Maryland-DC Field Hockey Association

Several hockey camps aimed at players with widely varying skill levels will occur in the next few weeks at the Champions Field House in Rockville.

The first, a version of the well-known World Camps, starts this weekend (Saturday, July 31) and runs 9 am to 5 pm daily through Tuesday, Aug. 3. The camp features coaches from Holland teaching European techniques and skills — see the website link below for more details about this unique opportunity.

Then the week of Aug. 9 two camps will run concurrently: A JV/Varsity camp to help girls get ready for high school tryouts and a beginner camp for girls ages 8 to 14. Both run from 9 am to 1 pm inside the air-conditioned building.

Details, costs and registration are at http://www.championsfieldhouse.com/fhockey_events.shtm#youthcamps

Girls looking for a nearby camp for the end of the summer should check out the Field Hockey Star camp at St. Andrews Episcopal School between Potomac and Rockville.

The camp has three sessions and is run by Cay Miller, the hockey coach at Churchill high school, Gina Grubb, coach at Poolesville and recent college graduates and Churchill alums Amanda and Jennifer Saber.

The camp is open to girls ages 12 to 17, and starts with the first of two afternoon-only week-long clinics on Monday (July 26). All play is on the St. Andrews turf field.

The sessions include:

• July 26-30: Intense Afternoon Clinic: 3 pm to 6 pm. Cost is $200.
• August 2-6: Intense Afternoon Clinic: 3pm to 6 pm. Cost $200.
• August 9-13: Preseason Prep Camp: 9am to 3:30 pm. Campers can sign up to attend all day ($300), mornings only (9 am to noon, $200) or afternoons only (1 pm to 3:30 pm, $150).

Full details are on the camp website.

Organizers of the Summer Smash Tournament in late July are looking for adult and U19 teams to play in a 7-v-7 half-field contest on turf fields in Howard County.

The tourney, co-sponsored by the Baltimore Field Hockey Association and the Howard County Parks and Recreation Department, is billed as the second annual Summer Smash. Up to 64 teams can participate in either the adult or U19 divisions

Registration for the July 24-25 tournament closes July 9. Download the tournament flyer (pdf or doc) for details.

US Field Hockey has announced the clubs selected to play in the National Hockey Festival in Phoenix, AZ in November.

Maryland teams:

Full list here.

It may not be in Maryland, but there’s an interesting training opportunity in southeastern Pennsylvania on May 16 (a Sunday).

Beth Anders, the head coach at Old Dominion University who has won a record 9 NCAA field hockey championships, will teach players how to practice on their own to develop their skills and then participants will play in small scrimmages to work on vision and awareness.

The $85 session is 10 am to 3 pm at The Training Center just outside Pottstown, Pa. The address is 88 Wells Road, Spring City, but if you’ve ever been to Longstreth’s, the center is across the main road. The center, home to the WC Eagles, is about three hours by car from Rockville.

Space is limited to the first 40 girls who sign up.

Details and sign-up forms are on the center’s website.

Location is below:

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The US women’s olympic team will play Argentina in a five-game series at American University starting May 13.

Admission to the matches on May 13, 15, 16, 18 and 19 is free.

The roster includes two players from the University of Maryland, which finished second in the NCAA hockey tournament to North Carolina.

Details.

The only World Camp to be held in Maryland this summer has a dozen or so spots left for girls seeking an intense day camp.

The camp is July 31 through Aug. 3, from 9 am to 5 pm each day, indoors on turf at the Champions Field House in Rockville, MD. Cost is $475 per player.

The coaching staff for the camp is assembled in Holland and flown to the USA exclusively for the World Camps, according to information (scroll down a little) at the Champions website. Other World Camps are being held in southeastern Pennsylvania and sold out months ago.

Visit the website to register.

A special U12- and U14-only tournament will be held in late May at the University of Maryland.

“We thought it was about time to focus on our younger hockey players, to help develop their skills and give them an opportunity to compete amongst their peers,” said organizer Marybeth Freeman in an email announcing the inaugural Mini May Madness tourney on May 29.

The 11 v 11 tournament will run from 8 am to 6 pm on the university’s intramural turf fields next to the Comcast Center. Each team will play at least five games. There will also be a 45-minute skills demonstration and clinic by UMd players and staff.

Cost is $50 per player (with a minimum of 12). A $200 deposit and a completed registration form (which also contains more information about the event) is required to reserve a spot in the tournament. Team balances will be taken at check-in and health waivers will be sent with confirmation e-mail after deposit has been received.

Deadline is May 21.

More information is at marylandfieldhockeycamp@umd.edu.

The play day scheduled for April 24 at the University of Maryland has an opening for one more U19 squad, organizers report (as of April 5).

The tournament will last all day and is open to club teams and high school teams with U16 and U19 players.

Cost is $400 per team and includes five 25-minute games and an instructional clinic with the UMd coaching staff. See flyer or email fieldhockey@umd.edu.

Washington College on the eastern shore is hosting two camps this year in June and July.

The first session is an evening camp called “Victory Week” starting June 25 for athletes aged 8 and up.

Director and WC Coach Rachel Boyle’s flyer on the camp describes its mission to instruct individuals of varied ages on basic fundamentals and execution of the fundamentals of field hockey in a competitive format. The sessions will focus on specific field hockey skills and techniques with great emphasis placed on team tactics.

The fee for an individual is $85. For members of a team of at least 10, the cost drops to $45 (registration form).

In July, the college hosts a Revolution Camp for girls aged 10 to 18. The four-day camp starts on July 25.

Cost is $495 for overnight campers and $405 for day campers.