Amy Wood is a 40-year-old pharmacist who moonlights as a sports legend. From 1994 to 2003, the part-time field-hockey coach at Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School led her teams to nine straight state titles–a national record.
Her secret? She attends to players' psyches as well as their stick work. She runs sprints with the girls, counsels them through boy-craziness, and treats them to smoothies–all to boost confidence and team unity.
Growing up in sports-mad Aberdeen, Maryland (Cal Ripken's hometown), Wood counted herself blessed when her high-school team brought home a state title one year. Now her B-CC players expect such glory routinely. Says Wood: "I tell them, 'You don't know how lucky you are.' "
Washingtonian staff contributing to this section were Chuck Conconi, Sherri Dalphonse, Susan Davidson, Mary Clare Fleury, Cynthia Hacinli, Thomas Head, Stephanie Jones, Ann Limpert, Drew Lindsay, Chad Lorenz, Leslie Milk, William O'Sullivan, Cindy Rich, and Jeremy Stahl. Also contributing were writers Cathy Alter, Ann Cochran, and Jenny Sullivan.
