It wasn’t an easy search, but Dexter High finally has a field hockey coach to take over one of the most successful sports programs in the state – and a one that has a chance for a national record this fall.

Dexter athletic director Steve Bell said the school is awaiting final approval from the school board, but he has recommended varsity assistant Sheila Truman for the job.

The next school board meeting is in August.

Truman is an education technician at the high school and is also an assistant varsity softball coach.

She will replace Margaret Veazie, under whom Truman has served as an assistant coach for the past several years. She is spending this summer assisting Veazie with the former coach’s field hockey camp.

Veazie, who resigned after last season to watch her daughters play in college, coached the Tigers to five Class C state championships since 1998. Dexter field hockey will open the 2004 season with a 62-game winning streak, which Bell said is four games shy of setting a national high school record for consecutive wins.

The school advertised the position for several weeks and had a few candidates who didn’t pan out. The intimidation factor – taking over for a successful coach – could have played into the school’s trouble in hiring a coach, too, he said.

“It’s just like the field hockey official [shortage],” Bell said. “There are just a lack of quality people out there with experience.”

Bouchard won’t give up ‘passion’

Newly hired Houlton High principal Marty Bouchard may be facing all kinds of new pressures and expectations, but he isn’t able to give up completely one of his passions: refereeing.

Bouchard, the former Hodgdon athletic director who has officiated basketball for 12 years, plans to remain an active member of the Northern Maine Board of Approved Basketball Officials, although he knows he will have to drastically curtail his schedule.

“It’s been an important part of my life and I have a passion for it,” he said. “I think everyone recognizes the need to have something as an outlet, and refereeing is that for me. … It’s good exercise to get out and run the floor.”

Bouchard said he officiated 40 or 50 basketball games last year and is a regular face on the court during the Eastern Maine basketball tournaments, for which officials are selected based on ratings.

He has also refereed soccer for the past five years but will give that up completely, as well as giving up his position as the sub-varsity basketball referee assigner.

Martin earns coaching honor

Hampden girls soccer coach Dewey Martin was recently awarded the Advanced National Diploma from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America.

The diploma, which is awarded after a 56-hour course, is the sixth of seven steps in coaching education offered by the NSCAA. Martin completed the course at Amherst College in Massachusetts.

Martin, a local accountant, is in his second season as the Broncos’ head varsity coach but has five years of assistant coaching experience with both boys and girls and is a longtime official and youth soccer coach. He helped found the Hampden Soccer Club travel team program in 1991.

Mandatory clinics on tap

Fall coaches, mark your calendars. The Maine Principals’ Association mandatory coaching clinics are rapidly approaching.

Football clinics will be held locally Aug. 8 at Brewer High at 6 p.m. and Aug. 9 at Winslow High at 7 p.m.

Soccer clinics for schools in Eastern Maine areas are Aug. 4 at Northern Maine Community College in Presque Isle at 6:45 p.m., Aug. 18 at Waterville High at 7 p.m., Aug. 19 at Washington Academy in East Machias at 6 p.m., Aug. 22 at Georges Valley High in Thomaston at 2 p.m., and Aug. 22 at Orono High at 6 p.m.

Volleyball clinics are set for Aug. 21 at the University of Maine in Orono (location TBA) 10 a.m.-noon, and Aug. 23 and Aug. 30 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 at Washington Academy.

Golf clinics were held last month in Dexter and Houlton. The remaining clinics will be at Portland’s Riverside Municipal Golf Course Aug. 19 at 8 p.m. and in Augusta on Aug. 26 (location and time TBA).

This year there are no field hockey clinics scheduled before the season begins Sept. 3.

Jessica Bloch can be reached at 990-8193, 1-800-310-8600 or jbloch@bangordailynews.net.