On behalf of the NHHS Field Hockey Boosters, I would like to welcome everyone to the 2012 hockey season. The FH Board and Head Coach Amanda Boyer have been meeting and planning over the off-season to make this year another memorable one for the girls. We have kept many of the Harbor traditions in place while trying to improve the program from the smallest details that may not be noticed by all but makes a difference for our daughters. Again this season our girls on Varsity and JV will be playing their home games at Davidson Field on the NHHS campus. This will be the second year in a row that we will be playing our home games at Davidson Field, so we can continue to generate field hockey excitement on campus, and more students can see our girls play this great game.

We will continue to enhance the stadium a bit so it has some field hockey feel for the girls and the spectators. For the second year, all three teams will be participating in San Diego tournaments. The varsity will be continuing our participation in the Otay-Ranch tournament. The JV will be present at the Helix JV tournament, as well as the F/S team. San Diego is a hot bed of high school field hockey with over 35 schools with programs. The competition is tough, however Newport has held its own in the past and is set to play hard again this year.

Each season presents various challenges, but one that is always present is generating enough funds for the program, so we can continue the high level of excellence from the coaching in the summer and fall to the team building events, attending various tournaments, plus the annual equipment and uniform upgrades. An exciting development has been the generosity of David Pyle, whose daughters graduated from the program last year and in 2010. David has made a significant donation to the Girls NHHS Field Hockey program with a $100,000 commitment over the next five years.  David Pyle’s significant donation is intended to be a matching program, so every dollar that we raise this year will be matched by his endowment. This means that the funds that you donate as parents will be matched by David’s endowment helping the program to meet its financial goals and help take the program to another level of excellence. We are establishing only two fund raising events this season. One is our annual car wash at St. Andrews and the other is our “Finish Strong” campaign headed by me.  More information to follow regarding your ability to donate and will be provided at the Parent Meeting and remain active throughout the season.

I want to thank the NHHS FH Board for all their efforts heading into this season. Nancy Rohan, our treasurer, has our financials so organized that she makes all of our jobs easy, and provides an incredible reconciliation of our budget and balance sheet keeping us all on track. Kathy Hancock has been an incredible asset as our secretary who’s energy, knowledge, and commitment to the program is astounding.  Both of these ladies are in their last year n the Board.  While they have both picked their successors and will be training them this year, we all owe an incredible amount of gratitude for the incredible job they have both done over the past two years.  The newest member to our Board this year is Jim Palmer, who is heading up the newly appointed position on the Board as Field Coordinator.  It takes a tremendous effort to make sure our fields and in the kind of shape that makes it enjoyable for our girls to play.  I am sure Jim would appreciate any parents who would be willing to volunteer their time and assistance since this job requires a lot of work.

As this year’s Board President and in charge of fundraising, I look forward to continuing the excellence of this program. Our girls truly take pride in continuing the traditions of one of the most successful programs at NHHS.  We will continue to try to live up to the excellence of this program so we can continue to Finish Strong.  The girls and coaching staff work very hard, have tremendous passion for the sport, and have a lot of fun.  The rewards and memories for our daughters is something they will carry with them for a lifetime.  This is evident by the incredible participation and enthusiasm generated by our annual Alumni game.  I am honored and feel privileged to be able to continue to support this program and our daughter’s memories.

Lastly, I want to thank all of you parents who give so generously of your time, support, and financial contributions.  The continued excellence of this program starts with your generosity and commitment to your daughters and the program’s success!

We look forward to another great season……Go Newport!

John Nulty

NHHS Girls Field Hockey Board President
949.632.9130