To the Editor:

Regarding the letter about a need for Guilderland school district to add an assistant field hockey coach made available to other high school teams [“Field hockey team deserves an assistant coach,” The Altamont Enterprise, Oct. 2, 2025], would you please tell us if any student that wants to be a member on any high school sports team in Guilderland is welcome to participate?

The letter from a parent about needing equity in field hockey is an opportunity to take another look at teen engagement, educational outcomes, and safety.

I know firsthand that high school sports are firstline experiences to soft launch into adulthood.

For example, I was a cheerleading captain and the experience of riding the sports bus with the boys’ football and basketball teams helped me learn how to selectively choose a nonathletic spouse. As a track captain, I learned how to ask the custodial staff to unlock the restrooms, get the times and field equipment, run the warmups, fix broken equipment … The athletes often set up the pole vault and hurdles.

But it was field hockey that taught team work and athletic skill. While we did not have an assistant coach, there was a need. For example, when a player became injured.

I went to a school district that did not cut players and we only had one coach per sport because the team captains had responsibilities similar to an assistant coach. Please tell us more about the high school programs and how inclusive or not they are and why field hockey does not have an assistant coach.

As a throwback, I remember when the former athletic director and I lobbied hard for the creation of the Guilderland modified field hockey team. The school board came around with the help of this newspaper.  What can you tell us in 2025, about the high school sports program?

Christine Duffy

Guilderland

Editor’s note: See related story.