Margaret Ellis Ott ’09: Giving Back to the Future of Field Hockey
In honor of Aim’s 20th Anniversary, we are highlighting the stories of current players, alumni and supporters for the next few months. In our next story, we connected with 2009 Aim Alum, Margaret Ellis Ott. Read on to learn more about her.
Margaret Ellis Ott fondly remembers the early days of Aim Field Hockey. As one of its first alumni, she played for the club from its humble beginning in 2005 through her high school graduation from Whitfield School in 2009. She went on to play Division I at University of Richmond for one year before transferring and finishing her college career at the Division III level at Depauw University.
Today, you will find Ott working as a pediatric nurse practitioner and giving back to the St. Louis field hockey community as the owner of GRIT Training. GRIT is a fitness and hockey program for local middle schoolers through college athletes, focusing on pushing athletes both physically and mentally than they think possible.
“As athletes, adversity is something we have to learn to be able to not only accept but be willing to step up to,” Margaret said. “Consistency, dedication, discipline, and hard work are some of the biggest pillars of GRIT, but it’s also meant to bring girls together in a world that can often get competitive with each other. The girls are incredible and make me so proud of them every day.”
Ott also emphasizes a culture where each athlete learns to bring the girl next to her with her — not leave her behind. She shared that Aim instilled those values in her from the very beginning, and now she gets to return those same values to the young women she trains.
“Thinking back on the teams I was a part of with Aim, whether that was indoor or outdoor, I can truthfully say I can’t even remember where everyone went to school, or what grade they were in,” she said. “It was a true and incredible team approach. No one was out for themselves or competing with each other but rather for each other, and I’d argue that’s probably where the culture of GRIT first started.”
As she reflects on her time with Aim as an athlete, she cannot thank the Aim community enough for building her into the person she is today and instilling values that she can impart on the next generation.
“Aim is a whole lot more than just showing up with a stick and shin guards,” she said. “You are getting the whole experience on how to be a true athlete, not just a field hockey player. As a new parent, that is all I could ever dream of for my daughter, especially with the positive, supportive, and inclusive environment that Aim embodies. We may have a few more years before Little Divots, but I know where we will be the second she’s ready to go!”
