Norristown’s Fox out to finish in style

WEST NORRITON >> There’s something unusual about Norristown High’s Caitriona Fox.
And it’s just not the spelling of her first name (for those unfamiliar with the Irish language, the name is pronounced as the Anglo “Katrina”).
The senior defensive midfielder is a field hockey veteran, a third-team All-Suburban One League selection a season ago, and now in her 11th season of playing the sport, she’s hoping to continue to play in college.
But for now, Fox would settle for a relatively successful senior season.
Recent history is not on her side, but Fox remains optimistic, not only for this season, but for the seasons to come.
“We have a lot of freshmen coming up this year, and our middle school coaches have really helped us,” Fox said. “The feeder programs have done a great job. A lot of the freshmen and sophomores are very good, and it’s been fun watching them getting better.”
For Fox, a field hockey lifer, her rate of growth has been done with a different measuring stick.
“This is my 11th year, and I play year round,” she said. “I’ll play here in the fall, then play through the winter with my club team and then train through the spring.
“I feel I’ve gotten better every season, but I want to be good enough to play in college.”
That process has already begun, with Fox looking at a number of Division III programs.
“I used to play field hockey and soccer,” Fox said. “But my cousin from Allentown, Ashley Gradwell (a Northwestern Lehigh High grad), wound up playing field hockey at Quinnipiac (in Connecticut), and I look up to her.
“So now I play field hockey full time.”
Fox fully understands that Norristown will not challenge for a league championship this year.
But from the growth she is seeing, Fox said Norristown’s time to contend may not be too far away.
“I feel that the team can become very good in the next couple of years,” she said, “The young girls are gaining a lot of experience, and there is even the possibility of having a J.V. team this year.
“So I can see a time when this team can be very competitive.”