Boersma Elevated to Associate Head Coach
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Loading... - Arbi Mounir
- 13 Jul 2022
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Duke field hockey head coach Pam Bustin has announced the elevation of Ralph Boersma to Associate Head Coach. Boersma is beginning his sixth season on the coaching staff for the Blue Devils.
""It is with great pride and pleasure that I announce Ralph Boersma's new role as Associate Head Coach," Bustin said. "I have greatly enjoyed working with Ralph over the past five seasons. Ralph continually and consistently pours his heart and soul into the program. He is a devoted student of the game and is committed to the development of each student-athlete. His loyalty to Duke, love for the game, and his winning mindset will serve him (and Duke Field Hockey!) well in the role of Associate Head Coach."
Boersma, a native of The Netherlands, has been instrumental in the Blue Devils' team and individual success on the field hockey field during his time in Durham. His love and dedication to the sport of field hockey and the development of student-athletes extends outside of Duke as he is heavily involved in coaching within the USA Field Hockey system as well.
Possessing a USA Field Hockey Level 3 certification, Boersma has been head coach at USA Young Women's National Championship/Senior Nexus since 2019. He also served as a head coach for High Performance South Region in 2021 and 2022.
Boersma, committed to giving back to the game and helping it to grow, is a USA Field Hockey educator, giving Level 1 and Level 2 courses. He is equally as well credentialed on the international level, earning his Federation of International Hockey Academy Level 3 Coaching Course Certification in Lima, Peru in 2019.
In his five seasons in Durham, Boersma has mentored top players for the Blue Devils, including 2020 ACC Freshman of the Year Darcy Bourne. The native of England is currently playing for the England National Team at the 2022 FIH World Cup. This past season, fellow Netherlands native Eva Nunnink garnered All-ACC and NFHCA All-South Region after joining the Blue Devils for two seasons as a graduate student transfer from Netherlands. Overall, Boersma has helped provide mentoring to eight All-Americans and 18 All-ACC honorees since becoming a Blue Devil in 2017.
Boersma boasts a wealth of coaching experience prior to Duke, having spent a number of years overseeing teams for the HV Victoria hockey club in Rotterdam, Netherlands. He served as the head coach of the club's U19 Boys Team from 2014-16 and occasionally as a field trainer for HV Victoria's First Men's Team.
His time in Rotterdam also included indoor and outdoor seasons with several age levels of boys' and girls' youth teams. During his stint at Victoria, Boersma coached several players who made it through the ranks of the Dutch National Teams at the U17 and U19 level. In addition, many of the youth players he coached are currently active on the highest Dutch senior level and some are active internationally in England and Canada.
In addition to his time spent with the HV Victoria hockey club, Boersma also coached with HC Hoeksche Waard club program, based in Mijnsheerenland, Netherlands. He served as the head coach of the First Men's Team from 2011-15 and as the head coach of the U19 Boys squad from 2009-11. Read More...
