August 16, 2005: Headlines: COS - Paraguay: Sports: Field Hockey: Minority Volunteers: Princeton Packet: After helping the Columbia University field hockey team establish its varsity program, Paraguay RPCV Antoinette Allen takes over as head coach at The Hun School

Peace Corps Online: Directory: Paraguay: Peace Corps Paraguay: The Peace Corps in Paraguay: August 16, 2005: Headlines: COS - Paraguay: Sports: Field Hockey: Minority Volunteers: Princeton Packet: After helping the Columbia University field hockey team establish its varsity program, Paraguay RPCV Antoinette Allen takes over as head coach at The Hun School

By Admin1 (admin) (pool-151-196-37-25.balt.east.verizon.net - 151.196.37.25) on Saturday, August 20, 2005 - 2:08 pm: Edit Post

After helping the Columbia University field hockey team establish its varsity program, Paraguay RPCV Antoinette Allen takes over as head coach at The Hun School

After helping the Columbia University field hockey team establish its varsity program, Paraguay RPCV Antoinette Allen takes over as head coach at The Hun School

Allen spent two years in the Peace Corps in Paraguay. She worked in an office of small business development, primarily working with farmers. She also offered technical training for teenagers. "After the Peace Corps, I went back to New York and worked for a non-profit," Allen said. "I worked with children affected by trauma. And I taught for two years in the New York public school system."

After helping the Columbia University field hockey team establish its varsity program, Paraguay RPCV Antoinette Allen takes over as head coach at The Hun School

Allen ready for next field hockey challenge

By: Justin Feil, Assistant Sports Editor 08/16/2005

Courtesy Columbia University Sports Information

After helping the Columbia University field hockey team establish its varsity program, Antoinette Allen takes over as head coach at The Hun School.

Antoinette Allen has taken on challenges of all different sizes and shapes, and she's looking forward to her latest challenge as the new field hockey coach at The Hun School.

Allen played high school field hockey and lacrosse at Rancocas Valley High, then went on to be part of the first-ever varsity field hockey team at Columbia University as well as playing lacrosse for the Lions.

Following graduation, Allen spent two years in the Peace Corps in Paraguay. She worked in an office of small business development, primarily working with farmers. She also offered technical training for teenagers.

"After the Peace Corps, I went back to New York and worked for a non-profit," Allen said. "I worked with children affected by trauma. And I taught for two years in the New York public school system."

Besides teaching public school, Allen returned to field hockey as a coach at private schools Brearley and Fieldston. She even served as interim head coach at Columbia during one offseason. She views coming to Hun as an opportunity to work with a higher level of high-school player, a level that is preparing to play, as she did, in college.

"The program at Hun is much more competitive (than Brearley or Fieldston)," said Allen, who will teach math classes and in the spring also be an assistant coach for the Raider girls' lacrosse team. "The student-athletes are looking to play beyond high school. It's exciting to work with athletes that have those ambitions."

The challenge for Allen is to sustain the level of play at a program that has established itself as a contender for a state championship every year. Last year, despite a slow start, the Raiders won twice in the Prep A Tournament to reach the championship before losing. Hun won back-to-back titles in 2000 and 2001.

"They have higher expectations," said Allen, who takes over for four-year coach Sarah Ostermueller. "I think it's more challenging. I have to make sure to provide them with ways to constantly improve. I'd do that with any team. It'll be nice, the caliber of athletes, they have.

"There's a player at Hun looking at Columbia, and I understand what that's like. There are a lot of players on the Hun team that were in my situation I was in high school. I'll help them in choosing schools and finding ways to enjoy hockey beyond Hun."

Allen still enjoys playing field hockey herself. She was part of the New Jersey Eagles club team that captured the adult co-ed division of the 2003 National Futures Tournament in Palm Springs, Calif.

"I still play field hockey with a club team in New York City and a co-ed team for New Jersey," Allen said. "Field hockey is something I'll always play and always love. I love it the best because of the teams I play on. Lacrosse, I don't think I'll play competitively again. You can't compare the sports. They are really different. But really what makes the sport is the team you play on and who you play with."

Allen has prioritized fostering that sort of environment at Hun. She doesn't, however, see it as the toughest of her jobs.

"I already sense a camaraderie and positive leadership on the team," Allen said. "I want to make sure everyone feels included. I'll focus on making each individual a better player. As long as everyone feels they're improving, they'll feel they have something to contribute to the team."

The Hun players are no doubt looking forward to the possibility of returning to the Prep A final for the fourth time in six years. Practices begin in less than two weeks when Allen will get her first up-close look at this year's squad. Having played at Rancocas Valley, she had limited experience with the Raiders program.

"We never played Hun," she said. "In field hockey, there's a national program that tries to recruit players to the national team, the Futures team. I tried out and there were a couple girls from Hun I remember when we were practicing and trying out. They were usually very competitive and very athletic. I always thought of Hun as very competitive and a very good school."

Sustaining the competitive level at Hun is a bit of a different route from her experience as a player at Columbia. The Lions didn't even play a full Ivy League schedule in her freshman season, but took steps toward being more competitive every year.

"My last season was 1999, and the year after I left, we won the ECACs," recalled Allen who played defensive back for most of her college career. "The whole way, we were steadily getting better. You could tell by the margins of our wins and losses, year by year.

"Columbia, it was a different experience. The uniqueness of playing on the team made me love playing field hockey more."

She hopes to bring that passion for playing to Hun's team while taking on a challenge of a new kind in her coaching career.

"It's completely different from working with the underdog perspective to (working with) a program that's traditionally successful," Allen said. "At first it was difficult. It got harder as we got higher expectations at Columbia. Working with Hun, they already have high expectations. I think maybe the older players have a better sense of what makes a winning team."

Antoinette Allen also has a sense of what components make a winning team after finding success in a number of other challenges. Her latest challenge and pursuit of success brings her back to New Jersey to take on the Hun field hockey job.

©PACKETONLINE News Classifieds Entertainment Business - Princeton and Central New Jersey 2005





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Story Source: Princeton Packet

This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; COS - Paraguay; Sports; Field Hockey; Minority Volunteers

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By Breanna (ce2-o-msln.msln.net - 169.244.70.148) on Thursday, May 24, 2007 - 9:57 am: Edit Post

I LOVE FIELD HOCKEY!!!! I live for it, it is the only thing I want to do!

By Ikani Tolu (202.170.44.153) on Saturday, April 19, 2008 - 1:15 pm: Edit Post

I want to make contact with a PCV that worked in Tonga in 1983-1985. Her name is Maureen Kelley from Boston. Please contact 'Ikani an old friend from Tonga.


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