Across the east county, girls turned off alarms and shook out the cobwebs after a long summer of sleeping in. They fueled up, filed water bottles and collected gear. They left their homes under a golden moon, low on the horizon. A string of head lights converged on the field from all sides. The girls gathered their things and rolled out of cars wandered together and chatted quietly. The girls began what was to be a long hard day, a day where the girls would be driven and tested to their limits. It was time to see who had the drive and determination to become part of the team. Today was the day of the 2008 Kent Island Field Hockey Tryouts!
Right now on a lonely field a hockey team is out there practicing!
The girls taped up legs and ankles, finished putting on gear and stretched out in the dawn hour. Not until the girls had completed strength drills and started their seven lap long run did the sun finally surface. They took a short water break and began a sprint set. The sprinkler system had been running since their arrival so the coaches had to move between three fields to dodge the water. After the sprints the girls were given a 10 minute break to rest and have some water.
Nothing is Getting By Us
The girls moved to the soccer field to begin the first drills with sticks. They did series of ball control and passing drills to warm up and demonstrate competence. The goalies suited up to prepare for shooting drills for the remainder of the tryout. The girls returned to the main field and continued passing drills in groups. The four goalies warmed up doing kicking drills into the box. The coach then setup a whole field passing drill at game speed to get the girls ready for shooting drills.
After a short break the coach divided the group in two and began a series of attack drills. Each group would play one half of the field. He had a defender insert from the back line to a series of three or four offensive players. Two defenders would move up and challenge to drive the ball away. The coach would instruct here and there to point out positioning problems or to suggest alternatives. The drill was changed several times to add more offensive or defensive players or to stretch the distance to the goal.
Good Job Girls
The girls got a break after about an hour. The coach set up two goal pairs running sideline to sideline and began a 3 x 3 drill with all goalies on hand. As with all the drills he rotated players through the drill to get a look how they played and communicated. The remaining 20 minutes of the tryout was reserved for scrimmage. The coach had time for one substitution of four before time ran out. He had the girls huddle at the fifty and encouraged them, thanked them closing out with a cheer. The parents greeted and congratulated the girls as they walked off the field. The prepared a brunch for the girls for after tryouts. The girls eagerly dug in and found a spot on the field to share stories and relax.
The determination of the group was clear from the outset. They worked very hard and drove themselves without provocation. However it turns out, all of the girls should be proud of their work.
KIFieldHockey
