WALTHAM — Playing in a semifinal matchup on the final day of the Elite Field Hockey Camp at Bentley University on Wednesday, the goal that Foxboro star senior Mary Collins scored, nor the team’s eventual shootout win to advance to the championship, will not count toward the Warriors’ bid for a state title this upcoming season.
But if Foxboro’s reactions for both feats are any indicator, which includes a raucous chant of their “Zimbabwe” team name following the shootout, their experiences throughout the three-day session were extremely beneficial.
The same can be said about all 275 student-athletes who wrapped up the final of three sessions that the 34-year-old camp ran this year, which once again put fun at a premium within a competitive and educational environment.
“It’s the best spirit we’ve had so far, it’ll be hard to pick the spirit award,” said director Meg Bozek. “The kids have been super engaged. … Overall I think the experience has been great and the athletes have been awesome.”
Aside from the expertise that the camp’s coaches in any given year can provide participants within games and skill development, one of the major benefits of signing up is getting a rare opportunity before preseason starts to get reps with teammates for the upcoming season.
Andover, Foxboro, Bishop Feehan, Winchester and Danvers are just some of the notable programs that send a team, of which not everyone can be a part of. But for those that could, this year’s experience is no different from any other that has helped teams beyond X’s and O’s.
Take it from a reigning Div. 1 champion.
“I think it’s a good team bonding experience, it’s great to be able to practice together and actually play games with some great coaching,” said Andover’s Rose Memmolo, a two-year camp participant. “It’s really great, and we can also kind of scope out to see what other teams look like, too.”
Participants who had limited teammates there with them, or none at all, still didn’t miss out on a beneficial opportunity.
This session’s coaching staff especially stood out to Bozek, whose advice can be passed along to teammates come preseason. Saint Anselm College head coach Carolyn King-Robitaille and U21 women’s national assistant coach Allan Law were just a couple standouts Bozek is pleased to have come through in the final session of the summer.
“We have an awesome staff,” she said. “We have a lot of head coaches and assistant coaches for Div. 1, 2 and 3 teams. They really push them to excel field hockey-wise.”