'HiLyting' The Game Of Field Hockey
Thanksgiving weekend was an exciting one for HiLYTE as we joined forces with 3STEP Sports to highlight two of the largest USAFH events on the east coast. Attending both the Shooting Star Thanksgiving Tournament and the National Hockey Festival, we captured content from all the action throughout the weekend. With 400 teams in attendance, between 3 sports complexes and 2 states, our media team shared thousands of professional photos and video highlights on the platform in real-time.
Field hockey might be one of the fastest growing team sports in the country, but it can still feel invisible on the mainstream media landscape. Capitalizing on the turnout of these events, 3STEP invited an impressive roster of college coaches and scouts to increase recruiting exposure for players. This list included the legendary Erin Matson , five-time NCAA Field Hockey Champion for UNC, including her record-breaking win as the school’s youngest head coach just a week prior to the weekend. It's a thriving community of competitive athletes who want to play at the next level, and we’re thrilled to have our platform provide insight to that community.
Here's what Elizabeth Cimilluca , NJ GRIT Field Hockey Club coach, had to say about the platform’s impact. “It's a really cool concept, [HiLYTE] gives our athletes a platform to showcase themselves, but also a fun place to hype each other up throughout the tournament. It also sheds light on the world of field hockey, which the community appreciates as the sport continues to grow.” On top of providing a social network for sports communities, we are aiming to enhance the coaching experience with a growing suite of management tools.
With a thriving community of athletes, 3STEP helped us catch the eye of over 4,000 new users looking to follow, engage, and share highlights from their team throughout the weekend. But this wasn’t just about sharing highlights from the events, but rather providing a digital extension of the event experience. It was a great opportunity for us to get feedback from those in attendance, as well as testing how our technology handles this influx of traffic at larger scales.
So, whether you were glued to your phone, cheering from the sidelines, or stuck at home missing the action, HiLYTE and 3STEP Sports brought the Thanksgiving field hockey frenzy to you. They proved that social media can be more than just sharing media; it can be a powerful tool for amplifying under-represented sports, connecting athletes with their aspirations, and building a vibrant community around a shared passion. As we continue to enhance our product to accommodate different events, this Thanksgiving weekend may just mark the beginning of something truly special – a new era where social media shines a spotlight on the rising stars and hidden gems of any sport.
Did you catch the Thanksgiving field hockey action on HiLYTE? Share your favorite moments and tag us in your posts!