Jessie Veith-Rouleau, a decade ago, moved to the Detroit area, and as she was settling in with her husband, she saw something that stirred her inner field hockey player.
Introduced to the game at age 11, her athletic career began by smashing balls for Windy City club, then collecting accolades as a high school student-athlete, and ultimately advancing to the University of Michigan.
“I didn’t grow up in Michigan,” she told Female Athlete News. “I grew up just outside of Chicago, in Oak Park, Illinois, but I moved to Grosse Point 10 or 11 years ago. And, I was excited because they had a field hockey program at the high school level. And, where I previously lived, they did not. I saw the girls riding their bikes with their field hockey sticks, and I was like, ‘oh, it’s here.’”
She didn’t know it at the time, but that spark was the start of something big.
“My kids were still very young at that point,” the 43-year-old said. “So, I hadn’t really thought of coaching.”
Seven years ago, the collegiate standout and captain that helped lead the Wolverines to the 2001 NCAA Division I championship, said it was brought to her attention that Grosse Point South was seeking a head field hockey coach.
“I just jumped right in,” she said. “Then, once I did that, all those old feelings of being a Division I collegiate national champion came back to me. And, I was like, ok, I need to do more here. And, if I’m going to coach at the high school, we need to have a youth program, and, if I’m going to have a youth program, might as well have a middle school team.”
And, before she knew it, she had connected with like-minded individuals in Michigan who wanted the same thing she wanted, which was to grow the game and offer it to as many people as possible. She connected with Keely Tamer, former Michigan field hockey standout and mom of USA Field Hockey Olympian Abby Tamer.
The duo began to hatch plans and worked alongside members of the Michigan High School Field Hockey League, the Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA), and their USA Field Hockey partners.
The synergy paid off.
A few months ago, MHSAA, a service organization for Michigan high school sports and member of the National Federation of State High School Associations, sanctioned girls high school field hockey.
The MHSAA also sanctioned boys high school volleyball.
Both field hockey and volleyball will be officially governed by the association starting in 2025. They are the latest sports to be approved after 20 years of no sanctions.
“We still are relatively small for the state of Michigan as a sanctioned sport with 36 high schools competing,” Veith-Rouleau said. “We really worked to align in the last three years; to really align all of our rules and policies to the MHSAA, despite our size.”
Not much will change, except for handing the league over to the MHSAA. The bigger picture is an anticipation that more high schools will offer field hockey and traveling far distances will become less of a norm.
“Every state is a little bit different,” she said. “The MHSAA is a giant governing body, tons of news, tons of press, the organization is something everyone looks to for rules and regulations. It’s highly respected by athletic departments and directors. And, again, playing for those championships, playing for the MHSAA state championship is a huge deal. And not to say that the Michigan High School Field Hockey League hasn’t done their best to do the same thing, but it will allow us to have access for opportunities, for growth, for publications, for write ups, and for recognition statewide.”
She continued: “We are a pocket sport. We have pockets of really, amazing field hockey, where we have top players like Abby Tamer coming out of Michigan. But those pockets are not connected. And, that takes a lot of effort by the league to make sure we can connect our pockets with long distance travel…up to a three hour drive on a bus with my team to go to the west side of the state to play a conference game.
“Our hope is with MHSAA adopting field hockey is those pockets become bigger and broader and there’s less opportunity for travel until we get all the way to state playoffs. You know to be able to play locally, it would be a bigger opportunity and less likely you’d be traveling all over the state to get to that next pocket.”
Field hockey will become the only girls team sport offered in the Fall governed by the MHSAA.
“For us to have that opportunity, to girls who might play something similar like soccer or lacrosse, or even ice hockey, an opportunity to play a team sport together in the Fall is something that we’re super excited about,” she said. “And just hope to bring that awareness through the MHSAA.”
Abby Tamer, who just competed in the 2024 Paris Olympics, scored twice in the United Eagles game against Great Britain. She will return to Michigan and Big 10 competition after having red-shirted last season.
She was part of USA Field Hockey’s return to the biggest stage in the world for sport. Her achievement, and the momentum in Michigan, is a catalyst to open doors for young girls, and boys, all throughout the state, Veith-Rouleau said.
“It’s an exciting time for the sport of field hockey in Michigan,” Keely Tamer said in a USA Field Hockey statement. “The Michigan High School Athletic Association’s approval to add field hockey for the 2025-26 fall season is a sign of growth we have anticipated at the high school level. Since our inception in January of 2020, the Michigan State Chapter has embodied the chapter goal of serving and inspiring members and growing locally. In our early strategic planning, our goal was to actively support change in the state’s landscape at the high school level. Through USA Field Hockey’s piloted chapter initiative, collaboration empowered our leaders to act.”
And, the field hockey enthusiasts aren’t sitting around during the transition. The league has dug in to using technology, specifically, Hudl cameras at games, sharing stats among coaches, and enjoying the journey of annual rivalries being renewed at the start of every field hockey season.
“We have our rivalries every year,” Veith-Rouleau said. “The certain few…we want to support growth at the bottom just like we want to support growth at the top of the league. We want to improve the entire group. Grow the top and bring the bottom up, up, up. We look at games that help us be super competitive and grow.”
During the off-season, coaches can join Zoom meetings for a small fee to listen and learn about offensive and defensive corners from coach members and take notes from experts like coaches at Michigan State.
While limiting high school team travel miles is something everyone is most likely looking forward to, there is a potential growth downside, too.
“We are restricted by a mile limit,” Veith-Rouleau said. “It does cause complications to teams that want to travel to Pennsylvania. We, right now, have certain opportunities to do so. What they allow or disallow, may be a [to be determined]. It’s over my head.”
Also working with Great Lakes Region Field Hockey, Veith-Rouleau said there’s a growing coalition of individuals wanting to see the sport stay in the state.
“We really want to grow our region, so we don’t have to leave,” she said. “One of our mottos is keep our kids sleeping in their own beds. You spend half of your career on the road, look at Abby Tamer. It’s not easy on families. And, it’s expensive for families. As we grow, how do we grow the level of play and opportunities in the region, so we don’t have to leave? Our network, networking with high level and passionate coaches, bring a focus in the region here, which is certainly mission-minded for Great Lakes.”
While it does require some travel, aspiring youth and high school field hockey athletes can watch a weekend game at Michigan, Michigan State, Central Michigan, or travel farther to watch games at Northwestern, Kent State, Indiana, and Ohio State to name a few “nearby” NCAA Division I programs.
“Having Michigan and Michigan State is a good thing for our athletes,” Veith-Rouleau said. “To have the opportunity for our kids to zip over to watch them play over the weekend, the colleges support our youth.”
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Photo: Submitted, USA Field Hockey Olympian Abby Tamer coaching at GLRFH Untamed Clinic
