The two met while coaching at a summer field hockey camp in Chicago. The camp was the be- ginning of a month long tour from the East to West Coast and the couple has shared a stick bag since. With Iñako recently being appointed the head field hockey coach of Miami of Ohio University, the family is currently moving from Charlottesville, vA to Miami, Ohio this summer – further adding to their already hectic schedule. Though stress levels can often become high, the family is committed to each other and field hockey.
“I would never still be playing if it were not for my husband,” Keli says. “My husband played and he’s the kind of person who says ‘Do it as long as you can.’ When things get really stressful I always turn to him and he’s like, ‘We’ll weather the storm.’”
Although four of the National Team members are married, none of the players have chil- dren except for Keli. Having a husband in the same industry
has only fortified the couple’s positive energy despite obstacles they face. Iñako’s prior history as a player and subsequent tran- sition as an associate head coach at the University of virginia and assistant coach at both Ohio State University and Ameri- can University, allows him to understand Keli on a higher level.
“When we found out we were pregnant with number two he told me, ‘Don’t shut the door on hockey yet. If we can make it work, how cool would that be? Let’s try to make it work and the family will be better for it. The team will be better for it.’”
Keli is far from giving up. She continued playing three months into her second pregnancy and was still training with the National Team up until her five-month mark. At five months she gradually cut back on high impact running and now resorts to getting her cardio on an elliptical or through walking. She also lifts modified weights – a workout regiment she upholds four to five days of the week. In addition to keeping physically active,
Keli runs a multitude of camps, teams and tournaments to keep tied to the game.
“If you drop the stick for nine months it’s more difficult,” Keli says. “Being out there shooting on the goalie a couple times a week, playing around with the ball helped me with my first pregnancy. So I’m trying to stick with that more so this time than being in the gym and being fit.”
Xavi is following in his mom’s turf shoes. Keli recounts one of her proudest moments as witnessing Xavi with a stick and ball out in front dribbling correctly. “I’m looking at him thinking, ‘Wow, this is amazing’. I’m thinking what is he doing? Where did he learn this? I didn’t teach him this. On the outside I’m saying ‘Yeah, that’s my kid.’ I was acting like this is a very normal thing, but inside I’m yelling, “Iñako look! He’s dribbling!”
It is a memory worth framing for Keli. Iñako recalls another in- delible image displaying Keli’s balance as a mother and player.
“It was great to see Keli back on the field playing against Argentina just five months after Xavi was born,” Iñako says. “This shows her character and commitment with the team. Xavi watched the game like he understood what was going on. It was a Kodak moment.”
Though Keli is not forcing herself to rush recovery time in order to get back for the Pan American Games in early October, a month after her expected due date, she has her sights set high for this year. And Keli is not the only one making an investment. “London 2012 (Olympics) is not just Keli’s dream, it is the family’s dream,” Iñako says. “It is going to be great to be there to support Keli and the rest of the US team. No pressure, but I already have our tickets for the women’s finals for August 2012.”
Being continually on the go, Keli and Iñako organize their weeks with an online calendar to see when their schedules overlap. In the past two months the couple has not seen each other at home but rather when their club teams happen to play in the same area.
Although support from their families, the USA Field Hockey program and Xavi’s 24 hockey aunts has been a constant, the family will be looking into a permanent nanny for Xavi and the newest member to team Smith-Puzo. The couple needs an extra pair of hands because they have no intention of slowing down. In preparation for the 2012 Olympics a majority of Keli’s time will be spent in California or abroad for months on end.
That only means one thing for Xavi’s passport – it’s about to get another fresh collection of colorful stamps.
fhlife@usafieldhockey.com 33
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