This afternoon, in Greenville, Del., the Odyssey Charter School formally opened its athletic field complex, one which borrows from a number of schools which have invested heavily into their athletic physical plant over the last couple of decades.
The artificial surface is designed to support baseball, softball, and certain field-invasion sports such as soccer, lacrosse, and field hockey.
Haven’t heard of Odyssey Charter field hockey? Well, when you look at streaming video of the competition surface, you see red lines which trace out the 16-yard striking circle.
The intention to have varsity field hockey is certainly there, even though there hasn’t been a varsity team since the school opened in 2006. The school does have hockey, but on a junior varsity level, playing a scant seven matches the last two years.
However, with a home ground with dedicated lines for the sport, and one with stadium seating and a press box adjacent, Odyssey is primed to join the ranks of field hockey in The First State.
That’s a good thing; Delaware is the only state in the Union where everybody — public, private, Christian, Quaker, military, and charter — is eligible to compete for the two field hockey state titles on offer. It is inclusive, albeit there have been several dynastic dominating teams who have won multiple consecutive state championships, such as Wilmington Tower Hill (Del.), Delmar (Del.), and Lewes Cape Henlopen (Del.).
Maybe, just maybe, the Odyssey Charter Owls can join the ranks of varsity teams for a chance to compete.