NEW YORK - While Rick Holzinger's presence may no longer be seen on the Columbia field hockey sidelines, his spirit can surely be felt.
With an effervescent personality that was contagious, he was a fixture in the bleachers on game days as his daughter, junior Lucy's Holzinger, began embarking on her collegiate career. His positivity became a welcome scene at Lions games in 2019.
Fitting for the man who always thought it was a great day to have a great day.
Suffering from terminal brain cancer, yet enjoying the gift of life - watching his daughter live out her dream of playing collegiate field hockey as her number one fan. The mentality coach Katie DeSandis '13CC looks for in all her players. And one that's rubbed off on her teammates.
"His energy just radiates through all his kids and his wife, Sally, and it specifically impacts us at CUFH because we get to hang out with Lucy every day." junior Zoe Metalios said. "I'm really grateful for this experience, and I know all of CUFH is looking forward to honoring Rick and supporting the Holizinger Family and the Broach Foundation with this game. "
On a picturesque fall afternoon at the Baker Athletics Complex, Columbia played in honor of Rick, who passed away in March 2021. The Holzinger family has formed ties with the Broach Foundation, which has raised over $6 million for brain cancer research within the last 10 years. Before a matinee against Colgate on September 19, the Lions wore special warm-up shirts with the Foundation's name and logo while the parents held a raffle.
The situation had a particular impact on the Columbia field hockey family, as Rick was battling cancer during Lucy's first-year season in 2019. The proud dad was always present at home games. Always positive. The team wanted to make sure that positive energy didn't leave.
For Lucy, the day of the Colgate matchup started entering the locker room, seeing it decorated in honor of her late father.
"It was amazing, and it was so special to walk into the locker room in the morning and just to have the shirts laid out and they had something that my dad used to always say written on the chalkboard, which is 'it's a great day to be alive.' Just to see that and all the support that I got from my teammates and my entire family came out today," Holzinger, who made her first career start against the Raiders, said. "It was just awesome to have that support, and just know everyone was behind me, and even my coaches, giving me the opportunity to play today was just amazing and just made this day even better."
The game began with her teammates chanting, "we want Lucy," as the team was off to its best start in program history at 6-0 following the 2-0 win over Colgate.
Holzinger left the field post-game to the loudest cheers of the day and was greeted by her entire family as the team enjoyed a post-game tailgate before Columbia turned its focus to opening the Ivy League season the following weekend.
"Not that we didn't expect it, but I think everyone just kind of was like, 'alright, this is a fresh new plate and let's see what happens,'" Lucy said. "And we've had some amazing freshmen and sophomores come onto the team that just, it never felt like no one gelled together. It has just been a team and a unified force since we came together during the preseason and it really shows in the fact that we [started] 6-0."
A long way from seeing the last field hockey season canceled due to COVID-19, learning remotely as campus closed while helplessly watching her father's health deteriorate and mortality quickly approach.
"Last year was pretty rough. For me personally, but also for everyone," Holzinger said. "Being back with the teammates is great and with the new coaching staff, the vibe and the energy is just so much better and just so much more positive. And I think that also having Columbia students back and Barnard students back on campus is just — everyone wants to see each other, everyone wants to be around each other, so it just makes being back so much better."
While Holzinger will return to a role that is more on the sidelines than in the game on match day, her impact is felt throughout the program.
Unrecruited out of high school, she emailed the coaching staff upon her acceptance to Barnard, imploring about joining the field hockey team. With her goal of playing collegiate field hockey achieved, her desire to join the team and be a part of the program is an invaluable trait, according to her head coach.
"That's honestly the most important thing about when you're recruiting and when you're bringing people into your team — do they want to be a part of this? So you advertise what you're about, and when they want to be about that, then it's, it's the perfect match. So when Lucy comes in, she's like, 'hey, I want to be a part of your program,'" DeSandis said. "She got to try out what our program was like, and she fits seamlessly in. With that, we couldn't ask for anything more as an athlete who really wants this and wants everything for her teammates, so Lucy is the epitome of what we're about as Columbia field hockey. We want the most for each other, and then we do anything we can to make that happen for each other."
The team made the most happen for the Holzinger family by celebrating Rick's life and will continue to do so on a daily basis as a program.
"Rick's legacy lives on in how you go about your day. It's a great day to have a great day. And that's what we do every single day. We take it for what it's worth. We make the most of it," DeSandis said. "And in that way we're living Rick every single day."
To support the Broach Foundation, please visit www.thebroachfoundation.org/donate.
Matt Sugam has been covering sports in the NYC Metropolitan area for over a decade. He has spent the last eight years covering college and professional sports as a stringer for the Associated Press while contributing to The New York Times, USA Today Network, NJ.com, and SNY.tv. He will be covering Lions Athletics for gocolumbialions.com while pursuing an M.S. in Strategic Communication at Columbia's School of Professional Studies. Follow him on Twitter @MattSugam
