Goin' Grass Roots

April 21, 2005

Tracey Griesbaum and her nationally ranked University of Iowa field hockey program has teamed up with the City of Coralville Parks and Recreation Department on a pair of youth programs designed to introduce the sport of field hockey to youngsters in greater eastern Iowa.

Boy and girls in grades third through sixth are invited to attend any or all of four sessions scheduled for the month of May inside the large gymnasium at the Coralville Recreation Center at 1506 8th St., in Coralville. Participants will be introduced to the fast-paced game of field hockey by coaches and student-athletes from the UI.

Cost for participation in each of the one-hour sessions scheduled for 3:30 p.m. each Wednesday in May is $5 for Coraville residents and $6.25 for non-residents.

Youngsters grades third through eighth are invited to also register for participation in a one-hour instructional clinic and lunch on Friday, June 24, that is part of the UI’s annual field hockey camp. Participants in this camp will also be introduced to the sport and will be invited to watch a one-hour demonstration by the student-athletes who are participating in the UI camp.

Participation in this clinic costs $10 for Coralville residents and $12.50 for non-residents. This clinic will be staged at the UI’s Grant Field located immediately west of Duane Banks Field and across the street from Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Youngsters interested in participating in this clinic must register by June 15.

“Both are great opportunities for boys and girls unfamiliar with the sport of field hockey to get to experience it first-hand,” said Griesbaum, the 2004 Big Ten Conference coach of the year

“We’re excited about the opportunity to introduce our sport to young people in the greater Iowa City community,” she added. “It’s also a great opportunity for our student-athletes to reach out and get even more involved in our community and with young people interested in experiencing something new and different.”

For more information contact the Coralville Recreation Center at (319) 248-1750. Information is also available online at coralville.org, the official world wide web site of the City of Coralville.

UI Field Hockey and the City of Coraville
Parks and Recreation Department

Introduction to Field Hockey
Each Wednesday in May. One-hour introduction and instructional session conducted by UI coaches and student-athletes at the Coralville Recration Center.

UI Field Hockey Clinic
Friday, June 24. One-hour clinic followed by lunch and a one-hour demonstration by participants in the UI’s field hockey summer camp at Grant Field on the UI campus.