Girls' Co-Op Hockey Team Comes Up For Vote With NK School Committee

The dream of a high school ice hockey team for girls in North Kingstown, Narragansett and South Kingstown is now just one final vote away from becoming a reality.

The proposed team, which would be a cooperative between the three high schools, faces its final hurdle on Tuesday night, Aug. 23. That’s when the North Kingstown School Committee will vote on whether to approve the interscholastic team. 

Approvals have already been granted by the school committees in South Kingstown and Narragansett. In NK, the team has the full support of Athletic Director James Marcello. 

“Forming this team creates an excellent opportunity for the students in all three schools to get involved with a new sport,” Marcello said. 

The idea for the team was initiated by a pair of hockey moms – Linda George of North Kingstown and Sharon McGreen of Narragansett - who have become deeply involved with Southern Rhode Island Youth Hockey Association as their daughters have grown into the game. Both mothers came to realize they were supporting a hockey feeder system that had no place to feed its talented players forward once the girls reached high school age in their respective towns. 

The success of other high school co-op teams in the area - such as Warwick Veterans/Pilgrim/Tollgate and Burrillville/Ponaganset - has paved the way for other co-op teams in girls’ ice hockey. More importantly, according to Narragansett Athletic Director Rich Adham, the level of research presented by McGreen and George played a large role in moving the team proposal forward. 

“They really did their homework and did a wonderful job,” Adham said. “They made it very easy for us to say yes, let’s do it. When it’s presented that way, it makes it a lot easier. It sailed right through our school committee no problem at all.” 

According to McGreen, the research was already in her possession as a result of her serving on a steering committee for girls’ youth hockey in Rhode Island. Through the research done on behalf of that committee, McGreen knew there was a demand for a team if the three towns were able to create a co-op arrangement. 

At present, there are between 10 to 12 players across the three towns who have already expressed a strong interest in playing for the co-op team. Adham believes that number may grow if and when the team is formally established. 

“It’s quite possible that once you advertise and increase some awareness about it, you may pick up a kid or two from each school, so maybe it’ll be more than what we think we have already,” he said. 

Based on her demographic information and the strong participation of players from the three towns at the lower youth hockey level, McGreen believes that the team size will only grow in the years to come. 

“I think we just need to get this team off the ground,” she said. “It will be a ‘build it and they will come’ sort of thing.” 

It’s important to note that although the team needs to be approved by the North Kingstown School Committee, no funds from the NK school budget will be used to support the team next year. Instead, it will be up to those involved with the team to raise 100 percent of the money needed to pay all related expenses, including ice time. 

“We’re going to do a few things,” McGreen said. “Pasta dinners, golf tournaments. We’re going to try to get corporate sponsorships and look for some support from the booster clubs. The advantage we have there is that we have three school systems that we can pursue for support from the boosters. We know what we have to do and will begin our fundraising efforts immediately.” 

Pending approval, what’s left to be settled between the three high schools is the team name and uniform color. 

“The three athletic directors don’t care so much about the names, the colors or any of that other stuff,” Adham said. “We’re united on that front totally. What we care about the most is giving these kids the opportunity to play.” 

Marcello concurred with that thought. “I believe everybody involved has a common goal to get the team off the ground and make it a success.”