On the last day of her N2 Stix Summer Field Hockey Camp on Friday, Lakeland High School field hockey coach Tara McClenney decided to hold several contests for her participants. The girls (30 attended the camp) would take part in various skill tests used throughout the week, and the winner would receive a medal.

One of the last contests of the afternoon was simply titled &uot;Points.&uot; Three rows of balls were set up in front of the goal, and a competitor had 15 seconds to knock as many balls as she could into the cage. The farther away the ball, the more points the player scored.

As her camp-mates ran through the drill, Lakeland freshman Amber Toddie formed her own strategy to rack up the points. &uot;I had watched others try to hit the five-point ball into the net first, and miss,&uot; Doodie said, &uot;So I decided to go to the three-point balls first, and then go back after the five-pointer.&uot; Her strategy worked; the youngster’s score of 22 gave her the win.

It wasn’t her only medal of the afternoon; Doddie also won the &uot;aerial dribble&uot; drill, in which players bounced the ball on their sticks. &uot;I’d gotten better at that during the week,&uot; she said. &uot;This camp has really helped my hand-eye coordination a lot.&uot;

McClenney hoped that all of her participants had learned much during the camp. &uot;In my four years of doing this camp, this is the most advanced group I’ve ever seen,&uot; she told an audience of players and parents. &uot;It’s nice as a coach to see them play this well when they’re just in eighth grade, because they’ll be playing for me soon.&uot;

The set of drills showed the complete physical requirements that a field hockey player needs. Players dribbled in and out of a row of cones, used their sticks to jab over cones, tried to shoot and pass a ball into a cooler, and ran, hopped, and stepped backward through a row of sticks to build their footwork.

After the individual contests, McClenney handed out trophies for the Most Improved and Best All-Around players. Forest Glen Middle School student Megan Lily received the Most Improved award.

&uot;I did some practicing at home this week, and the coaches worked will us individually,&uot; said Lily. &uot;I didn’t think I was going to get this award.&uot;

Chelsey Salmon and Andrea Dobbins were named the co-Best All-Around players. &uot;I knew that there were a lot of players out here that were really good,&uot; said Salmon, who won the passing drill contest. &uot;I think I can play anywhere in field hockey.&uot;

Dobbins, a King’s Fork Middle School student, was surprised by her win as well. &uot;I couldn’t watch myself and everyone else, so I wasn’t able to compare us,&uot; she said.

She hopes to become a Lady Cavalier field hockey star in the next few years. &uot;I really want to come to Lakeland, because they have the best field hockey team.&uot;