TopOfTheCountry 2003: Voorhees Eastern (N.J.)

The Vikings of Eastern Camden County Junior-Senior High School are all "fives" after taking their fifth straight state championship. And just as important, for the second straight season, they have taken home the TopOfTheCountry trophy, presented to the team after their 6-0 victory in the 2003 New Jersey Group IV title game.

The TopOfTheCountry trophy is four feet high, topped with an oversized white sphere, representing the pinnacle of the game in the United States.

The four different-colored spindles symbolize the factors upon which the game is built:

* The green spindle is for the vibrant youth field hockey culture, both in scholastic and club play;

* The navy spindle is for the national team program, to which all field hockey players can aspire;

* The red spindle symbolizes the blood and sweat of all those players and coaches who have sacrificed their time, selves, and souls for the game of field hockey; and

* The light blue spindle is for supporters of field hockey, whether parents, friends, or just plain fans.

It is an award given to a team which broke through the Federation record for consecutive games without a loss. But in a more abstract sense, this team may be ready to ascend the list of all-time great teams such as those playing for Centereach (N.Y.) in the early 80s, the Escondido San Pasqual (Calif.) teams of the mid-1990s, and some of the Frank W. Cox teams of the late 1980s.