March 12, 2007 — The Boys in Blue are in

March 13, 2007 at 11:43 am · Filed under Uncategorized and tagged: Field hockey

The U.S. men’s national field hockey team made it into the Pan American Games by blowing open a tense third game and running out 6-1 winners over Mexico yesterday. The result gave the Boys in Blue a 2-0-1 record over El Tri in the three-match series.

Leading the U.S. in scoring with three goals apiece were Binh Hoang and Jon Ginolfi, who have taken different roads to get to the national team.

Hoang was part of the 1996 Olympic Team that played in Atlanta and a 14-year veteran of the U.S. system. Ginolfi is an 18-year-old whose experience in field hockey comes from a geographic accident. He attended Moorpark High School, hard by the High Performance Training Facility in town, and took up field hockey at a young age. He was in the U.S. youth system in 2001 when he was barely a teenager.

Ginolfi’s development, and that of other males in the U.S. field hockey system, would be enhanced if more boys’ field hockey teams were offered on the varsity level. But they are scarcer than girls’ football teams, regrettably.

Here’s where I think boys’ field hockey could be instituted with a minimum amount of fuss:

1. Moorpark (Calif.) — Did you know the school offers varsity skateboarding and surfing? It would be easy to add field hockey there and at some rival schools because of the nearby High Performance center.
2. Woonsocket Mount St. Joseph’s (R.I.) — Three years ago, the boys’ ice hockey team lost the state championship for the first time in 18 years. In looking to regain an edge, dry-land and skills training through field hockey may help this team and inspire its rivals throughout New England to do the same.
3. Mendham Delbarton School (N.J.) — Plays a field hockey friendly every November against St. Elizabeth’s Academy. A team here may spawn teams at other all-boys’ schools in northern New Jersey.
4. Hightstown Peddie School (N.J.) — A school with many international students, and an indoor turf surface which used to be the school’s ice hockey rink.
5. Edison (N.J.) — An area of north-central New Jersey with good schools and a heavy immigrant population from the Indian subcontinent.
6. Simsbury (Conn.) — At one point, there were enough participants for a boys’ varsity team, but instead served as the school’s scrimmage team for a championship-level girls’ varsity program.
7. Woodberry (Va.) Forest School — Has had a traditional friendly with Chatham (Va.) Hall at the end of the season. It could help develop other teams at private schools in the region such as St. Stephen’s & St. Agnes.
8. Camarillo Adolfo Camarillo (Calif.) — Several members of the U.S. team pool hail from here.
9. Washington International School (D.C.) — At least one Futures player came from here; a team or two at neighboring institutions like Sidwell may only enhance competition.
10. West Windsor-Plainsboro North and South (N.J.) — Several males came out for field hockey when there was only one school in the district. Strong traditions in field hockey and ice hockey, and an instant rivalry would ensue.

What do you think? Can boys’ field hockey be a varsity sport in other areas of the country?

Permalink