Cinnaminson girls continue summer trend with Beach Blast Title in Wildwood.
For a group of Cinnaminson High School field hockey players, years of practice finally paid off as they lifted the 2017 Beach Blast Tiki Trophy after winning the competition. The team, which consisted of 10 Cinnaminson students, pulled off a 4–1 record this summer, while scoring 24 goals and conceding only two.
“Most of these girls have been playing together since third grade,” Maryanne Adams, the mother of player Brooke Adams, said. “They’ve been in the 16U division since they were 12, and now as 15-year-olds, they have finally won it all.”
Adams went on to say how the team scored no goals in the tournament as 12 year olds, but fought to get better. They finally scored some goals as 13 year olds, before losing in the semifinals as 14 year olds. Now, after years of working hard and strengthening their chemistry, they lifted the covered tiki trophy.
“We have been playing together for awhile now, and even before Beach Blast we all played indoor leagues together,” Brooke said. “Even when we want to just practice or have fun, we always call each other up and play as a group.”
The yearly tournament in Wildwood brings teams from all over the East Coast. Adams said she played teams from Maryland, New Jersey and Pennsylvania throughout her time participating. Even with some wet and sluggish weather conditions, the team continued to improve on the beach.
“Some games we had to play in wet sand, and it was so hard to control the ball,” Charli Wiacek said. “We play closer to the boardwalk so it’s really lumpy sand, which makes team possession and control that much more important. Sometimes it depends how physical you are, which is also important in those conditions.”
For most of their years together, whether it’s at Beach Blast or in township leagues, the girls never tasted winning that often. They fought to get better and win, but winning never seemed like it would show up.
“Even during our middle school years, we were always the township team that got crushed in games,” Adams said. “We never really expected to win this tournament, but we saw ourselves improving and we went all the way this year.”
Another reason for their success, the girls said, was the help of other sports they participate in. Grace LePage plays basketball during the offseason, while several other girls have joined the track team in the spring.
“Playing other sports has helped keep us in shape,” Rosanna Mendez said. “It all helps, and we’ve been able to use that work in field hockey, too.”
As summer break begins to wind down, the girls have been able to savor the championship win as a group. Now they will enjoy the last month of summer break before beginning their sophomore years at CHS.
For more on the field hockey team or Beach Blast, visit https://www.moreyspiers.com/events/event/beach-hockey.
