A New Era Dawns For Enfield High School Field Hockey

ENFIELD, CT — It will take some time to adjust to not seeing the familiar face of charter Enfield Athletic Hall of Famer Cookie Bromage roaming the sidelines during field hockey games at Enfield High School this fall. However, after a 52-year tenure with the Raiders/Eagles which included five Class M state championships, she has retired from coaching, and another familiar face has taken the reins of the program with hopes of continuing the great legacy of her predecessor.

Amy Bartholomew, an assistant coach for the past three highly successful seasons with the Eagles, has stepped into the formidable shoes of the legendary Bromage, conducting her first practice at the helm Thursday afternoon. It is hardly a new role for her, though, having guided the field hockey program at former crosstown rival Fermi for 11 seasons prior to the merger of the two high schools in 2016.

Having experienced a great deal of success with the Falcons, including six consecutive state tournament appearances and a three-year stretch which produced 32 victories, the 2000 Fermi graduate and former Springfield College player teamed with Bromage and assistant Sarah Pliszka to lead the newly-formed Eagles to back-to-back Class L semifinal games in 2016 and 2017, and to the quarterfinals last year. The team's combined record since the merger is 49-5-2, an .893 winning percentage.

"I love Cookie so much, and last year coaching with her was probably the most fun I've ever had," Bartholomew said following Thursday's practice. "When she told me she was retiring, I said 'no' ... I didn't want to change this dynamic duo we had. She did such an amazing job with this team, and I hope to keep that rolling. When people say to me, 'you're just like Cookie', it's the biggest compliment I can get."

Bartholomew assumes the top role in what she called "a rebuilding year," having lost 2018 Central Connecticut Conference all-stars Kaitlyn Bourque, Tori Geaglone, Anna Labak and Kelly Mazza to graduation. Bourque and Geaglone were All-State selections last year.

"Our numbers are larger this year - 43 players, so we can have full JV and freshman teams as well," she said. "The girls seem to really enjoy being around each other, and if they can have fun and like being there, they're going to work harder and we'll see progress, which will lead to success.

The first glimpses of the team's latest incarnation will come this Sunday, as Enfield hosts the 10th annual Amy Romano Memorial Scrimmage beginning at 10 a.m. The Eagles' varsity squad will face a quartet of strong opponents: Longmeadow, Mass., Hall, Suffield and Keene, N.H. The following Friday, the team departs for its annual three-day trip to southeastern Maine, a tradition inaugurated by Bromage in 1992.

"You want to keep traditions going and do the program justice, but yet move forward," Bartholomew said. "The trip is early in the season, and it's where the team will really grow and connect with each other. In past experience going with Cookie, I definitely noticed that."

For the first time since Bromage founded the field hockey program in 1967, all three coaches are homegrown Enfielders. Pliszka was a three-sport standout for the then-Raiders, graduating in 2010, while new assistant Kim Bender graduated from Fermi in 1992 after two successful seasons as the Falcons' varsity goalkeeper.

"Sarah has been with the program, is fully invested and takes pride in the program," Bartholomew said. "The girls get along with her, and she brings great knowledge. Kim is new as a coach, but not new to the program; her daughter Mikayla March was an All-State player before graduating in 2018. She will provide great knowledge of goalkeeping, and I think she is a great addition."

Bromage, reached by phone Thursday afternoon at her second home in Wells, Me., said she was misty-eyed at not being on the field on the opening day of practice.

"I've been thinking about it all summer, and this morning I woke up and said, 'this would normally be the day'," she said. "I should be at the dining room table this morning getting organized. On the first day, the kids are all excited, and I can just see them buzzing like little bees. I miss that feeling. When you do it so long, you take for granted that it's just your job, but it is so much more than that. I said my prayers and gave thanks for 52 great years."

The eight-time Hall of Fame inductee said she is confident Bartholomew, Pliszka and Bender will continue to grow the program.

"Amy is an angel and will continue to do the great job she has always done," Bromage said. "She loves field hockey and keeps it moving forward. She has proven herself over and over again. She is so loyal and dedicated, and she has an abundance of energy."

The regular season begins for the Eagles on Friday, Sept. 13 at Southington. The home opener is slated for Saturday, Sept. 21 against Woodstock Academy at noon, followed by the annual Enfield/Fermi alumni game at 2 p.m.