On Sunday, July 26th Longstreth hosted a Grow the Game Clinic in Ocean City, New Jersey at Ocean City High School. The clinic featured an elite coaching staff made up of 8 current and former collegiate field hockey players including;
Gabby Balzano, St. Joe’s (Grays Ambassador)
Callen Todd, Drexel (Gryphon Ambassador)
Jillian Tetzlaff, TCNJ (Ritual Ambassador)
Maddi Sears, Villanova (OBO Ambassador)
Reagan Stauts, Temple (Gryphon Ambassador)
Kara Heck, UNC
Shannon Hanratty, Salisbury
+ special guest coach, Kylie Kelce, Cabrini
65 athletes ranging 7-14 years old were a part of a 2-hour skills session working on fundamentals of the game while expanding their skill set. In addition to the field hockey fun, Her First Athletics provided pre-clinic activities for all participants and Goodness Bowls of Sea Isle supplied complimentary smoothie bowls and protein bites. Learn more about Her First Athletics and Goodness Bowls.
“The clinic was amazing. It was a morning of great hockey, lots of learning, and smiles all around. All the girls were eager to learn and soak up all the hockey knowledge they could get. All the coaches were excited to get to grow the game we all grew up loving. It was an upbeat and exciting atmosphere.
- Callen Todd
“I felt the clinic went really well. The kids wanted to learn from us and from Kylie. My station was focused on passing accuracy and stick to stick passing and I felt as the drill went on the players started to feel more comfortable and were able to apply the corrections we gave them. It was so awesome watching them so invested in the day and wanting to get better and learn more while also having fun! My favorite part of the day had to be watching how excited they got when we gave them a compliment. Being able to highlight something good that a player did boost their confidence, and you could see them light up from it. Overall, it’s so awesome watching younger girls fall in the love with the sport that we love as well.”
- Gabby Balzano
“I really enjoyed the clinic in Ocean City! I had the opportunity to work with young players on elimination and stick skills, and it was so rewarding to watch their confidence grow. Seeing the players improve with every drill reminded me why I fell in love with field hockey in the first place. I look forward to continuing to help the next generation of players develop both their skills and their passion for the game.”
- Jillian Tetzlaff
Thank you to everyone who helped make the clinic such a success. Special THANK YOU to Kylie Kelce for teaming up with us for another chance to help grow the game! For more clinic opportunities be sure to follow us on all social media platforms and sign up for our email list.
