Sporting fun: DGAL girls return to the playing field

Shouts of encouragement rose from the fields behind Quinn School as the Dartmouth Girls Athletic League kicked off its field hockey and softball seasons on Sunday, Sept. 14.

Girls come from 22 communities to participate in the league, including one girl who lives in Plymouth.

“Dartmouth picks up about half the league, and the other half is other communities, which is pretty awesome,” said field hockey commissioner Courtney Cohen.

When the field hockey program began in 2011, it was only open to girls in grades three through eight, but about 10 years ago, organizers started the pee wee league for girls in kindergarten through second grade.

“We added in the little pee wee, because it’s fun in my novel,” Cohen said.

Co-commissioner Nicole Mello said, “DGAL field hockey league is really different, because there’s no other youth league that starts field hockey in kindergarten.”

Nearly 220 girls are playing field hockey this year, whichCohen said “is so cool.”

“Last year we were around 205, so we’re growing, which is all we’re trying to do is promote this awesome game,” she said.

Cohen called the league community driven and said it will stay recreational because “this is for fun.”

Field hockey player Peyton Mello, 11, said she looks forward to playing games against her friends

“It’s just fun for everyone,” she said. “People always have good personalities, and they never make a big thing about losing.”

Alex Cohen, 9, has been playing field hockey since she was in preschool and said her favorite part of the season is opening day.

“It’s really fun because all the DGAL teams are here,” she said.

And with the softball teams also part of opening day this year, Quinn School was bustling.

Cohen noted that the field hockey and softball teams don’t usually play on the same day at the same location, but because of last weekend’s rain delaying the start of the field hockey season, the games coincided.

She said they were doing their best to balance the volume of people and the number of cars.

“I think it’s working out all right,” she said.

Softball coach Melissa Caton called DGAL “a friendly environment … [that’s] positive for all these young ladies.”

She said that this year there is a mix of girls who play on travel teams and those who are new to the sport.

“Some newer girls who aren’t necessarily as skilled but are learning from these girls who are being leaders, so we’re excited about that,” she said.

Alexa Aguar, 12, has been playing DGAL softball for several years and said that “everybody’s like sisters for us.”

Field hockey player Maeve Firth, 12, called DGAL a “really nice community” and said she thinks that “more people should join if they have the opportunity.”

Mello said that overall, opening day is “a great day.”

“It’s just really a day to come together as the league — we have softball playing, we have field hockey playing … and we can’t do it without the sponsors, without the coaches,” she said.