Bashore-Smedley grew up in a small town inPennsylvania, and found her sporting love initially while playing soccer, rather than field hockey. After picking up her first field hockey stick as a high school student, she was recruited by that school's field hockey coach, and soon excelled at her new sport. A graduate ofHamburg Area High School, she went on to study at Indiana University, and played for that institution's team for four years. Still a senior there when she was asked to join the United States National Field Hockey Team, she went through rigorous training with her teammates at their training facility inSan Diego, California. When her team qualified for the2008 Olympics inBeijing, China, Bashore-Smedley participated, and was supported by her family, who also made the trip overseas. Although her team did not win any medals that year, they did beat their biggest rival (Argentina) during the2012 Olympics inLondon, United Kingdom. Following more than 100 international appearances, Bashore-Smedley then retired in 2013.[3]
United States
