“We’re such boxes; neat and orderly, everything is a set standard…on the field you get to show who you are, you get to feel it, let yourself go a little. That’s what I identify with”

Azure participates in sports because she loves it. She also is involved because of the camaraderie and the feelings you can express and receive from sports. As a kid, it was her outlet and she felt as if it was just automatic for her. She was successful in soccer since she was a naturally fast kid and very athletic. Growing up in what Azure calls “small town America” she feels as though she was given a lot of opportunities to participate in sports. She does not think that girls were treated that differently in her community involving sports. As Azure continued in sports, they instituted new rules as the games evolved. Other than the rules the only challenge she faced as an athlete was the size of the field and adapting to that.
Starting out, soccer was her favorite sport because it held her identity. Moving onto high school Azure says that her freshmen year of softball was one of the greatest experiences she ever had. Having participated in track her 7th and 8th grade seasons, she moved to softball in 9th and was moved to varsity after one JV game. As she moved to college however, her favorite became lacrosse.

“My place in the world became more solidified”

After her injury in high school, the colleges weren't exactly scouting her anywhere because she missed her junior and senior years, but she found Hamilton College because, she had gone to soccer camp there one year and liked the dorms. This is a very different approach than what most other athletes with the same ability may have used to aid their decision in a school, but it worked for Azure.

Once in college, Azure felt more clear about where her life was supposed to go. At this level, she admits that athletes in college are probably treated differently that those who are not. But, she also mentions that this is true for any status held at this level because anywhere that you are in the spotlight and able to showcase your abilities brings more attention for you.
There were differences between her teammates and coaches in college. Azure describes the relationships with them as more intimate than previous experiences. Her teammates in college were much closer to her because “you eat, sleep, and breathe with them”. It is really not possible to be anything but close. In high school she was not as open in response to the rigid coaching she experienced. She felt as though she really couldn’t be herself with that kind of structure. In college, she had many different styles of coaching but she was able to become a lot closer and know them more on a personal level in some cases.
Azure was extremely successful at this level of sports. She graduated from Hamilton College in 2000 but before that she managed to do pretty well in soccer, squash, and lacrosse. Azure played four years of soccer as a goalkeeper. She earned regional All-America, New York State Women’s Collegiate Athletic Association, and Upstate Collegiate Athletic Association honors.
For her one year of lacrosse that she played as a senior she earned all-conference and all state honors on a team that went to the NCAA Division III quarterfinals. Davey doesn’t discuss her recognition as much as she recalls her experience with lacrosse one of her most proud moments. “I was completely out of my comfort zone and excelling. It was an incredible experience”.

“People gain their soul, compassion, confidence…find their being”

Azure believes that no matter what your thing is, confidence should be what you acquire from it. Whether it’s art or sports she believes that it is the most important quality that you can learn from what you love to do. Azure also feels that what makes a bad teammate is lack of commitment to the overall project. This is also true outside of sports in everything else because you can’t spoon-feed that kind of devotion to people; it needs to be a common vision. Although Davey has spent a long time participating in sports, she does not regret any of it because she was able to balance her interests enough to her liking.