'Definition of grit': Colchester's Lefebvre balances coaching, family amid cancer bout

COLCHESTER ― Despite holding a two-goal lead last month vs. Middlebury, the Colchester High School field hockey team was stuck in a third-quarter malaise, a troubling trend during the early weeks of the 2023 season.

Coach Shawn Lefebvre saw it unraveling and called for a timeout to redirect and instruct her squad.

"She can tell when the momentum is about to shift and she can get us back going again," Colchester junior captain Fiona McHugh said. "She knows what to say, tell us what to do. It’s just the basics. It’s something she is very good at, just noticing the little details."

Colchester didn't score again, but polished off the 2-0 win with noticeably more effective play. Attacking players and midfielders played with more flow, making cuts and movements into space. Defenders were better on eliminating angles.

"To see her criticism help you is an important thing," McHugh said. "If she says something to me and I do it and it works, it lifts me up and makes me want to play better. I think our whole team can see that."

About 10 years removed from a previous decade-long run at Colchester, Lefebvre returned this summer to the Lakers to rebuild a program that had gone four straight seasons without a winning record or playoff victory. A 1999 graduate of South Burlington High School, where she was a multi-sport star, and former standout for University of Vermont field hockey, Lefebvre has the Lakers at 8-2-2 and in the thick of the Division I race with two games left in the regular season.

"The best day for Vermont (high school) field hockey was when she was named coach," Rice coach Kelly McClintock said. "She’s one of the best coaches the state has to offer."

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But Lefebvre's return to coaching came with unexpected news: The 42-year-old was diagnosed with breast cancer this summer only weeks after accepting the Lakers gig. A physical education and health teacher at BFA-St. Albans, Lefebvre never hesitated to march on with her new assignment at Colchester, and continue to teach full-time, while undergoing an aggressive, six-month chemotherapy treatment program.

"I think it’s always easier to walk away when something personal happens. But anybody who knows me knows that’s not me," said Lefebvre, a married mother of two boys. "Once I’m in it, I’m whole-heartedly in it. I throw everything into it. That was the biggest concern from my husband (Jason) — you’re not going to know when to stop.

"But that wasn’t an option. I wasn’t going to step down."

Lefebvre's commitment to Colchester despite cancer diagnosis

Lefebvre told Colchester if there were no applicants by the end of the 2022-23 school year she would apply to the open position. Having coached middle school field hockey last fall, Lefebvre appeared ready to jump back into the high school ranks. She just needed a gentle push, from scores of emails pleading with her to apply to a conversation with her husband.

"I said to him, 'It's the teacher and coach in me and there are things that I know the program needs to be improved upon and it needs to be revamped and redefined and I'm in a perfect spot to do that right now,'" Lefebvre said.

McHugh, one of two student-athletes on the hiring committee, was floored by Lefebvre's interview. McHugh said she had considered quitting field hockey after the 2022 season.

"She was so passionate and she teared up during her interview," McHugh said. "She started talking about the importance of lifting up our program and you could tell immediately she was the person who was going to get us to fall back in love with field hockey.

"You could tell she really cared about us."

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Then came the cancer diagnosis. And about a month later, just after wrapping preseason, Lefebvre went to her first chemo treatment.

"It happened really fast and I didn’t have a lot of time to process," Lefebvre said. "Once I met with the surgeon and oncologist, I asked, 'What's my reality for the next six months?' Once it was laid out and they said you need to consider not working, I started laughing. But that wasn't going to happen, I had to look forward to a goal."

That outlook and determination doesn't surprise Brennan Carney, Lefebvre's younger brother.

"She’s just a trooper and she’s the definition of grit," Carney said. "If you know how we function as a family, we like the distraction of doing something. We are not one to dwell on those things."

Colchester field hockey re-energized under Lefebvre

Without recording another victory this season, Colchester has already secured its first winning record since a 12-1-3 mark and semifinal berth in 2018. But between 2019-2022, the Lakers went just 20-28-2, and did not advance past the opening round of the playoffs.

Lefebvre's positive reinforcement, coaching style and tactics have sparked a quick turnaround.

"You can tell the difference. We look so much more cohesive as a team," McHugh said. "You can tell that all of us really enjoy playing so much and it translates onto the field with how we pass, how we play, how we are succeeding."

Last week, McClintock, Rice's coach, caught herself listening to Lefebvre's instructions during a timeout rather than doing the same with her players during the Green Knights' 2-0 win over Colchester.

"She teaches field hockey in a phenomenal way and I just love to hear her feedback during games to players," McClintock said. "She sets the expectation high for girls. And it doesn’t feel defeating to them. She gets them to believe in themselves and let the team know they are great field hockey players and great human beings."

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After graduating from UVM, McClintock began her coaching career under Lefebvre as a JV coach and assistant varsity coach for a few seasons before landing at Rice.

"You love to see Vermonters represent UVM field hockey and then stay in Vermont and share it with the next generation. You can make an impact," McClintock said. "She was a motivator for me and a mentor for me."

McHugh said Lefebvre's battle with cancer has also inspired the team.

"When she told us she had (cancer), she said it’s not going to affect us at all. As captains, we’ve been saying, 'She’s showing up for us, we show up for her,'" McHugh said. "We work hard for her because it’s such a commitment. We owe so much to her, just for coaching this season. We weren’t going to have a coach until she stepped up."

"I feel, personally, so grateful for everything she’s done this season."

Lefebvre takes on cancer, chemo treatments with 'no-excuse mentality'

Hair loss was expected during chemo treatments. Fatigue, too. But the lack of energy after doing a few simple errands on a Saturday afternoon had Lefebvre "out cold."

"It’s a fatigue that hits you like a brick," Lefebvre said. "Or after a practice or class ends and you take a second to breath, it feels like you've run a marathon. The athlete in me, I'm not used to that, but I feel better when I'm coaching and moving. People say I need to learn how to recharge."

Another side effect of chemo, Lefebvre started to lose her voice in early September. Raspy and strained, Lefebvre soldiers on during games and practices at Colchester, and in her classes at BFA. Her voice is part of her identity.

"It’s a Carney trait," Carney said. "But she makes it work and she talks enough with her hands."

Carney referenced her sister's resolve and perseverance from a career in sports. In high school, Lefebvre played an entire basketball season on a torn ACL, the second of her career, without telling a soul about her injury except family, her doctor and coach, Carney said.

"She had to modify the athlete she was," Carney said. "That’s who she is. No hoopla, no excuse mentality. That permeates who she is."

With treatments "getting progressively more intense," Lefebvre continues to keep the approach she's had from the start.

"Once you are given your plan, your mindset changes. The scariness came out and now my goal is this and my fight is this and we are going to power through and take each day on," Lefebvre said. "I do not look ahead because if I look ahead, it can overwhelm you and I don’t want that."

Humbled by the support from the BFA and Colchester communities, Lefebvre finds comfort in leading and teaching a field hockey program again.

"I want the girls to succeed, that was the reason why I came back," Lefebvre said. "I wanted to bring back that passion and fun. You have to have fun and passion and when you have that, it brings relationships together and it leads to success."

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Contact Alex Abrami at aabrami@freepressmedia.com. Follow him on Twitter: @aabrami5.

This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: VT field hockey: Shawn Lefebvre battles cancer in coaching return