She had not been in London, but 14-year-old Cassidy Goodwin returned home to Gloucester on Aug. 4 with a bronze medal. Goodwin was awarded her medal as a member of the field hockey team that placed third overall in the AAU Junior Olympics held in New Orleans, La.

This was Goodwin’s second AAU Junior Olympics appearance. She also attended the athletic competition last year in New Orleans, where she notched her first bronze medal in field hockey. Junior Olympics field hockey competitors are selected from among participants in the USA Field Hockey Futures Program.

Goodwin said she first became interested in field hockey because some of her friends played. She began playing as a fourth grade student when she joined the Gloucester Parks and Recreation field hockey program. She currently plays on a travel team and will compete for Gloucester High School this fall.

Mike Miller, the head coach for the GHS field hockey program, was happy to add Goodwin to his roster. "She...