Edythe Dyer is hoping to generate interest in field hockey and get more people to play the sport by forming a club program and hosting clinics for all ages.
The clinics will take place over the next six Saturdays at Fields4Kids in Bangor. Dyer intends to add more clinics in the spring and the summer.
Dyer is the chief operating officer of Black Bear Elite North, which is partnering with Belfast-based Black Bear Elite, an indoor travel club whose teams travel all over the east coast to play.
“I want to try to get field hockey sticks in the hands of kids throughout the year and keep them interested,” said Dyer, the Hampden Academy field hockey coach and former coach at Bangor High and John Bapst High in Bangor.
Dyer is concerned about the low numbers of players, especially in portions of eastern Maine. She would love to see the high schools in Greater Bangor become more successful in field hockey and is hoping Black Bear Elite North can help make that possible.
Of the seven schools in the Bangor area that offer field hockey — Bangor, Brewer, Hampden Academy, Hermon, John Bapst, Old Town and Orono — the only two schools that had winning records this fall were Class A Brewer (10-4-1) and Class C Orono (10-6).
“It’s a great sport and I want to keep it alive,” Dyer said. “We are offering something special, something unique.”
The clinics, which begin this Saturday, will be held from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. and the training sessions will be divided among players in Grades 3-6, Grades 6-8 and Grades 9-12.
It will cost $200 for the entire six sessions and those who have never played the sport are welcome to attend.
Among the clinicians who will be working with Dyer are three members of the University of Maine’s field hockey team and one from Bangor’s Husson University.
UMaine senior midfielder Bhreagh Kennedy has played in 57 career games for the Black Bears and started 18 of UMaine’s 20 regular season games this fall. The former Skowhegan High School star was chosen Miss Maine Field Hockey in 2019.
Englishwoman Eloise Penty appeared in 18 games as a freshman back for the Black Bears and was the All Round Best Female Sportswoman of the Year at Trent College in England.
Former Nokomis High of Newport standout Brianna Townsend played in one game in her first season at UMaine this fall. She is a midfielder and former two-time All-State player at Nokomis.
Bangor native Madi Burnes just completed her senior season at Husson University and the back-midfielder played in five games this fall for the three-time North Atlantic Conference champions.
Dyer said the clinicians will not only teach the players fundamentals and develop their skills, they will also prepare them for game-like situations.
Dyer is elated to have them working with her.
“They are superstars in their sport and will offer a very high level of education,” Dyer said. “And the fact three of them are from Maine will provide even more inspiration to the players”
Dyer said Black Bear Elite North will encourage players to join the Black Bear Elite travel program to gain even more experience playing indoors against some of the best players in the country.
