December 27, 2024 — United States Co-Coach of the Yr: Jodi Hollamon, Delmar (Del.)

Jodi Hollamon had an incredible life in subject hockey even earlier than embarking on a profitable teaching profession. 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 had been all-star gamers in school earlier than deciding to show their consideration to teaching and instructing.

Jodi Hollamon coached Parkside to a state championship in 2005, however she and her household moved 10 miles north alongside Route 13 to a small city of about 1,600 which straddles 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, successful 9 consecutive state championships, breaking particular person and workforce data, and fascinating the creativeness of hundreds within the downstate Delaware subject hockey neighborhood.

Now, it’s the ninth state championship, gained this 12 months, that was the capstone on Hollamon successful United States Coach of the Yr honors. But it surely was that first championship in 2016, 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; once you take a look at the circumstances of the 5 faculties which have gained 9 or extra consecutive state championships, Delmar is, by far, the smallest neighborhood, and the varsity has the smallest enrollment:

When Delmar gained its first state title again in 2016, beating long-time Delaware powerhouse Wilmington Tower Hill (Del.) 3-0 within the state closing, the response was legendary. A 3rd of the city was on the recreation, and the gang was in sheer delirium after the ultimate whistle.

“One of the best reminiscence of that day is when the children ran throughout the sphere 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 sphere,” Hollamon says. “That confirmed that we had a city that really supported our program.”

That enthusiasm saved constructing and constructing. Positive, the Delmar program was a successful program for a lot of the 2000s, because of the top teaching of Linda Budd.

However Hollamon and Bradford introduced a unique 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 a superb variety of Division I scholarship gamers, corresponding 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 the moment at Maryland, and Jordyn Hollamon can be becoming a member of the Maryland program in 2025. Collectively, the 4 cousins and their teammates performed clever hockey, scoring objectives straight out of the European playbook, with contact passes and motion to house that you simply don’t see all that usually.

That led to the 2024 workforce. Owing partially to its workforce motto of “Grind for 9,” the Wildcats didn’t make it straightforward on themselves. An early loss towards a superb Smyrna (Del.) aspect confirmed the workforce what it wanted to work on. These classes got here in useful underneath adversity. Delmar wouldn’t have a straightforward highway to its ninth state closing, 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 along with her gamers and made a confession about what she had seen at first of the season, and the diploma to which the gamers matured and got here collectively as a workforce.

“After we began in August, if I had been a betting individual, I’m undecided we might be right here (on the closing),” 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.) Pals College. It was the closest state closing 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 workforce is a comparatively easy formulation.

“This isn’t a straightforward job,” she says. “Be affected person. Don’t change your model 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, regardless that 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 closing, she made an announcement to the workforce: she could be leaving her publish as head coach at Delmar.

“I’m going to look at my youngsters play at Maryland — and perhaps everywhere in the world,” she says. “I’m nonetheless going to do our membership and get as many gamers on the Japanese 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 gaggle of luminaries who’ve gained 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 Value, Hershey (Pa.)
2017: Mary Werkheiser, Norfolk (Va.) Academy
2016: Jessica Rose Shellenberger, Mount Pleasure Donegal (Pa.)
2015: Danyle Heilig, Voorhees Japanese (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 Japanese (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. Price 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 Seashore Frank W. Cox (Va.)
1994: Mike Shern, Lacey (N.J.) Township
1993: Pat Toner, Newtown Council Rock (Pa.)