2001: Year of the Youth

The year 2001 is a celebration of youth in field hockey, as decreed by the International Hockey Federation. Sessions, camps, and galas are planned all over the world and will likely tie into major domestic events like the National Festival and the National Futures Tournament.

This website is devoting considerable space to the improvement among field hockey among younger players, especially high schools. It is disheartening to see players -- good players -- suffer in the scholastic field hockey wars because of inadequate coaching. Worse, the inadequate coaching can come not from incompetence, but from not knowing any better.

We at TopOfTheCircle.com share this concern. We have compiled a series of stories, essays, and opinions all dealing with the improvement of scholastic and recreational field hockey, especially in the United States. To that end, this portion of the site would like to be a catalyst for one important change: the recognition and expedited process of authentication of scholastic field hockey records.

The rules for American records to be authenticated are common-sense, but their application ensures that major media sports like football and basketball records will be recognized, but achievements in field hockey outside of most spots in the Northeast United States will not.

Consciencious coaches and athletic directors, as well as media sources, ensure that recognition is bestowed on those who do set records. In their absence, however, we have taken the present record book and interspersed marks known to The Founder which have not been included in the most recent edition. The American field hockey community deserves no less effort.

* A Motivation of the Month with youth in mind

* The FIH Year of the Youth website

* Whether wittingly or not, the United States is providing a unique example for other countries on empowering youth field hockey players through selection to three major national sides

* A youth player finds her passion through coaching young players

* A multilevel plan for field hockey success

* The biggest youth hockey league in the country

* FIH master coach Horst Wein on how the simplification of rules can help young players

* An on-line resource of scholastic field hockey records

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