500 field hockey wins and counting

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Chrissy Lewis Summers, head coach at the Potomac School in Mclean, Va. and owner of Beyond Sticks, writes from a unique perspective of losing to Coach Marsha Way and giving Way her 500th win. 

As the clock wound down on a perfect Fall day and the scoreboard loudly declared "Home: 1 Guest: 2" I knew we were about to join the ranks of literally hundreds of other field hockey teams who’ve come up short. Only one week earlier, our guests, St. Stephen's & St. Agnes School in Alexandria, Va., won their 500th game at home under the helm of head Coach Marsha Way. Since arriving at St. Agnes School (the school merged with St. Stephens School in 1991) in the fall of 1979, she has never missed a season as the varsity coach, even during her tenure as athletic director. Over 35 years, she has amassed an incredible 21 conference championships, 20 conference tournament championships, four Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association championships, and 12 undefeated seasons. 

"I was pleased it happened on our home turf. It is just surreal,” remarks Coach Way of the monumental win. Despite achieving a milestone few reach in any level of sport, she is humbled less by the number but by those around her. "I don't want the attention on myself. This happened because of every kid I've ever coached and every assistant coach I've ever had. We did it as a team." 

When comparing the game in her early coaching days to now, she is continually amazed at how the sport has evolved. “The kids are just more skilled. The game is much faster and the kids are faster. They can do more with their sticks. It’s great to watch.” Unlike some coaches, as the game evolved, so did Marsha and her staff.

Is there a secret to her success? According to Marsha, her “kids are simply hard workers”. Nonetheless, from what this coach can see, Marsha takes that work ethic, builds upon it, and instills a discipline in them that has created over 3 decades of consistently top level play. When asked to sum up her coaching mantra, it is beautifully simple and effective: “Work hard, play smart, and play as one team.” Her team doesn't just say it; they live it.

Although we plan on working to make sure their 501st win against our squad is her final win on our turf, there is no doubt we will not be the last team to see her players churn out another win for the record books. All under the listing “Head Coach: Marsha Way.”

Congratulations to a fellow coach on being a role model, on making those you play better, on honoring the game we all love, and finally, on scoring more than the other team for 35 years and counting.

 

Group to Create Sport of Stunt

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A second organization has announced plans to create a sport out of competitive cheerleading in an effort to get competitions recognized by the N.C.A.A. A week after USA Gymnastics announced it would oversee meets among the six colleges that have had varsity competitive cheer teams, a competing plan was introduced by USA Cheer.

The governing body said it was teaming with 15 colleges to create the sport of stunt. Events approved by USA Gymnastics will be called team acrobatics and tumbling. Both efforts stem from a recent federal court ruling that found competitive cheerleading was not established enough to meet the federal gender equity requirements of a Title IX sport.

MLS penalizes Chivas USA's De Luna and Montreal

Soccer Instruction DVD's

NEW YORK -- Chivas USA defender Mario De Luna has been fined for violent conduct in the team's Sept. 21 game against Houston.

Major League Soccer said Wednesday that De Luna's action against Dynamo midfielder Brad Davis in the 44th minute didn't warrant a suspension.

In another case, the league said that both the Montreal Impact and Vancouver Whitecaps violated the mass confrontation policy in the 38th minute of their Sept. 20 game.

The Impact was fined $10,000 and coach Marco Schallibaum was hit with a $2,000 penalty because it was the club's third infraction. Vancouver received an official warning.


Copyright 2013 by The Associated Press 

US Women sweep past Mexico in Field Hockey

Sponsored by: Field Hockey Instruction DVD's from Sports Nation Video

MENDOZA, Argentina – September 21, 2013 – Under brisk weather conditions and a flurry of snow, the U.S. Women kicked-off the Pan American Cup this afternoon in notable fashion. The squad created multiple scoring opportunities throughout the match, which resulted in goals from five different U.S. athletes. Team USA was able to continue their first-half lead momentum against Mexico to finish the game 6-0.

“The players were very eager to get going today, so it was nice to win in the first game of the tournament,” said U.S. Women’s Head Coach, Craig Parnham.“It is also pleasing that there have been multiple goal scorers. It was a great team effort today.”

The passing sequences throughout the first half created multiple circle entries, which led Team USA to capitalize on three quick corners. The U.S. converted on the third and fourth penalty corners as Katelyn Falgowski (Landenber, Pa.) and Jamie Montgomery (Lewisburg, Pa.) each found the back of the cage. Katie O’Donnell (Blue Bell, Pa.) closed out the first half of the match by scoring the third goal off a deflected ball in the circle.

“It was great to get a game under our belts,” said U.S Women’s Captain, Lauren Crandall. “Our main focus today was making sure we connected through each of our lines and to start the tournament off on the right foot.”

As the umpire blew the whistle and motioned the start of the second half, Team USA remained relentless. Katie Reinprecht (Perkasie, Pa.) opened the door of scoring by deflecting a shot by Rachel Dawson (Berlin, N.J.). Reinprecht answered again finishing off a beautiful cross ball into the circle by Montgomery. Paige Selenski (Shavertown, Pa.) scored the final goal of the match on diving effort in front of the cage to solidify the win.

“It is always a team effort,” said Crandall. “The individual skills are important but collectively as a team it takes hard work from everyone to succeed and that is exactly what happened here today.”

“There is still some work to do,” Parnham said. "We were able to create multiple opportunities but we need to be able to convert on more of our chances in the next few games.

Team USA will take the pitch tomorrow, September 22 at 12:30 p.m. ET against Chile and will end pool play against Uruguay on Tuesday, September 24, 3 p.m. ET. The semi-finals are scheduled for Thursday, September 26 and the medal matches on Saturday, September 28.

To support Team USA as they embark on their Pan Am Cup journey in Mendoza, Argentina, follow our Twitter handle @USAFieldHockey for the latest news and live updates. Go USA!

 

Cheerleading Loses a Title IX Ruling

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A federal appeals court ruled that colleges cannot count competitive cheerleading as a sport when trying to comply with gender-equity requirements, upholding a United States District Court decision against Quinnipiac University. In a decision released Tuesday, the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit found that competitive cheerleading does not yet meet the standards of a varsity sport under Title IX, the 1972 federal law that mandates equal opportunities for men and women in education and athletics.

The ruling came on an appeal filed by Quinnipiac, which had been successfully sued by its volleyball coach after it tried to eliminate the women’s volleyball program in favor of competitive cheering. Quinnipiac did not indicate whether it would appeal the latest decision to the United States Supreme Court.

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS and ZACH SCHONBRUN

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Field Hockey Goalkeeping Coaching DVD

Summery: Former Penn State field hockey great Annie Zinkavich presents the ultimate instructional DVD for players of all skill levels as well as the men and women who coach them.

Zinkavich packs her intensive, hour-long presentation with a straightforward explanation of more than 20 specific, performance-improving drills for both experienced and inexperienced goalkeepers. 

The fundamentals of each drill are taught using easy-to-follow, step-by-step demonstrations in slow motion and real time. In addition, as she moves through each drill, Zinkavich anticipates your questions and answers them with tips taken from her vast experience as an accomplished athlete and successful coach.

Zinkavich breaks down the goalkeeper position, covering the basics of footwork and kicking angles followed by advanced techniques for experienced players. 

She opens with a series of footwork drills to create explosiveness and quick lateral movements. Daily drills to improve kicking are next followed by techniques to enhance lunges, ariels, half-highs and more. 

The proven tactics presented in this DVD will teach players how to cover ground quickly with short, explosive steps; how to manage longer distances effectively; and how to change body positions for proper tackling angles.

This DVD covers nearly every aspect of developing quicker, more explosive goalkeepers. It's an essential tool for aspiring goalkeepers and coaches who are serious about defense.

Review: The coaching skills demonstrated in the field show that this coach really knows the game and is high experienced as a field hockey coach. The drills and exercises are excellent for teams at all levels. The camera angles and footage are very well shot and edited. Overall, this DVD gets our highest rating of five stars! 

Field Hockey Goalkeeping Coaching DVD

Stick Work Progressions for Field Hockey Video

with Jan Trapp,
Messiah College Head Coach; over 500 career victories;
2010 NCAA Division III National runner-up; 10x MAC Conference Coach of the Year;
Featuring the Messiah College Coaching Staff
Jan Trapp and the Messiah College staff take you through the techniques and drills for teaching and developing proper stick work. Coach Trapp has won over 500 games in her career at Messiah and her teams have been invited to the NCAA tournament over 20 times with 14 of those teams reaching the Final Four.

Coach Trapp's drills begin with basic principles and build up to more advanced principles. The DVD begins with stationary stick work drills involving the ready position concentrating on footwork and balance - the keys to good stickwork. 

Trapp slowly adds movement to the drills combining ball handling, footwork, passing with spin, slip, flop, pull back and lift techniques. The progression ends with shots out of the movements. Each drill trains the players to keep their body and sticks low to ensure consistent ball control. These drills will help your athletes build speed and quickness while carrying the ball down the field and to put more drive behind their shot. 

Building on the ball control drills, the staff demonstrates drills to improve passing and receiving skills while on the move. This segment includes a 2-on-0 drill to develop ball control, passing and receiving skills and a five-point drill for receiving passes on the move from a longer distance. These drills reinforce low body position, soft hands, passing accuracy and timing. Using these drills, your players will learn to cut to get open and receive a pass with pressure or get practice intercepting passes. 

All of the skills taught throughout the video culminate in a 3-on-2, 2-on-1 drill that simulates game action. 

This comprehensive DVD will provide you with the tools you need to bring out the best in your athletes' ball control skills!

Stick Work Progressions for Field Hockey Video

How to Play Field Hockeyh Goalkeeping Instructional DVD

Marybeth Freeman has shared in two NCAA Championships as a player and three NCAA Championships as an assistant coach. In this on-field presentation, Coach Freeman expands on her best-selling DVD "Becoming a Champion Goalkeeper" by sharing advanced techniques and tactics for the goalkeeper position. 

Coach Freeman uses live demonstrations to teach the techniques and drills you need to advance your skill set.

•Kicking - Get a quick overview of the fundamental techniques to successfully jab and lunge.
•Diving - Learn to read the three situations when goalkeepers must dive.
•Dive to Save - Learn the proper diving form, the creeping technique to help defend rebound shots and how to cover vertical space.
•Dive to Intercept - Develop the skill of "preventive hockey," intercept the pass before it becomes a shot on goal.
•Dive to Tackle - Learn the correct technique and how to time the tackle correctly.
•1-on-1 Situations - Learn to engage the attacker, keep the ball in front of you and time your tackle. Especially helpful with the new shoot-out rules.
•Down-Number Situations - Get tips on how to come out of goal and work in tandem with your defender in a down-number situation.
Come to practice this season with a new set of goalkeeping tactics and techniques and take your goalkeeping from good to great! 

How to Play Field Hockeyh Goalkeeping Instructional DVD

Goal Scoring Skills and Drills for Field Hockey DVDs

National championship coach Tjerk van Herwaarden demonstrates more than 10 simple exercises that focus on improving the power, accuracy and quickness of your shot.

van Herwaarden teaches effective scoring skills that can be used in a variety of game situations:

• Shooting off of a move
• Shooting off of a pass while facing the goal
• Shooting off of a pass with your back to the goal
• One touch scoring
• Scoring close to the goal

Starting at the top of the circle, van Herwaarden focuses demonstrates how to execute the basic shot and the reverse shot. The reverse shot is an important skill for every player as it is difficult for the keeper to track and makes it difficult to defend the attacker. Another area of focus in these drills is the ability to take the ball away from the defense to create space for a shot.

Goal Scoring Skills and Drills for Field Hockey DVDs

Individual Skill Development Drills for Field Hockey Coaching

Tjerk Van Herwaarden diagrams and explains 30 drills for field hockey in the areas of basic skills, defense, team basics and goal scoring. Van Herwaarden discusses a variety of things to emphasize in your training: developmental phases for building skills, how to improve your players' technical skills and how to determine your coaching emphasis. Beginning with the basic skills, Van Herwaarden guides you through drills in the areas of dribbling and passing. Van Herwaarden follows that with defensive drills that work on channeling, jabbing, tackling, double teams and team defense. Building on these elements, Van Herwaarden shares drills for team basics featuring 2 vs. 1 and 3 vs. 2 drills. Van Herwaarden wraps up this instructional field hockey DVD with goal scoring drills that work on the reverse hit, footwork and scoring, endline scoring, bridge scoring, 1 vs. 1 scoring and rebound scoring. With the theory and explanation of these drills, you will be able to build your practices to turn your team into a championship team. 2009. DVD.

Individual Skill Development Drills for Field Hockey Coaching