Sports
By Don Lyons - July 13, 2006
Mike Joyce in his new office, surrounded by some of the tools of his trade. Photos by Ralph Stewart
New AD takes up the reins
Michael Edward Joyce III, 38, has moved into the MVRHS Athletic Director's office recently vacated by the retirement of Glen Field. No doubt, Glen is a hard act to follow. But Mike is well suited by training and temperament to follow in his train.
Mike grew up in Oak Bluffs, the son of a teacher and coach at MVRHS. He graduated from MVRHS in 1986 and from Trinity College in Hartford, Conn. four years later. At MVRHS, Mike played basketball for Coach Jay Schofield and ran on the track team. At Trinity he was a member of the cross-country and track teams, setting a school record at 10,000 meters.
After graduating from Trinity with a Bachelor of Science degree he earned a Masters in Biochemistry at Mount Holyoke College. and began teaching high school chemistry and biology, first at Northampton County, N.C, then at West Springfield, Mass.
For the last nine years he has taught chemistry and biology at MVRHS and has coached in the boys junior varsity and girls basketball programs. He took over as head coach of the boys varsity basketball program for the '03-'04 season. Mike also plays the game. He is a three-point specialist in the RCBL as a member of the league champions Timberwolves.
Mike will discontinue teaching the sciences but will retain his position as coach of the boys varsity basketball team.
The new AD inherits a multifaceted program with teams in a variety of leagues or associations, most notably and most recently the South Coast Conference (SCC) in which the boys and girls basketball teams and the boys ice hockey team competed last winter, as did the baseball and softball teams this spring. The field hockey team also competes in the SCC.
This fall the boys and girls soccer teams will also play in the SCC.
The Vineyard is in the Conference on a trial basis. If we pass muster, most of the athletic teams will compete in the SCC, an objective much desired..
Meanwhile, the football, cross-country and track and field teams are still members of the Mayflower League in which most of their opponents are regional technical schools.
The boys and girls lacrosse teams compete in the Maritime League, which exists only for lacrosse. (The South Coast Conference does not have a lacrosse component as most of the member schools do not play the sport. On the other hand, they do play volleyball and compete in wrestling, programs not offered at MVRHS.)
As The Times was interviewing the new AD, he received word that some JV coaching positions will need to be filled, a foretaste of some of the kind of unanticipated concerns that will be his daily bread.
Mike is pleased that Glen Field will be available as "special consultant" and mentor.
We wish him well and have no doubt he will bring distinction to the position.
Shady Lady catcher and captain Sara Ahren blocks the plate and applies the tag on Amanda Klein of the Long & Meehan Snaps. The Ladies won, 7-5.
Ladies at bat
The Shady Ladies edged the Snaps Friday evening in a women's softball game at Veterans Park, 7-5. Also Friday the Creamers creamed the Wampum in a mercy-rule-shortened game, 20-0. The Creamers scored a dozen runs in the first inning. In the final game of the trifecta, the Honeys dropped the Late Fees, 9-3.
Tuesday, the Oysters handed the Creamers their first loss, overcoming a 2-0 lead with four runs in the sixth to win, 4-2. At the same time, in a high scoring game, the Coolers outlasted the Snaps, 15-12. In the late game, under the lights, the Shady Ladies topped Wampum, 7-3.
Standings as of Tuesday
(1) Creamers 7-1 (2) Oysters 6-1 (3) Shady Ladies 4-2 (4) Honeys 3-3 (5) Snaps 2-4 (6) Late Fees 2-4 (7) Coolers 3-5 (8) Wampum 0- 5
