SALIDA, Colo. — Laura Barton, a 61-year-old Salida woman with a field hockey career spanning more than half a century, is preparing to try out in March for a spot on the U.S. Masters over-60 field hockey team.
If successful, this would be Barton’s second time as a starter for the Masters team. She first made the over-55 squad in 2022 and traveled to South Africa to compete in the Cape Town World Masters Hockey World Cup.
“When I made the U.S. Masters team… it changed my life,” said Barton. “Yeah, I’ve been playing forever, but this kind of changed the way I looked at everything.”
Barton first picked up a field hockey stick in the sixth grade. As a girl growing up in Ewing, New Jersey, she had limited options when it came to sports.
“There was really nothing for girls to play back when I was in sixth grade. So it was field hockey or nothing,” said Barton.
Field hockey quickly became Barton’s favorite sport and remains as such over 50 years later.
Photo: Chase McCleary, Rocky Mountain PBS
Barton went on to play four years of Division III field hockey at Moravian College in Pennsylvania, and then continued on various adult teams along the East Coast, including in Philadelphia and Delaware.
Salida’s beautiful scenery and outdoors-lifestyle pulled Barton and her husband west, and while the mountain trails fulfilled her athletic lifestyle, she found there to be a distinct lack of field hockey not only in Salida, but in the state of Colorado as a whole.
“People have been saying, ‘Wow, you play field hockey? What’s field hockey?’” said Barton. “A friend of mine, she goes, ‘Do you play hockey ball?’”
While many Colorado high schools have competitive field hockey teams, there are currently no men’s or women’s field hockey programs at any Colorado universities (excluding intramurals and club teams).
Barton took a brief field hockey hiatus while trying to find other playing opportunities, during which she developed a love for hiking and mountain biking. She also rediscovered an old passion: oil painting.
Barton is currently in the process of finishing her most recent piece which depicts a life-size vulture mid-flight.
Photo: Chase McCleary, Rocky Mountain PBS
Barton graduated from Moravian College with a degree in fine art. She primarily paints “en plein air” (painting outdoors as opposed to in a studio) which she said strengthened her connection to nature and the natural world.
Among her quickly growing home gallery are numerous animal-themed pieces: mountain goats, ravens, and eagles. The animal’s bold profiles, defined by strong brushstrokes, reflect Barton’s mindset and presence on the field.
The “brief hiatus” ended up lasting about twelve years. Barton continued playing casually on her own or with her partner, Chris Vely (a retired rugby player), though she never participated in any organized games or even casual practices.
But an email from an old teammate informing her about the upcoming U.S. Masters tryouts pulled Barton back into the competitive field hockey world.
U.S. Masters Field Hockey includes numerous competitive Men’s and Women’s field hockey teams geared towards players ages 35 and older. Beginning with over-35 (O-35), the age brackets increase incrementally by five (O-40, O-45…) all the way to O-70 for women and O-80 for men.
The Masters teams, which are endorsed by USA Field Hockey, compete in tournaments across the globe. In 2024, there will be indoor tournaments in Nottingham, England, and outdoor tournaments in Cape Town, South Africa, and Auckland, New Zealand.
