Patty Hood: Making a Difference
On Sunday November 15th, the 9th Annual NHIAA Hall of Fame Inductions took place. Of those being honored for their hard work and accomplishments was Patricia Hood.
Now you may ask why I am taking this opportunity to write a post about a woman that hails from the great state of New Hampshire, well here is the reason. She was not only my high school health instructor and field hockey coach, but one of the most remarkable women that I have ever met. Going into my freshman year in high school I was aware of two known facts. The first being I was the little sister of a senior, and the second being that I was going to be running a mile every afternoon for the next three months. I remember being scared of not knowing what I was getting myself into when it came to field hockey. Sure I had been playing the sport since fifth grade but now I was swimming with the big fishes on the high school level. The first day of practice I had no clue what would be instore for me and I was quickly introduced to what would be the most rewarding experience in my life so far. Not only did I get to play a sport in a program with a long and storied history, but I got to compete on a level that some collegiate teams don’t even get to see.
And why was this all possible? It can only be said that Mrs. Hood has everything to do with this. She was, and still is, an avid preacher of girl power and with that teaching she has shaped many young women’s lives in four short high school years.
Having been removed from her teachings for almost ten years her voice still sounds in my head when I am thinking about going down the wrong road. Till this day her advice is still relevant and when I do have the chance to sit down and speak with her she still knows all the right things to say.
Let me give you a little background on the woman behind the success. Mrs. Hood was the Berlin High School Field Hockey coach from 1979-2000 and upon retiring from coaching she holds an impressive record of 234-86-41. She has four Class I State Championships, three runner up trophies and had been to twenty one straight NHIAA Field Hockey Tournaments.
She was named the New Hampshire “Field Hockey Coach of the Year” in 1999 and was voted one of the top 50 High School Coaches in the United States by the NFHS in 2000.
She spent the majority of her professional career teaching physical education and health for Berlin School systems as well as serving as the Berlin High School Athletic Director for several years. In the early years she was a graduate of Berlin High School lettering in three sports. After high school she went on to Plymouth State College where she captained the 1979 woman’s lacrosse team. Then would go on to win the New England Regional Division 2 Championship where she was named the Most Valuable Defensive Player.
As she has already been inducted into the Plymouth State and Berlin High School hall of fames, this honor of being in the NHIAA hall of fame is fitting. As great of a player and coach that she was, her greatest strength was her ability to relate to you as a person. Always willing to put herself last in order to see her children, peers, players, and students succeed in life. Anyone would be lucky to have her as a role model and I can say that she has been a driving force in my life and a voice of reason. So in closing, I would like to take this opportunity to say Congratulations and Thank You for all that you do and all that you have done. It has and always will be greatly appreciated!
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