Kallie Gallagher will do anything for her team.
Gallagher is a senior forward and midfielder on the Franklin Towne Charter High School field hockey team, and as a captain, she’s willing to do anything she can to help the Warriors.
If they need someone to score, she’s more than capable, having recorded 31 goals and more than 10 assists during her career.
If they need someone to drop back and protect the lead, she’s happy to run the field and play strong defense.
And if they need someone to line the fields before the game takes place? Well, she’ll do her best.
“Coach (Lindsay Klein) was doing it one day and I asked if she needed help,” Gallagher said. “She taught me. We have the paint machine. It’s not the best job to have, but I don’t mind helping. It’s our field. I feel fine helping because we need to take care of it. We want the field to look great. I’m not great at it, I don’t always get straight lines, but I do my best.”
Getting the field ready is a minor way Gallagher helps the team, but it shows she’s willing to do anything, even the not-so-glamorous jobs to help the Warriors. She’ll do anything on the field, and do anything to get on it.
Gallagher hasn’t had the best luck when it comes to injuries.
During her sophomore year, she took a shot to her leg that caused a lot of problems.
“I had nerve damage from the hip down,” the Pennypack native said. “I got hit and I went straight down. I tried so hard to get up, but I couldn’t. I had to get carried off the field and right to the hospital. It was nerve damage from my hip down. It was the end of sophomore year, the game right before the playoffs. I was only out for two weeks of field hockey, but I was out for lacrosse and cheer.”
She also suffered a broken back while messing around with friends. That wasn’t too bad, but she had another problem sophomore year that could have been much worse.
“My sophomore year, I was in the hospital for stomach pains,” Gallagher said. “I have superior mesenteric artery syndrome, they call it SMA syndrome. It’s life threatening. The fat pad in my stomach burst. I was put on a feeding tube and everything. Being in the hospital, out of school for three months. My family, my friends, teachers, guidance counselor. They were all there for me. That taught me no matter how big or small the issue is, you reach out.”
Gallagher’s run of bad luck seems over. She’s now free and clear to do anything to help the team.
She’s come a long way.
So have the Warriors.
“I was one of the first ones here for tryouts, there were only a few girls who tried out,” Gallagher recalled. “All of the other girls who were there graduated. From the first day trying out, I loved it. I never played before, but my cousin did at Council Rock South and Villa. I saw her play and she encouraged me to give it a try. I loved it right away.
“When I tried out freshman year, there were like five of us. After that, I tried to get other girls to sign up. I caught on right away, and then I started helping recruit some girls, I felt that I was in a position to lead. I feel that I worked hard. It shows in my time playing that I love to help other girls.”
On top of playing her role, she continues to pitch in to help her teammates.
They’re quick learners. It’s how the Warriors are sitting at 5-3-1.
“My role is leading as a captain, I feel that I have to set an example,” Gallagher said. “If our coach tells us to do something, listen. Try to get the other girls to catch on to new skills we’re learning.
“Some girls never played before. I know what that’s like. I want to help them and make sure they’re comfortable. We have a really good team. I feel like the whole team is that way. Everyone steps in. It’s good to lead a group of girls like this because they are always trying. The coaches and captains that I’ve followed in the past allows me to do this. There’s a certain way to act, the right way, and I think we do that.”
Not just in field hockey.
Gallagher, a former cheerleader, is also a lacrosse player. She also hits the books hard and is an honor student in the classroom.
“I have AP classes, so I have to balance AP classes with field hockey and sometimes it’s a lot,” Gallagher said. “My sister is the teacher for AP History. She understands it because she does the same thing. She has no choice to teach me, it’s the only AP class. She teaches me like any other student. I raise my hand and answer questions like it’s any other teacher. She’s always there to help me, but that’s not just her, that’s every teacher in the school.
“I want to go to Penn State next year, possibly, and study prelaw and criminal justice. If I play field hockey, I won’t go to Penn State. I’m still trying to figure that all out.”
Wherever she goes, they’ll get a leader who isn’t afraid of hard work.
Even if that includes lining the field.
“I’m committed to reaching my goals, I’m fortunate in my life so I want to help others,” Gallagher said. “There’s always someone who can help. Reach out and ask for help. I learned that with my family and I learned it at Franklin Towne. People are there to help.
“Lining the field? I try. The lines aren’t always perfectly straight, but I do my best.”
