RACHEL
The first week after Rachel‘s tragic drowning on July 4th, 2022, we opened a GoFundMe on Facebook and called it the Rachel Schwolow Memorial Fund. She had so many plans to do good in her beloved hometown Provincetown, Massachusetts.
With the GoFundMe, some stage shows, a Knitting Yard Sale, a Ride for Rock and individual checks, we collected 34 K USD to fulfill her dreams.
We were able to give 7K to the Homeless Prevention Council Ptown/Truro this winter.
Mel Lord, Rachel's longtime friend, presented the check.
In December 2022 we also were able to set up a memorial bench for Rachel in Pilgrim Pond Park on Pond Road, North-Truro.
Rachel went there often after school when we lived there on Pond Road. She was so proud that the Pilgrims landed in Truro first and took their first steps ashore here to get fresh water from Pilgrim Pond. She thought of herself as a pilgrim after we crossed the Atlantic in a sailboat from Spain to the US shores in 1978.
We also started the NRHS (Nauset Region High-School) Field Hockey Scholarship.
It will give two graduating female athletes each year 2,500 USD each. This scholarship is set for 4 years.
The first check will be presented on June 5, 2023 in the NRHS Awards Ceremony 2023.
This is a little summary of Rachel’s field hockey career which will be read at the June awards ceremony:
Rachel Schwolow loved team sports. In the Provincetown schools, she played field hockey, softball and lacrosse. Her absolute favorite was field hockey, playing the forward position and hitting as many pucks into the opponent’s net as she could.
In 1987, Rachel entered Montclair High School which at the time was ranked No. 1 in New Jersey girls field hockey. Within her first year she became the No. 2 ranked Essex County scoring leader with 11 goals and 4 assists. She was quickly selected as Captain for her high school varsity field hockey team, followed by Junior Caption for the First Team of All-Essex County Field Hockey in 1988. That July she participated for the first time in the Garden State Games, won the Gold Medal as a member of the Northeast Team and was honored as their MVP. The 1989 season brought Rachel the Governor’s Cup Award and she was selected for the First Team of All-State Field Hockey.
Upon high school graduation in 1990 she was the recipient of the Montclair High School Sports Award and signed with American University in Washington D.C. as a forward in their Division A field hockey team. AU’s division played against colleges like Wake Forest, William & Mary, Duke, James Madison, Virginia Commonwealth, Georgetown and Old Dominion. Her academic major was International Relations which she completed in 1995 with a Bachelor of Science degree. During her stay at American University she was awarded full athletic scholarships for the fall semesters. Rachel always played as No. 13, with the position of middle field/forward.
As a Freshman in 1990 she became the AU leading scorer, with 10 goals & 3 assists. This season was the best for the AU field hockey team ever. Rachel holds the AU record for most goals in one game with four goals against Mount St. Mary‘s. In 1993, Rachel was named to the All-Conference First Team and Mid-Atlantic Regional Field Hockey All-Star Team.
Next up for Rachel, were the U.S. Olympic Festivals which were the showcase for athletes in anticipation of the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta. In 1993, Rachel was selected into the National Training Squad and was invited to participate in the U.S. Olympic Festival in San Antonio, Texas. In the Alamo Stadium in San Antonio, Rachel was No. 8 as Forward on the North Team which won the Silver Medal. She was invited again to participate in the 1994 U.S. Olympic Festival in St. Louis, Missouri. In St. Louis, Rachel was No. 14 as Forward on the South Team which won the Gold Medal.
In 1996, Rachel returned home to Provincetown High School to share her love and knowledge of field hockey with aspiring young athletes and became their field hockey coach for two years.
Rachel would be so proud to know that the Rachel Schwolow Memorial Fund will support female high school graduates with their goal to enter college and play on field hockey teams.
Thanks for making Rachel’s dreams come true!!
