And they’re off to the races.

Today, the Terrapin field hockey team will depart through a gate at Baltimore/Washington International Airport and arrive about two hours later in Louisville, Ky., less than 10 minutes from the gates at Churchill Downs, home of the Kentucky Derby.

But with the Terps’ minds on a third NCAA championship in four years, there’s not much focus on sight-seeing in Derby City.

The team will stick to a strict itinerary throughout the trip. The goal: simulate a standard week of practice.

“We’re at the Marriott downtown, we’ll get accommodated there and then on Thursday, we’ve got practice time at 9 in the morning, and then we’ll spend some time doing video prep,” coach Missy Meharg said. “It’s just the consistencies and the rituals for the coaching staff and the players to know that there’s nothing that’s different. Every single game, day before a game, preparation is the same.”

The players appreciate those consistencies.

Playing in the ACC, the Terps rarely travel overnight. When it comes time for the end-of-season tournaments, things are a little different. This makes it more important than ever to keep things the same.

“I really like the structure because I know, since I’ve been here freshman year, it’s very much strategic what we do, and I know what’s coming up next,” back Ellen Ott said. “My body has adapted to it, that I’m on a good schedule. It prepares me really well for the games.”

But it’s not all work – some downtime is also on the schedule.

The Terps call it “legs up” time, and they use it for a myriad of activities – most unrelated to field hockey.

“It’s a fun time to interact with people you don’t necessarily interact with too much, other than on the field,” forward Katie O’Donnell said.

So what do the Terps talk about?

“Boys and school and the fun stuff,” O’Donnell said. “Not so much field hockey. It’s our time to get away.”

And when the Terps aren’t getting away from field hockey, they are happy to escape the pressures of home.

Removal from school, friends and other distractions helps the Terps focus on the task at hand, and puts them in what O’Donnell called “field hockey mode.”

And the team will also experience a bit of Louisville during the trip.

On Thursday, the NCAA is hosting a trip to the Muhammad Ali Center, and the Terps plan on sticking around for the final Sunday and hitting downtown for dinner on Saturday night.

“It’s kind of neat, because the last time we were there, in 2005 [for the final four], the museum was just opening, so it will fun for us to go back and see that,” Meharg said. “And you know, hopefully Saturday night we’ve got our feelers out for Terps who are living in the area to make sure we get to the neatest restaurant we can possibly go to – something indigenous to Louisville.”

mkatzdbk@gmail.com