Kennebunk High senior Christine Jarowicz, 18, earned an athletic scholarship to play field hockey at Franklin Pierce University despite suffering a broken left hand while playing the sport this past fall.

Jarowicz is also the Rams’ starting center fielder and captain in softball. She has been an integral support person as a student manager for Kennebunk’s ice hockey team, filming every football game since she was an eighth-grader. This year she has worked as an intern in the school’s athletic department.

Q: Do you like one sport over another?

A: I’ve been playing softball for as long as I can remember, so it is my No. 1 sport. Field hockey I just picked up freshman year. I honestly just love both of them. It’s just fun being out on the field and being part of a team and playing. But softball does have my heart.

Q: I’m looking at the scars on your hand. Is that one reason why field hockey was the option and not softball?

A: I got hit by a stick in our third game of our season in September and broke my hand in four or five spots. I have eight screws and a plate in there right now. So that was a difficult time because I was out and I had to miss five college softball clinics, so that’s what really stopped me from being able to show coaches what I have for softball. And I had field hockey as an option and they offered me, where softball didn’t. So I’m going to play for them.

Q: But it sounds like you can’t help but wonder what could have been?

A: Yeah, but everything happens for a reason so field hockey is my calling.

Q: Did you get to play anymore during the field hockey season?

A: I did play in my senior game. It was maybe a week and a half, two weeks after surgery. My hand was in a brace. I had padding all around it. I had like gel pads and foam pads and then I had tape all around it. It was a brick. My hand was a brick. But I played. Coach told me I was only going to play the first two minutes of the game but I ended up playing every part of the game except two minutes.

Q: And it sounds like you contributed?

A: Yeah, I scored the first goal, 15 seconds into the game. And then unfortunately we didn’t score any after that (in a 2-1 overtime loss to Scarborough) but it was an amazing feeling.

Q: You’re a good enough athlete to play at the college level and get recruited in maybe even your second sport but it sounds like you’re OK with being behind the scenes as well?

A: Kennebunk athletics has been a huge part of what’s made me (who I am). I have filmed for our high school varsity football team. My sister (Marie) did it when she was in high school and then I took over when I was in eighth grade and did it all five years, actually. That really put me in a good position, too, because I became so close with Coach (Joe Rafferty) and he honestly became one of my biggest supporters.

Also, starting sophomore year I began filming for our high school hockey team as well. So I started filming and managing our high school varsity boys’ team. And I interned for (athletic director Joe) Schwartzman and Mrs. (Kristen) Parker for both semesters this year and this has been so much fun. They are probably the most genuine, amazing people, and working for them I’ve realized how much behind-the-scenes work they put in for our athletes and that has made me appreciate all of it even more than when I was just out there playing on the field.

Q: When you’re a student manager for the hockey team, do you feel like you’re a part of that team?

A: I do. The whole team dynamic for hockey, they’re so fun to be around. The same with the football team. They’re like family to me. Just being managers for other sports teams, it built friendships as well and it built more adult mentors and people I could look up to and that I knew were there for me as well. It’s been a good experience.

Q: You have interest in sports, obviously, is this something you see as your future?

A: I have always thought about what I want to do when I get older and I still don’t know. But I know I want to take on a leadership role somewhere, whether it be in a business or I would love to continue with sports. I don’t know what I want to do with the rest of my life. Still figuring that one out. But I definitely want to stay in touch with sports.