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Q&A with OHSAA
associate commissioner Dr. Deborah Moore
October 28, 2008
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio’s top four high
school field hockey teams are set to descend on Upper Arlington High
School in Columbus this weekend for the 30th annual field hockey
state championships.
Worthington Thomas Worthington, Gahanna
Columbus Academy, Shaker Heights Hathaway Brown and Cincinnati Mount
Notre Dame represent the “final four” in state field hockey in 2008.
They bring with them a combined 33 appearances to the tournament’s
final weekend.
On Tuesday, ohsaa.org caught up with Dr.
Deborah Moore, the OHSAA’s associate commissioner and field hockey
administrator, to talk about the state tournament from parking to
penalty corners.
Q: Perhaps some folks saw field hockey for
the first time while watching the Olympics this past summer, but it
certainly has tradition in Ohio, is that right?
A: “Yes – we have had field hockey since the
mid-1970s. It’s a fast game and we play on a turf field, which makes
it even faster. It’s different because you have a long-handled
implement and a small ball, which requires a great amount of skill.
The game is similar to soccer in some ways in that there are 11
players with a goalkeeper, so it’s a goal-oriented sport, but the
equipment is so different and we have more scoring in field hockey,
along with no offsides. We have a different tie-breaker procedure
where we reduce the number of players on the field, so we have made
some changes to the game to increase opportunities for offense and
scoring.”
Q: The state tournament schedule format has
changed a little this year. What is that change?
A: “It’s not so much new as it is a
return to the format we used for quite a few years, which is to play
two semifinal games Friday and then come back and play the final on
Saturday afternoon at 1:00. The semifinal format is what we did in
2006 and for probably a decade before that. Last year, we
experimented with playing the semifinals at different locations at
the same time on Wednesday, but we are back to having both
semifinals and the championship game all at one place, which is
Upper Arlington High School. Upper Arlington has a great facility
and has all the accommodations you would expect of a top-notch
facility. The seating is outstanding and they’ve done some
renovations. Their restroom facilities are great now and they have
concessions and a practice field.”
Q: Is there any special ticket or parking
information for fans?
A: “A single ticket gets a fan into both
semifinal games, because we don’t clear the stadium. Parking on
Friday is a little bit of an issue because Upper Arlington will be
in school, but the Kingsdale shopping center is beside the stadium,
so fans can easily park there. That’s on the north side, off
Zollinger Road. Street parking is available, too, but the Kingsdale
shopping center is best. On Saturday, fans can park right on campus,
which is just south of the stadium.”
Q: The four teams that have advanced to the
state tournament bring pretty impressive records and tradition, too.
A: “Columbus Academy is a perennial, strong
field hockey team. Anne Horton has been there for 18 years and does
a great job with her kids. Terri Simonetti Frost, the Thomas
Worthington coach, has been very successful. Hathaway Brown is back
with a new coach. Amy Longley was their coach for well over 20 years
and retired and their new coach is Sydney Van Der Merwe, who has had
a great first season. Mount Notre Dame has been a fairly recent
tournament participant. Don Johnson is their coach and he’s been to
the state tournament before.”
Q: The bracket looks to provide two good
semifinal matches with some geographical interest.
A: “Yes, two central Ohio teams meet in
the first semifinal game – Thomas Worthington, which is the
defending state champion, and Columbus Academy, which is back after
not making it last year, but they are an eight-time state champion.
Then in the other semifinal, the southwest part of the state with
Mount Notre Dame will take on the northeast part of the state with
Hathaway Brown.”
### ohsaa.org ###
Contact: Tim Stried, tstried@ohsaa.org |
