US Field Hockey News

USA Field Hockey’s National Indoor Tournament Concludes at Siena

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – USA Field Hockey will feature some of its most promising young athletes this weekend as the association concludes its 2004 indoor season with the National Indoor Tournament, April 2-4, at Siena College in Loudonville, N.Y.

The third is a series of indoor weekends, the finale features 700 athletes representing 64 teams in the under-14 and under-16 age groups. Previous weekends featured tournaments in the Under-19 age group, March 5-7 in Virginia Beach, Va. and Women’s Open Division, March 20-21 at Ursinus College in Collegeville, Pa.

The tournament begins at 6 p.m. Friday and continues though 4 p.m. Sunday at Siena.

Initiated in 1980, the National Indoor Tournament has quickly become one of the sports premier off-season events. Once considered no more than a wintertime diversion, the game has grown to a full-time devotion for athletes looking to hone their skills and impress collegiate recruiters. The popularity of the event has spawned a qualification process where Under-19 and Under-16 teams earn berths in the National Tournament through performances at regional qualifying events held throughout the winter.

The U16 and U14 Divisions of the National Indoor Tournament feature teams from 11 states including Delaware, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina and Virginia.

A furiously paced version of the outdoor game, indoor field hockey features six players on a team trying to push a ball into the opposing team’s goal. Players use special indoor sticks that are thinner and flatter than their outdoor counterparts and must “push,” rather than “hit” the ball while attempting to score.

Schedules, rosters and results for the National Indoor Tournament are available at the U.S. Field Hockey website at www.usfieldhockey.com.