WATERVILLE — One of the most rewarding and enduring pleasures of winning a state championship is it stays in the memory bank for the rest of one’s life. And the most unexpected things can bring the memory back.
For the 2014 Class C field hockey champions from Winslow High School, anyone named Tommy or the appearance of the No. 51 at the cash register or on a speedometer will do the trick.
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Winslow took down Lisbon 3-1 at Thomas College on Saturday for the title, the school’s first since a 2006 Class B golf championship (girl’s hockey won a state championship in 2007 but the Maine Principals’ Association didn’t sanction the sport until 2008).
The championship drought led to a school-wide rallying cry, “The Quest for 51,” as in the 51st state title in Winslow’s history.
Already well-motivated by the lingering disappointment of losing in last year’s regional championship, coach Mary Beth Bourgoin’s field hockey team embraced the challenge of helping the school reach its elusive goal.
“Our individual team motivation was we wanted to redeem ourselves from last year. But overall, it was that quest for 51. We wanted to get the school another state championship because it’s been awhile,” Bourgoin said.
The Black Raiders never wanted to forget that quest so they dubbed their wind sprints “51s” and “Tommy’s” (for Thomas College, the destination for their ultimate goal). They used it to push themselves to their mental and physical limits and beyond.
“Whenever we work out or whenever we’re tired or we’re stressed and we don’t want to do anymore, we always say ‘Quest for 51,’ or ‘You’re going to run this extra lap for 51,'” junior goalkeeper Delaney Wood said.
The slogan bonded athletes and teams together year-round, senior forward Sarah Wildes said.
“All of the sports teams come out and support each other, and we’re all working together over the summer to get to the quest,” she said.
On Saturday, the Black Raiders got their hands on the tangible reward for their quest, a brand new trophy to decorate the school’s trophy case.
The intangible rewards are too numerous to count, and will stay with every player and coach that were part of the “Quest for 51.”
“This is so unbelievable. We’ve worked so hard this whole season. Everything we’ve worked for, every sprint we’ve done, every game that was close … It means everything to us right now,” senior sweeper Brooke Haskell said. “This is what our community needed right now to rally together. It’s been an ongoing thing the last two years and we did it.”
Randy Whitehouse — 621-5638
rwhitehouse@mainetoday.com
@RAWmaterial33
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