Sports as family: growing up and coaching at The Hotchkiss School

LAKEVILLE - Coming off an impressive season that saw her field hockey team go undefeated during regular and post-season play, Robin Chandler (athletic director, assistant varsity ice hockey coach and head coach of field hockey at The Hotchkiss School) is enjoying astounding success.

For Chandler, 39, (her father, Rusty, is a retired Hotchkiss headmaster), her passion for sports and The Hotchkiss School started at an early age.

"Growing up on campus, I loved sports, Chandler said in an interview this week. "Playing sports here and experiencing the campus lifestyle first-hand were big influences on me."

She fondly remembers the role that former girl's lacrosse coach and assistant athletic director Kelly Stone played in her life.

"Kelly always talked a lot about tradition," Chandler said. "About the past teams and players. And I bought into that. As a player, you want to carry on that pride and that tradition. What I have learned from Kelly is something that I try to pass on to my athletes."

Accountability and a sense of family are other characteristics she tries to impress upon her students.

"I want to impart to them that they must rely heavily on each other and work together toward a common goal."

During her years as a student, Chandler had her share of victories on the playing fields. Her field hockey team lost only eight games in four years. One of her favorite school memories: A snowy 3-2 victory over Choate at Westminster to capture the Western New England Championship in field hockey.

After graduating from Hotchkiss in 1987, Chandler went to Dartmouth College, where she played ice hockey as a defenseman for all four years. After graduating in 1991, she spent a few years coaching field hockey at St. Georges School in Newport, R.I. She returned to Hotchkiss in 1995 and she took on the role of assistant athletic director. Two years later, she took charge of the Hotchkiss field hockey program. She has led the team to Founders League title wins in 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006 and 2007. Her team has also won the Western New England Championship in 1998, 1999, 2003, 2006 and 2007 and the New England Class A Championship in 1998, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007.

During that time, her team has compiled an eye-popping 140-9-11 record.

When asked about some of the high points she has experienced while coaching the team, Chandler seemed at loss to pick any one specific event.

"I've been lucky to have had a lot," she mused. "The first New England Championship win in 1998 was a big one. We've won seven since then and each one has been a high point.

"It's also exciting for me when I'm able to see former players go on and excel in their life following their time at Hotchkiss," she said with pride. "One of our grads, Kaitlyn Perrelle from the class of 2006, was recently named the Ivy League Rookie of the Year while playing for Princeton."

When speaking about her team's most recent success, the 2007 New England Class A Championship, Chandler cited the balance of her roster as one of the keys to their success.

"This is probably one of the most talented teams I have coached," Chandler said. "They're a group of solid athletes from top to bottom. We had 19 or 20 girls who played as one. They peaked at the right moment, were determined and really came together and played beautifully throughout the season."