Field hockey opens first season at MHS

Cougars to play sub-varisty schedule

By: Justin Feil
   Gina DiVenuto was looking for a way to get back into field hockey.
   Montgomery High was looking to get into field hockey.
   It’s a perfect combination as DiVenuto becomes the first head coach of the inaugural Montgomery field hockey team that will play this year at a sub-varsity level before opening varsity play in 2002.
   "I played in high school and college," said DiVenuto, who graduated from Newark Academy before going onto Skidmore College. "I thought it would be fun to get back into it. Then, they told me it was a start-up, and I thought it would be fun to work with new players. Starting from scratch hasn’t been bad.
   "They’re picking it up a lot better than we thought they would. We have about 45 girls out, and that’s almost too many. Some of the juniors used to be soccer players. Then we have it pretty evenly distributed between freshmen and sophomores. It’s hard to go to soccer and be on varsity right away. They could be on varsity (field hockey) next year though."
   The high numbers ensure it will be plenty competitive for playing time, but it’s a good problem for a first-year team. Interest is high among Cougar athletes as the number show. To help manage the high turnout, Pam Lester is a volunteer assistant to DiVenuto.
   "She comes out and we can split up the team then," DiVenuto said. "I’ll take half the field and she’ll take the other half. It helps us keep our eyes on the girls all the time. The strong players need our help, and the weaker players need a lot of help as well."
   The 26-year-old Hopewell resident has used her experience to help start the program. She was a right halfback for Newark when it won the state championship. Montgomery isn’t thinking of state titles yet, but DiVenuto is hoping that by next year, it will have a program that can compete at the varsity level.
   "We’d like to have a winning season this year, but I’m not going to press them into having one," she said. "Some of them have been assuming that it will be a losing season, and we’ve been trying to change that attitude."
   There are plenty of challenges to beginning a high school sport. DiVenuto, who is coach of the Fordham University equestrian team as well as a private tutor to several riders, is trying to figure out who can play where for Montgomery, how to promote team cohesion as well as get the players excited about the upcoming season.
   "Outside of how to learn to handle the ball, we’re trying to motivate them," she said. "They started a bit slow. We’re trying to get them to hustle after the ball, to tell them they have to score goals, and finally (Thursday) they were hustling really well and looked good.
   "It’s a fast sport. As they go along, their stickwork will improve. Some of them do have experience. Others don’t. But there are ones who haven’t played that will be some of my strongest hitters."
   The Cougars are trying to lay the groundwork this year for a successful first year of varsity next season. The MHS football team will also begin varsity play next season, but it will have had two sub-varsity seasons under its belt. DiVenuto believes the field hockey squad will be fine after one sub-varsity year.
   "If they work hard now, they can be a good varsity team next year," she said. "That’s what we’re working on now."