Baumgardner, Clark selected as Redwood Grantees

Danielle Baumgardner, The Collab, and Katie Clark, Rocky Mountain Field Hockey Club

GENEVA, N.Y. — The National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) Sport Development Committee is pleased to announce Danielle Baumgardner and Katie Clark as the recipients of this year’s Redwood Grant.

Danielle Baumgardner founded The Collab in January 2023 with the vision of supporting individuals and their families through their field hockey careers. The Collab serves as a “field hockey life coach” to mentor and train the whole person and their families via meetings and small group training sessions. During the soft opening period in January, The Collab on-boarded 30+ individuals for a total of 40 sessions, exceeding all expectations. However, the lack of indoor facility rental space limited training sessions during the winter season. The Redwood Grant will be used to cover some of the initial costs of establishing a facility for field hockey training. Baumgardner has been paired with Redwood mentor, Betsy Ellis, owner of Panthers United Field Hockey Club.

“I would like to thank Chrissy Summers and the Sports Development Committee for their dedication to supporting field hockey entrepreneurs and their belief in The Collab’s vision and mission,” remarked Baumgardner. “The heart of the Redwood Grant is support through connection and collaboration with a strong network of like-minded people, representative of the strong network of Redwood tree roots. I am humbled and eager to join this network, especially with my mentor, Betsy Ellis, as The Collab seeks to grow and expand its own roots in Central Pennsylvania. My goal, as a ‘field hockey life coach,’ is to engage, equip, empower, and encourage individuals and their families as they navigate the field hockey world from youth and beyond graduation. Specifically, support from this grant will be used to establish a high-quality facility to meet the demands for consistent training and build a sustainable future.”

Katie Clark, co-owner of Rocky Mountain Field Hockey Club, founded the club to provide a home for Colorado field hockey players to grow their skills and create genuine relationships with fellow athletes across the state. Clark and co-owner Emily Hazard started the new club team in the Denver area to provide more opportunities for players who didn’t make existing travel teams within the state of Colorado. The Redwood Grant will help the club find the steps to create their vision and grow the game in Colorado. Clark has been paired with Redwood grant mentor, Phil Edwards, owner of Path Coaching and Rutgers University Assistant Coach.

“We’re super excited to be awarded the Redwood Grant and to receive support from the NFHCA and our mentor, Phil Edwards,” remarked Clark. “More importantly, the grant will have an exponential effect on field hockey and girls in Colorado as we continue to develop Rocky Mountain FHC and the sport in the West. We’re incredibly thankful for the NFHCA community that is cheering us on.”

Each of the grantees will receive $2,500 from the NFHCA to support their work and registration to the 2024 Annual Convention. They also will participate in quarterly meetings with all grant recipients and will meet with their mentor throughout the year.

“Our first year with the grant, we learned a lot: how to maximize connections, empower our mentors, and ensure the Redwood recipients engage in both the grant funds and the connective power of the NFHCA,” remarked Chrissy Summers, Sport Development Committee member. “After interviewing Katie Clark and Danielle Baumgardner and their mentors Phil Edwards and Betsy Ellis, I’m even more confident we’ll support their root systems to grow even taller, especially by ensuring they’ll all be together at the convention. I am confident both Rocky Mountain FHC and The Collab would succeed without us, but I’m optimistic this grant and their mentors will help them reach their goals faster. I’m proud of the Redwood forest and the interconnected root system we’re cultivating.”

The Redwood Grant is powered entirely by the generosity of donors — donations will continue to be collected throughout the year.

Meet The Redwood Grant Mentors

The National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) is a nonprofit organization serving field hockey coaches and supporters of the game from across the United States. The mission of the organization is to stimulate the professional development of coaching leadership within the sport of field hockey. The NFHCA strives to cultivate and recognize the professional contributions of its membership and to foster and promote the growth of the sport. The NFHCA is responsible for providing a recognizable presence and voice in regard to legislation affecting the sport as well as interscholastic and intercollegiate programs.