After Lisa Taub’04 graduated from the State University of New York at New Paltz with a degree in art history and childhood education, she moved back to Long Island to complete an MS Ed in childhood education at Five Towns College while working as a substitute teacher. Eventually she became a first grade teacher at NYC DOE.
However, she found herself missing the atmosphere of athletics. In 2008 she received her teaching license in physical education and became a PE teacher at the school she worked at, a title she has held for the last eight years.
Athletics has always held a special place for the former field hockey player and although Taub has left her years of collegiate competition behind her, she still enjoys participating in sports.
“It’s in my DNA,” said Taub. “I don’t know what it would be like not to be playing a sport or ‘having a game’.”
Her path in athletics began in middle school when Taub decided to participate on an organized sports team for the first time. However when she noticed how many people were signing up for soccer, her first choice, she shifted her attention to the field hockey list.
“I saw how long the list was for soccer … and thought, the field hockey sign-up sheet is shorter I have a better chance of making that team, which I did that year,” said Taub.
After one season she was hooked on the sport and after borrowing a school stick to play with, Taub received her own field hockey stick that Christmas.
“Even though I was small, I never gave up and I am grateful for Coach Robertson who gave me a chance,” said Taub.
Taub was also fortunate enough to have her twin sister Allison join her the following year. Although the girls were separated for one season, with one sister playing on the varsity team while the other was playing junior varsity, they were never far apart as their respective teams played on side-by-side fields.
During high school Taub ended up being recruited by former field hockey coach Heather Mackay for New Paltz’s inaugural season. Taub and her sister visited on a weekend and soon enough Taub knew this was where she wanted to be, despite being accepted to seven other schools.
“I never visited another [school], New Paltz was a natural fit,” said Taub. “I felt like I already had a place on the team and I was welcomed warmly.”
The weekend visit also impacted Allison who decided to attend New Paltz as well.
“We never discussed attending the same school for college,” said Taub. “I think we both knew it was going to be our fate after that weekend visit.
“The one conscious thing we did was dorm separately because we had shared a bedroom for 18 years and felt like it was time to spread out a bit, if still at the same college.”
Their sisterly bond carried over onto the playing field, as the girls became each other’s mutual support system.
“We always held the other accountable and pushed one another harder than anyone else could even without discussion,” said Taub.
As the team began to lay down its roots during her tenure, the main objective was to defeat SUNY Oneonta, which became a reality in Taub’s sophomore year when the team beat the Red Dragons, 2-1.
“I think it was when we finally beat Oneonta that we gained more confidence in ourselves as a team.”
Since Taub’s time with the team, New Paltz field hockey has become one of the strongest programs in the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC), having won its fourth consecutive conference title this past season.
Although it has been over a decade since she last competed at New Paltz, Taub maintains the mentality of an athlete and attributes her experience to how she carries herself throughout her career.
“My time as a student-athlete has helped me in my post-graduate life in that I do not give up that easily nor accept mediocrity from myself,” said Taub. “I hold myself to standards that I was always held to as an athlete on the field.
“I feel that my time at New Paltz has prepared me for what I do now by driving my work ethic and desire to have an impact on the students I teach.”
