All camps and all games have been hot all the time over the last week but for Coach KK’s “You Gotta Love It” field hockey camp at Rehoboth Elementary for grades 2 through 5 the resting athletes didn’t seem to mind as they did most drills close to the treeline. After a break three groups circled for a step through the hoola-hoop pass-around competition which would make a great Olympic sport especially if there were weight classes.
Camp coaches for this group included Michelle Roberts, who toured with the U16 national team; Alex Coverdale, a member of the U13 Futures tournament national team who is entering her eighth-grade year at Mariner; Maxine Fluharty, who played with the U21 national team this summer and who is just 14 years old and entering her sophomore year at Sussex Tech; Lindsay Danz, who was on the U19 Futures national team and headed to Bloomsburg, the Division II national champion in field hockey; and Mackenzie Peet, who was on the U16 Futures national team and is entering her sophomore season at St. Andrew’s.
Coach Kathleen Fluharty was a two-time, two sport All-American at Northwestern in field hockey and lacrosse. Then there was me taking pictures. I had to get on up out of there before I was tempted to talk about myself like I belonged out there.
DAY TRIPPERS - Trip Dyer is fresh off this senior year at Gettysburg College where he started on attack and helped the lacrosse team get to the semifinals of the Division III tournament where the Bullets lost to the Salisbury Gulls in overtime. In real life Bullets always win over Gulls. Trip conducted a lacrosse camp last week in conjunction with Kathleen Fluharty’s field hockey camp. Campers were from grades 4 through 8. Trip was an honorable mention United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association All-American for 2008.
OWN UP - I just showed up at Coach KK’s field hockey camp last Wednesday morning, not knowing two of my granddaughters would be there, and started taking pictures - you know - dragging the river for sports stories. Katie and Lizzie sprang to their feet and raced over, giving Fredman - that’s what they call me - a love hug. It made my day.
Flashing back to about 1962, I remember my maternal grandfather Casey, nicknamed after Casey Stengel of the Yankees and Met’s baseball manager. Casey lived with us and each night placed his dinner plate on the floor for Luigi the beagle. Casey, the third-ranked age group table tennis player in the country when he was 75, was a mean guy, and when he started to lose it he just got meaner. One hot summer day he walked a mile into the town of Penndel wearing pajama bottoms and a wool sweater buttoned over his head. A cop brought him back and let him out as I was shooting basketball in the driveway against a stucco backboard.
“Is this your grandfather? Better keep an eye on him,” the cop said.
“Never saw the guy,” I said, shooting a slingslot jumper and yelling, “Wally Jones!”
PITCH-CALLING DADDIES - Should a father at any level of little league with a son on the mound be calling pitches while a manager and two coaches endure the guy not wanting to “step it up” to a domestic dispute? What if dad is drinking between innings? Who can protect an athlete from his own parent? How about benching the kid? Is that fair? How about having the parent removed from the ball park so the athlete can concentrate on his catcher signaling 1 or 2? Trust me, over my long careers as a coach and a writer I have seen parents embarrass the child athlete in front of peers and fans and it is awkward for everyone.
WOODBRIDGE - I can’t remember a sports story of the Woodbridge girls rising up and winning a state Little League softball title and moving on the Eastern Regionals. The Woodbridge Little League Major All-Star Girls won the District III championship last week defeating the Seaford All-Stars. Then they went on to face the Canal and the Camden-Wyoming All-Stars in the bid for the Delaware State Championship this week. Woodbridge All-Stars won the state title Monday night upstate defeating Canal 13-0 to remain undefeated in all rounds in the bid for the title.
The team travels to Albany, N.Y. Friday, July 25, to represent Delaware in the Eastern Regional Tournament which is July 26 through Aug. 2. The winner will go to Portland, Ore. to play in the Little League World Series. Hailey Andrews pitched a no-hitter, 4-0, with 15 strike-outs, against Canal in their first matchup on Saturday, for Woodbridge’s second win. Nicole Widen pitched a no-hitter, 13-0, with nine strikeouts in the final matchup Monday against Canal for the title. Team members are Andrews, Devon Bitler, Tiarra Maddox, Nicole Widen, Kate Schroeder, Danielle Glenn, Daisjah Williams, Castaysha Lewis, Emily Chisenhall, Darian Scott, Kaitlyn Slater, Jessica Brawner. manager Chris Andrews and coach Bob Bitler.
Some of these girls played travel ball for the Delaware Magic, whose coach was Joe Bernheimer.
SNIPPETS The Cape Crusader, a nonprofit basketball club, will hold a barbeque chicken fundraiser and clothing drive Saturday, July 26, in the parking lot of the Salvation Army located on Route 1 just north of Rehoboth Beach. The barbecue begins at noon and runs through the dinner hours. All the monies raised will help support the Cape Crusader basketball program for kids ages 8-12. Clean out your closet, come out and stop by and buy a burger for a good cause. Delaware Blue Hens football is at Maryland on Aug. 30 with a game time of 6 p.m. This is the time to hook up tickets. I expect the Blue Hens to play the Terrapins tough and I know it is a frightening proposition to Maryland fans to even think about the possibility of losing to Delaware. Fear the chicken!
-
Sports Editor Emeritus
Email Fredman at fredman@capegazette.com
