New Book Chronicles Historic Inaugural State Field Hockey Tournament

GRANBY, CT — Nov. 17 is a date which has played a significant role in American history. On that date in 1913, the first ship passed through the Panama Canal; in 1939, German U-boats sank the first passenger ships in the North Atlantic, leading to World War II. The classic film "Casablanca" debuted on that date in 1942, while in 1953, the first Major League Baseball franchise shift in more than half a century took place, as the St. Louis Browns departed the Midwest to become the Baltimore Orioles.

Locally, Nov. 17, 1973 became a key date in Connecticut sports, as the very first field hockey state tournament concluded with a championship game between Granby Memorial and Guilford high schools. Prior to passage of Title IX legislation a year earlier, state tournament competition was virtually non-existent for girls sports in the state.

Despite having about half the population of Guilford, the Bears prevailed by a 2-1 score that day, winning in a second overtime period to earn not only the inaugural state field hockey championship, but establishing a tradition of excellence which has brought a total of 14 state titles to Granby - the most in state history.

That magical season in fall 1973 is chronicled in a new book by retired sportswriter Rob Penfield. "A Life of Obstructions" documents not only Granby's rise to state prominence, but also features stories from other area towns covered by Penfield during his tenure as sports editor of the Farmington Valley Herald. His book is dedicated to "The Valley Five," the 1973 coaches of those local teams: Dot Johnson of Granby, Bonnie Tyler of Avon, Joan Sullivan of Simsbury, Jean Hunt of Farmington and Linda Hamm of Lewis Mills.

"When I set out to write this book, I contacted people first asking if they thought that this would be a good idea," Penfield said. "One girl from Granby got back to me saying that she wasn’t sure if we could capture the emotions of the times, but then said if anybody can, you can. It brought tears to my eyes."

By the start of the 1973 season, many field hockey programs in the state were still in their infancy. Penfield was one of the very few sportswriters who covered girls' sports, and was met with disbelief by several athletic directors questioning why he had asked for schedules of girls' games.

His book includes interviews with players and coaches of the time, talking candidly about the hardships and biases the girls faced from what he described as the "Old Boys Network." Tales include girls being told pre-season practices "can't be on the regular season field," even as football and boys' soccer teams did just that.

In addition to documenting the groundbreaking season, Penfield, a Vietnam veteran of the TET Offensive, also brings back memories of the pop culture of the times. There are numerous references to hit songs, world events and Connecticut happenings sprinkled throughout his 340-page book.

"It was a time change and I tried to write a story with two paths," he said. "One path was with the girls in the game of field hockey, and the other was my path of obstructions that I had to overcome. I was still dealing with Vietnam, and that took up a lot of my time. So what I tried to do was chronicle the season, the tournaments and the times."

"A Life of Obstructions" was published by Atmosphere Press, and is available on Amazon and at Barnes & Noble, or may be ordered through Penfield's website, www.robpenfield.com.