NEW GIRLS FIELD HOCKEY TEAM

Fall 2016 Handbook Middle School (4th-8th Grade)

Program Overview New for 2016

About the Sport Important Dates

Locations / Times HS Schedule

Transportation Registration Equipment

FIH/NIT Indoor League F.A.Q

About Us/Contact

Overview

Middle School field hockey is here for girls grades 5-8th starting Fall 2016!! Those interested in playing on their public high school’s team will finally have a chance to get on a team of their own in middle school! Early exposure to the sport of field hockey is of great benefit for those looking to excel. Many schools in metro-detroit don't have the fields, coaches, and ability to run a MS program for their High School teams, but thanks to the help of Liggett, USA Field Hockey, SNAPtivities, and the Oakland Field Hockey Club, there will be an opportunity in your own back yard!

With two practices (and a third optional Sunday practice) each week, and games scheduled throughout the season, this is your chance to dive right into the sport. Coaching will be provided from some of the top coaches in the area — Coaches Derek Hall and Jayant Trewn. Additional support will be given by local GPN/GPS and Liggett high school players who bring an added element of skill building and fun!

The teams are supported by SNAPtivities, Liggett, and USA Field Hockey. The founder, Derek Hall, is a Level 2 USAFH coach, a region 9 futures coach, has taken teams to the National Indoor Tournament, and National Indoor Qualifiers, and is a coach at World Camp USA at Harvard. The game has transformed drastically over the past 20 years, so the coaching staff is always redesigning curriculum and using the latest practices to develop players for high school and beyond.

Basics For 2016

-With four successful travel teams in Bloomfield Hills and Birmingham, we decided to reach out to Grosse Pointe!

- Home field, Artificial Turf at University Liggett will be where practices and games are held. Fast and smooth moving ball.

- Zero experience required!! This is a perfect way for new players to learn the game and get an edge for HS!

- Our sponsors at Harrow Sports and Princess Field Hockey will be making our uniforms for 2016.

- In-depth pre-season with time spent understanding rules, strategy, referee signals, and more.

-Fun team building exercises in the pre-season to get to know new teammates from other schools!

- Complete team spirit-wear and warmup packages available.

- Fun practices, Exciting games against other teams, and an amazing workout!!

About the Sport

- Field Hockey is said to be the second most popular sport world-wide for both men and women, next to soccer.

- The play speed is quite fast, with the ball traveling at speeds over 90 miles per hour with certain hits.

- With a small heavy ball, and a thin rounded stick, there is room for both power and finesse. There is a fun trade off between powerful strikes and shots, and dribbling with calculation and purpose.

- The rules are extremely similar to soccer, 11v11, same field size, referee calls, but with a few clear distinctions.

- FH is an NCAA sport, with many more scholarships/college opportunities available when compared to other popular sports.

- Speed and intensity are at the heart of the sport — at the professional level, players run approximately 8 miles during any given game!

- Visit SNAPtivities.com or OaklandFH.com for videos on the basics, tricks, and full games.

Important Dates

Middle School

- UofM vs. Toronto August 21st - GPN vs. GPS HS Game August 24th - Registration deadline September 7th - Official season start September 14th - Last practice November 3rd - Free Summer Clinics TBD

Location / Times / Days

Field Locations - University Liggett School 1045 Cook Rd, Grosse Pointe Woods, MI 48236 - MS away game location sent via email

Times - MS games typically 4:30 A, 5:30 B - MS practice times 6-8pm Days - MS practices Mon, Wed - Optional Sunday night practices!!

MS Schedule (2016 game days to be released)

September 14 Wed practice6-9pm Liggett Hockey ready18 Sun optional3-5pm BH Lahser Join BH players and coach Derek Hall in Bloomfield HIlls!19 Mon practice6-8pm Liggett Hockey ready, Video Review21 Wed practice6-8pm Liggett Hockey ready25 Sun optional3-5pm BH Lahser Join BH players and coach Derek Hall in Bloomfield HIlls!26 Mon practice6-8pm Liggett Hockey ready28 Wed practice6-8pm Liggett Hockey ready

October 1 Sun optional3-5pm Lahser Join BH players and coach Derek Hall in Bloomfield HIlls!3 Mon practice6-8pm Liggett Hockey ready5 Wed practice6-8pm Liggett Hockey ready9 Sun optional3-5pm Lahser Join BH players and coach Derek Hall in Bloomfield HIlls!10 Mon practice6-8pm Liggett Hockey ready12 Wed practice6-8pm Liggett Hockey ready16 Sun optional3-5pm Lahser Join BH players and coach Derek Hall in Bloomfield HIlls!17 Mon practice6-8pm Liggett Hockey ready19 Wed practice6-8pm Liggett Hockey ready23 Sun optional3-5pm Lahser Join BH players and coach Derek Hall in Bloomfield HIlls!24 Mon practice6-8pm Liggett Hockey ready26 Wed practice6-8pm Liggett Hockey ready

End of Season Party! TBD

*MS GAME Schedule TBD

Transportation

- Transportation to/from MS games are responsibility of the players and parents.

- Players will be kept under supervision of coaching staff during practice hours, and must have prior notice given from an adult if they must leave for any reason.

- Carpooling is highly encouraged for home games and local away games. Great for bonding with teammates and limiting pollution! Please drive cautiously and keep distractions to a minimum!

Registration - After June 1st

1. PRE-REGISTER for team through OaklandFH.com

2. Uniform orders through OaklandFH.com

3. Payment is all done online, an electronic invoice will be sent out after Pre-registration is received

*All Grosse Pointe Public School players use same payment structure

*Liggett MS players are welcome to join practices at a discounted rate!

Equipment

Required Equipment - Stick ranging from $20 to $150. Ask for help choosing. - FH specific shin guards $20 through OFH - Cleats and Low Profile Turf shoes (for grass and turf) - Colored Mouth guard (custom mold to allow talking) - FH Eyewear, ASTM approved (most lacrosse work, $25) - Game uniform $45

Optional / Recommended - Dedicated FH bag - Team spiritwear/warmup packages (price TBD, +/- $60) - Reusable water bottle/jug (recycle!) - Energy bars for FH bag - NFHS rule book - USA Field Hockey membership (emails/magazines/etc)

*harrowsports.com and princessfieldhockey.com are sponsors of our club. Search through their website, and we can order it directly at a discounted price.

Winter ’17 FIH/NIT League

The Oakland Field Hockey Club is inviting ALL players from ALL High School and Middle School teams in Metro-Detroit to join us for our 4th year indoors.

Indoor Field Hockey is a FIH (International Hockey Federation) sanctioned sport, played on hard flooring, and is played professionally around the world. USA Field Hockey hosts the National Indoor Tournament, with hundreds of club teams competing across the country!

Starting in late November, round robin games will be held on Sunday afternoons. Top performing players will be given a chance to compete at the NIT of USA Field Hockey. League games and practices will be held at Cross of Christ Lutheran Church in Bloomfield Hills. We have the ability to make one regulation size field, or three 2/3 sized fields, allowing for multiple scrimmages against different teams throughout any given Sunday afternoon. Practices will be held on full field for select NIT athletes during the week. Players can make their own teams of 6, or be added to a team of players from other schools. Games will be with 3 field players on at a time, 15 minutes per game. All other rules will be taken from the National Indoor Tournament and the FIH.

This is an excellent way to be seen by college recruiters, gain dribbling skills, and work on quick decision making with the fast moving ball!! PRE-REGISTRATION IS OPEN AT OAKLANDFH.COM

F.A.Q. - Beginner? We have something for all grade levels! 2nd-12th grade… though most players in Michigan don’t start until high school, so its never too late! All players with athletic backgrounds can pick the game up quickly.

-Year round training? We are one of the few programs that offers year round training (though we are open to players from all schools) with extensive indoor training and off season clinics. We aim to build the best players we can, so there are more than a few outlets if you are looking for a serious commitment to the sport.

-Just the Fall season? Totally okay to just play Fall! This is the norm for most other players in the state. Many of our athletes are committed to other sports not allowing for all of the off season clinics and teams, so year round commitments are far from required!

- What about Goalies? Great footwork? Equipment is provided by the club (nearly $1200 worth of gear!!!) and private GK training is given to bring players to fullest potential — don’t hesitate to dive into it! There is a lot of action in goal and it can be quite exciting.

- Club or School? We are run as a travel team — some of the top performing teams in the states compete as clubs. The MHSAA doesn’t allow for travel teams to play high school teams, but FH is governed by the MHSFHA making this a possibility.

F.A.Q. - How competitive has the team been? Over the past few years we have managed to tie or beat some well established and competitive programs. The sport isn’t for the frail so tough practices and games allow for the tough to carry on, making us a strong group of players! Though this is a travel club, we are not your after school hangout club, but more similar to your high performance soccer clubs. Our Fall 2015 JV team in Bloomfield Hills went undefeated!!!

- What about Eyewear? It is not used during practices (and not used anywhere in the world outside of High School games in the U.S.) and actually decreases safety, limiting peripheral vision and promoting dangerous/improper swings. All USAFH events (youth-professional) and the NCAA PROHIBIT them, so we follow the same model. During games, however, they are required by NFHS, so we must wear them then.

- Why the new field? No mud, bumps, and rain days! The artificial turf allows for fast and consistent play as seen in college. As the game has evolved, grass has become outdated, not allowing for certain skills and styles of play. We are training players to be competitive for colleges, so this is a no brainer.

- What stick to get? It’s not an exact science. Most sticks work for all positions, but there are certain benefits to different styles. visit OaklandFH.com and princessfieldhockey.com for more info.

- Where to learn more? Best information on the sport can be found online, longstreth.com has tons of information, youtube.com has great instructional videos. OaklandFH.com has a vast amount of information.

About Us / Contact

Approximately 6 years Coach Genevieve Sports (now SNAPtivities) was asked to develop a Field Hockey Program. From scratch, we secured grants through USA Field Hockey, support from the local school districts, and ran hundreds of hours of free and developmental clinics in order to build Oakland Field Hockey to be what it is today. Starting Fall 2016 we are opening up a team for Grosse Pointe due to many requests. We are very happy to be able to bring the game to the young players of GP! For the past 20 years CGS/SNAPtivities has brought top notch athletic programing to Birmingham and Bloomfield, and this is no exception. We have a passion for developing children and young adults to be strong physically, but strong and resilient emotionally as well! The head coach and founder, Derek Hall, is a Level 2 USAFH coach, and a region 9 USAFH Futures coach. He has taken a team to the National Indoor Tournament (u14) and National Indoor Qualifiers (u16,) plays on a competitive east coast mens team, and is a coach at World Camp USA - Harvard. The game has transformed drastically over the past 20 years, so the coaching staff is always redesigning curriculum and using the latest practices to develop players for high school and beyond.

For further information visit OaklandFH.com or contact Coach Hall at (248) 266-0442 or DerekKHall@gmail.com