Jodi Hollamon had an incredible life in subject hockey even earlier than embarking on a profitable teaching profession at Salisbury Parkside (Md.). As Jodi Byrd, she was an all-star participant at Pocomoke (Md.) earlier than matriculating to the College of Delaware. She and her sister Juli have been all-star gamers in faculty earlier than deciding to show their consideration to teaching and educating.
Jodi Hollamon introduced Parkside a state championship in 2005, however she and her household moved 10 miles up Route 13 to a small city of about 1,600 which straddled the Delaware and Maryland borders.
It’s there, at Delmar (Del.) the place Jodi Hollamon and Juli Bradford, and their daughters, introduced their coronary heart and keenness for the sport of subject hockey, profitable 9 consecutive state championships, breaking particular person and group information, and fascinating the creativeness of 1000’s within the downstate Delaware subject hockey neighborhood.
Now, it’s the ninth state championship, received this 12 months, that was the capstone on Hollamon profitable United States Coach of the 12 months honors. However it was the primary championship, and the hoopla surrounding it, that lit the contact paper for one of many nice year-on-year dynasties the sport has seen.
Consider it; if you take a look at the circumstances of the 5 colleges which have received 9 or extra consecutive state championships, Delmar is, by far, the smallest neighborhood, and the varsity has the smallest enrollment:
| No. | Faculty | State | Enrollment |
| 22 | Voorhees Jap | N.J. | 1933 |
| 9 | Watertown | Mass. | 733 |
| 9 | Shrub Oak Lakeland | N.Y. | 942 |
| 9 | Bethesda-Chevy Chase | Md. | 2335 |
| 9 | Delmar | Del. | 670 |
When Delmar received its first state title again in 2016, beating long-time Delaware powerhouse Wilmington Tower Hill (Del.) 3-0 within the state ultimate, the response was legendary. A 3rd of the city was on the recreation, in sheer delirium after the ultimate whistle.
“One of the best reminiscence of that day is when the children ran throughout the sector with the trophy and seeing all of our followers cheering and standing on the fringe of the fence (at Rullo Stadium) making an attempt to get onto the sector,” Hollamon says. “That confirmed that we had a city that really supported our program.”
That enthusiasm saved constructing and constructing. Certain, the Delmar program was a profitable program for a lot of the 2000s, because of the top teaching of Linda Budd.
However Hollamon and Bradford introduced a special degree of teaching and taking part in. The sisters began the Shorebyrds subject hockey feeder program to present gamers an offseason outlet for the sport. The Delmar varsity program developed variety of Division I scholarship gamers, equivalent to Peyton Kemp, Hailey Bitters, Baylie Phillips and Ashlyn Carr.
“The best reminiscence is having the ability to coach some very, excellent gamers,” Hollamon says. “Gamers who’ve made a dedication to taking part in year-round hockey, and making an attempt to instill the values and love of subject hockey.”
This extends to members of Jodi Hollamon’s household: Morgan Bradford matriculated to Delaware, Maci Bradford and Josie Hollamon are at present at Maryland, and Jordyn Hollamon shall be becoming a member of the Maryland program in 2025. Collectively, the 4 cousins and their teammates performed suave hockey, scoring objectives straight out of the European playbook, with contact passes and motion to area that you just don’t see all that always.
That led to the 2024 group. Owing partially to its group motto of “Grind for 9,” the Wildcats didn’t make it straightforward on themselves. An early loss in opposition to Smyrna (Del.) aspect confirmed the group what it wanted to work on. These classes got here in useful below adversity. Delmar wouldn’t have a straightforward street to its ninth state ultimate, having to grind out a 3-2 time beyond regulation win over Georgetown Sussex Academy (Del.) within the semifinal spherical.
After that recreation, Hollamon had a chat together with her gamers and made a confession about what she had seen in the beginning of the season, and the diploma to which the gamers matured and got here collectively as a group.
“After we began in August, if I have been a betting particular person, I’m unsure we’d be right here (on the ultimate),” Hollamon says. “We had numerous youthful gamers that wanted to enhance and get higher and acquire confidence. This season, they did simply that.”
Three days after the scare that Sussex Academy threw into them, Delmar posted a 4-0 win over Wilmington (Del.) Associates Faculty. It was the closest state ultimate Delmar had since 2019. Nonetheless, it was a clear sheet in a DIAA title match, the third within the final 4 state finals for this dominant program.
“That is most likely my most memorable season teaching, due to all of the challenges we needed to get gamers the place they wanted to have the ability to win a state title,” Hollamon says.
For Hollamon, the success of the Delmar group is a comparatively easy system.
“This isn’t a straightforward job,” she says. “Be affected person. Don’t change your type to suit the wants of the athletes. And ensure what your beliefs are, and what you need for a program, are instilled in your gamers. Be stern; they need that, although generally they act like they don’t, they need that accountability. Most significantly, get pleasure from each minute, as a result of it goes by quick.”
A number of days after the 2024 state ultimate, she made an announcement to the group: she can be leaving her publish as head coach at Delmar.
“I’m going to observe my children play at Maryland — and perhaps all around the world,” she says. “I’m nonetheless going to do our membership and get as many gamers on the Jap Shore to like the sport, like we’ve been doing the final 12 years.”
Hollamon, and her co-winner Leslie Fry, be a part of a bunch of luminaries who’ve received this award prior to now:
2024: Leslie Fry, Chelsea (Mich.) and Jodi Hollamon, Delmar (Del.)
2023: Jeannette Eire, Ellicott Metropolis Mount Hebron (Md.)
2022: Ann Simons, Longmeadow (Mass.)
2021: Ruth Beaton, West Newbury Pentucket (Mass.)
2020-21: Carrie Holman, Vienna James Madison (Va.)
2019: Ali Good, Summit Oak Knoll (N.J.)
2018: Bri Worth, Hershey (Pa.)
2017: Mary Werkheiser, Norfolk (Va.) Academy
2016: Jessica Rose Shellenberger, Mount Pleasure Donegal (Pa.)
2015: Danyle Heilig, Voorhees Jap (N.J.)
2014: Eileen Donahue, Watertown (Mass.)
2013: Jim Larkin, Fredericksburg Chancellor (Va.)
2012: Ashly Fishell-Shaffer, Edgemere Sparrows Level (Md.)
2011: Lil Shelton, Severna Park (Md.)
2010: Sarah Catlin, Cincinnati St. Ursula (Ohio)
2009: Danyle Heilig, Voorhees Jap (N.J.)
2008: Dr. Elizabeth Mitchell, Pewaukee Trinity Academy (Wisc.)
2007: Wendy Reichenbach, Palmyra (Pa.)
2006: Barb Dwyer, Ladue Horton Watkins (Mo.)
2005: Robin Woodie, Fredericksburg Stafford (Va.)
2004: Monica Dennis, Grosse Pointe South (Mich.)
2003: Kearney Francis, Silver Spring Springbrook (Md.)
2002: Slade Gormus, Midlothian James River (Va.)
2001: Amanda Janney, Ft. Value Trinity Valley (Tex.)
2000: Eileen Allan, Pompton Lakes (N.J.)
1999: Amy Wooden, Bethesda-Chevy Chase (Md.)
1998: Diane Chapman, Backyard Metropolis (N.J.) and Brenda Beckwith, Winslow (Maine)
1997: Maryellen Clemencich, Allentown (N.J.)
1996: Tracey Paul, Escondido San Pasqual (Calif.)
1995: Nancy Fowlkes, Virginia Seaside Frank W. Cox (Va.)
1994: Mike Shern, Lacey (N.J.) Township
1993: Pat Toner, Newtown Council Rock (Pa.)