Saints (Rising) Strong

~ Brene Brown

SAINTSNATION!

It is an honor to share with your our first ever "Saints (Rising) Strong" newsletter! Our goal through this digital platform is to connect with our community members both locally and abroad. We will keep you apprised of the exciting moments our new program is experiencing. Additionally, we hope to build a connection with all of you, our supporters, as members of our Maryville Field Hockey Family.

At the core of our program's foundation is a nucleus made up of unbreakable characteristics. Brene Brown has been a women I have admired for some time. If you haven't had a chance to check out one of her books, podcasts, or videos, I highly suggest you give it a shot. Transformational is all I can say!

Both personally and professionally, I have felt the impact of Brene's words in the most profound way. Rising Strong, the title of one of her books, encapsulates the structure of resilience we are using to build this program. In our search for student athletes (and coaches) we have looked for those who share the same values and beliefs. Together, we are bringing to life our vision of what a strong, sustainable, and successful program looks like both on and off the field.

Rising Strong's cover says it all: "If we are brave enough, often enough, we will fall. This is a book about what it takes to get back up." Similarly, we hope to create an environment where all participants develop the bravery needed to take on an unknown future. With the potential of stumbles along the way (but also the potential for great success), having a plan of action while learning how to navigate those moments will allow for more efficient growth in our day to day training. That's not to say we won't get caught up in the emotions that any human being will feel in the moment. Our plan is to help teach our student athletes how to address and navigate those emotions with integrity, respect, and pride while also learning, adapting and rising strong!

Our Team 1 is about to embark on a journey of a lifetime. We are honored to have our first 15 signees and their parents committed to taking this journey with us. With clear expectations, a vision of what will be our "Maryville Mindset", and a commitment to excellence on the turf and in the classroom, I feel as though we are heading in the right direction when it comes to making a loud splash in the NCAA Division II field hockey world!

We have added 3 incredible coaches, an elite level summer FH camp, and a competitive 2022 inaugural schedule. And though we feel we are checking all the boxes necessary for program development and sustainability, the job doesn't end there! Currently we are drafting the final details for what will be our Maryville Field Hockey Booster Club, where members will have the opportunity to offer financial support to what we expect to be a quickly growing and highly competitive program. Though there are incentives for each level of participation, we want to make sure our donors are able to feel like they're fighting right there with us, even from a distance (Canada, South Africa, and beyond). You will forever be known as members of our "Founding Family".

In the coming weeks, we will share details regarding our Kickstarter Campaign launching April 1, 2022. Our focus during this month long event is to meet 50% of our annual goal. Your donation will not only qualify you as part of our "Founding Family", but also allow for automatic membership into the Maryville Field Hockey Booster Club for the 2022-2023 campaign. We will open up the website on April 1st to accept credit card payments. Those interested in making a donation prior to April 1, 2022 can write a check payable to Maryville University Field Hockey. Your donation will be applied to the Kickstarter Campaign and still receive the benefits.

All "Founding Family" members will receive a personalized gift and have their name printed on our "Founding Family" banner, forever commemorating Team 1.

To express your interest and receive more details on becoming a member, follow the link below.

Coach Young was born and raised in St. Louis, MO. Graduating from Villa Duchesne '02, Maggie was a three sport athlete and captain of the 2001 State Championship Team. Attending Ball State University as a goal scoring forward, Maggie competed in the MAC conference, finishing her career as a captain and 2nd team all conference DEFENDER, a position the team needed filled early on and one Coach Young quickly came to love: "having control over your opponents transition game and circle play, was way too much FUN!".

Upon graduation with a bachelors in Physical Education and Exercise Science, Coach Young became a member of the founding faculty of Barat Academy (MO) under president and her former high school field hockey coach and AD, Debby Watson. Soon after a position opened up at Holland Hall in Tulsa, Ok where she could head coach her first field hockey program while teaching PE. With her personal live progressing, Coach Young moved back to St. Louis in 2010 to get married and begin a new role as PE teacher and head field hockey/lacrosse coach at Whitfield School where she remained for the next 11 years. During that time, Coach Young served as President of the St. Louis Field Hockey Association for 8 years before stepping down in 2019.

In addition to a number of cousins, aunts, and colleagues, Coach Young's mother Kathleen (Hannigan) Durbin was also a Maryville graduate of 1964. Both of her parents were well known in the St. Louis area as die hard sports fans, two of which being the St. Louis Cardinals and field hockey. Coach Young is one of 7 children, with all 5 girls graduating from Villa Duchesne, (four of which playing high school field hockey and two continuing through college). Before their passing in 2019, you could find Kathleen and Rob Durbin on the sidelines of many field hockey games, most recently being the 2018 State Championship game where Coach Young was named the recipient of the Janet Esrock Coach of the Year Award. Coach Young currently serves on the St. Louis Field Hockey Association board as Past President and Scholarship advisor for the Kathleen and Rob Durbin Memorial Scholarship Award (named after her parents), to be inaugurated after the fall 2022 high school season.

Coach Young, known to her players as CY, is a USA Field Hockey Level 1 and Level 2 certified coach and a Nexus coach. She has served on the NFHS rules committee and the NFHCA All-Region Committee and is a certified instructor for the American Red Cross. Presently, she serves as a U19 head coach for Gateway Field Hockey, the same club she competed for in high school.

CY and her husband Mike reside in Kirkwood, MO with their three daughters Sophia (9), Ellie (8), and Olivia (6), current members of Gateway Field Hockey.

I am pleased to announce the addition of 3 assistant coaches.

Erin (Dye) Blaser is the Senior Manager of Project Management for Panera Bread Company Corporate Offices. Previously, Erin served as the assistant coach at Whitfield School with Coach Young and currently serves as a youth coach for Gateway Field Hockey. Erin is a Cor Jesu (St. Louis) graduate who went on to be a record setting forward at Central Michigan University. Presently, Erin holds the #10 spot in career points (73) and #9 spot in career goals (30). It was there, she met her now husband, David Blaser. Erin and David reside in St. Louis with their 2 children Eleanor (5) and Teddy (4), both members of Gateway Field Hockey.

Kristina Johnson will serve as Assistant Coach and Field Hockey Operations Coordinator. Kristina's role will include assisting on the defensive side, leading in our programs fundraising efforts, managing our marketing and social media, and travel coordination. Kristina is an Edwardsville High School (Illinois, just outside of STL) graduate, before earning her journalism degree from SIUE. Throughout college and up until this past season, Kristina served as the assistant coach at Edwardsville. Kristina was a member of Aim Field Hockey Club in high school. Presently Kristina will be serving as assistant coach for the St. Louis Field Hockey Club under owners and club directors Andrea and Jake Hood.

Laura Eckelkamp is a graduate of Visitation Academy (St. Louis) who went on to be the goalkeeper for Rhodes College competing for conference championships and NCAA Division III appearances. Laura holds the record for most career shutouts at Rhodes. Presently, Laura is an attorney for Cordell and Cordell across from Maryville University and will serve as our Goalkeeper coach. Her brother is a Maryville graduate of 2016. Additionally, Laura is a former player and current GK coach for Aim Field Hockey in St. Louis, MO.

August 1-4, 2022, Maryville will host its first team and individual field hockey camp. Offering a more tactical training approach (USA Way), goalkeeper training, film sessions, and 5v5 tournament play, CY plans to add daily field hockey specific fitness training led by GRIT owner and former DePauw University All American, Margaret (Ellis) Ott. Advanced skill sessions will be ran by local coach and legend Vivi Keefer.

Add-on's are available through registration. These add-ons include individual video footage, team video footage, short sleeve shirts and long sleeve shirts.

Those who register as a team of 7 or more will receive a discount, and those teams who register with a GK will receive an additional discount.

Click below to register today as spots are filling up.

Email: kjohnson57@maryville.edu
Website: www.maryvillesportscamps.com
Location: 650 Maryville University Drive, St. Louis, MO, USA