Q&A with Kim Kastuk

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Senior Kim Kastuk and the No. 3 Virginia field hockey team continues its five-game road swing with the Atlantic Coast Conference opener at 4 p.m. Friday at Boston College. The Cavaliers conclude the trip with a visit to Cornell at 12 p.m. Sunday. Kastuk, a native of Putnam Valley, N.Y., who also played two years at Boston University, recently caught up with VirginiaSports.com to chat about playing on the road, her major and what she will miss the most about playing college field hockey.

Question: How would you describe the season so far?
Kastuk: It’s been pretty good and it’s going by really fast. It’s been successful in the fact that we are 7-0 and we had a big win over a very good Syracuse team in overtime. But we still have a lot of things to work on and we are still progressing throughout each game. We are going to continue to do that for the rest of the season.

Question: You open ACC play on Friday. Is there more meaning to those games?
Kastuk: It’s a big game and we are all looking forward to playing BC. We still have weaknesses we have found in previous games that we need to work on before the game. But we have to step up because BC always gives us a good game. We are looking forward to the challenge.

Question: And then you go to Cornell from there. That’s kind of a tough trip.
Kastuk: It’s going to be a long weekend. It is kind of a weird trip and we have a lot of traveling to do. But we have been away a lot this season – only playing two games at home – but we have done a great job so far and I have full confidence we can do that again. We just need to focus on BC first.

Question: You have spent a lot of time in both Boston and New York. Does it add anything to be playing there?
Kastuk: I’m from just outside New York City, so I have a lot of family coming to Boston and I have some friends coming to Cornell. I guess there is a little added excitement about playing close to home. It’s going to be fun and I’m looking forward to it.

Question: What is the best and worst part about being a goalkeeper?
Kastuk: The best part is you can have such a huge impact on the game. If the other team has a strong performance and is outshooting your team, a strong performance from you can change things and keep you in the game. The hardest part is keeping in shape because you don’t do the running the rest of your team does. You have to hit the gym and get in that extra fitness!

Question: What is your major?
Kastuk: I am a kinesiology major in the Curry School of Education and I am going to end up with a bachelor’s and master’s degree in physical education and health. It’s a five-year program so I’ll get both at the same time – in May of 2012. I want to teach and coach eventually. I definitely want to coach at the high school or college level and right now I am working with middle schoolers. I just know for me growing up, my teachers and coaches had such a huge impact. I want to have that opportunity.

Question: Will you coach field hockey?
Kastuk: I could see myself doing both field hockey and basketball, maybe softball because I played softball back in high school. I just love sports and I love working with people so any way I can combine the two and use sports as a way to reach out would be awesome.

Question: What is your dream job?
Kastuk: That is a tough question. I would like to see the world more. I enjoy working with kids, I don’t know exactly what that would be.

Question: What do you like to do for fun?
Kastuk: I like hanging out with my friends. Last weekend I played capture the flag and had a basketball night with a group of my friends. Just relaxing, sometimes doing nothing because we are so busy. But I love being around people.

Question: What are you going to miss the most?
Kastuk: Just the level of competition. College sports are awesome. It’s awesome to represent a school, and a program like UVa, and going out there and competition. The ACC and NCAA Championships – those big games, having the butterflies. All of those feelings and being in that moment of competition – there isn’t going to be anything else like it.