, Hagerman-Phinney serves as an Associate Director of College Counseling at Belmont Hill School.
As a four-year student at Deerfield, Hagerman-Phinney was a varsity student-athlete in soccer, hockey and lacrosse. After graduation from Deerfield, she went on to play hockey and lacrosse collegiately at Harvard. She is an Olympian and won a bronze medal in women’s ice hockey in 2006 and was a member of the US Women’s National Ice Hockey team for nearly a decade.
During her motivating presentation, Hagerman-Phinney shared the hardships she overcame (including ACL tears and being told NO) to set and meet her goals. Hagerman-Phinney shared the golden circle and leaning into understanding; what do you do, how do you do it and why do you do it? Furthermore, she emphasized the importance and value of mindset.
Amongst many valuable insights offered, Hagerman-Phinney shared a couple acronyms for what students can do now to be a better teammate and better self. The first acronym was P.D.A which stands for Pause, Determine and Ask questions. And, the second is L.U.V: Listen, Understand (through questions), and Validate.
In closing, Hagerman-Phinney left the audience with the powerful advice, “Decide what you want and keeping asking “how?” until you have done everything you can!”
Many thanks to Jamie for sharing her story, experience and wisdom with the Big Green community! Go Team Georgie!
LEAD is the Deerfield student leadership course which aims to provide students with the skills and training necessary to be an effective leader on and off the field. We give preference to 10th, 11th and 12th grade (and PG) applicants because it is helpful to have team experience to reflect upon while working one’s way through the course content.
At Deerfield, our definition of leadership focuses on a state of being and actions, not necessarily on a ranking or title. Through case studies and the analysis of leaders, coaches, and athletes, we discuss the responsibilities associated with being a team leader, qualities of effective leadership, and one’s own role within a larger group. Some of our course topics include Accountability and Setting Standards, The Power of Positivity and Mental Health, and Gender Equity in Sport. By the conclusion of the course, students learn how to become effective and culturally competent leaders in the community and beyond. To learn more visit, Deerfield LEAD.