Page 20 THE REVERE ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2023 New coach, new season as Patriots field hockey team look for return to postseason By Dom Nicastro A lex Butler is raring to go in Year 1 of her campaign as the Revere High School field hockey coach. The teacher in the Susan B. Anthony Middle School brings her team into the 2023 fall with plenty of optimism after a successful preseason. “My fellow coach [Hanneliese Scheel] and I have been so impressed with the skills demonstrated by both veteran players and newcomers,” said Butler, who played for Peabody fi eld hockey in the early 2010s. Butler has aspired to be a coach since she began teaching at Revere. She loves the opportunity to help young students grow and learn. “I love working with students to help them learn and develop new skills in my classroom and wanted to be able to transfer that teaching process to the fi eld,” Butler said. “Field hockey is such a unique sport that often does not get enough attention or credit. As someone who is passionate about this sport, my role on this team is to continue and foster the growth of this Revere program.” Revere is looking to get back to the postseason this fall for the fi rst time since 2019, when it drew the fi fth seed in the Division 1 North tourney with a 12-2-2 record. It lost to Chelmsford in the fi rst round. “The biggest goal for Revere fi eld hockey is to make the tournament this season,” Butler said. Although Revere did not make tournament last year, I have really high hopes for this year’s team. They are so motivated and passionate; I think we are going to have a great season.” To get to the next level, Butler said she is working on building the program from the ground up. That means working with the city’s youth to spark more interest in fi eld hockey. She has a pretty good perch for that in her role in the middle school. Scheel, her assistant, is also in the middle school. Scheel played fi eld hockey throughout high school and at the collegiate level and “has an incredible understanding of the sport and therefore is able to identify and communicate to players ways in which they can improve specific aspects of their game,” Butler said. “Our biggest area for improvement is just continuing to grow the fi eld hockey program in ReRevere defender Ana Kalliavas is shown battling for control of a loose ball during a game against Saugus last season. (Advocate fi le photo) vere,” Butler added. “We would love to create a feeder program at the middle school level in order to spark more interest in the sport and develop these skills at an earlier age.” As for the 2023 edition, stickwork is going to be a strength on the fi eld. The Patriots have shown in the early going the ability to take care of the ball and transition things forward. “They’ve really demonstrated the ability to control the ball while passing and driving down the fi eld,” Butler said. “I also cannot emphasize enough how incredible their comradery is as a team. The veteran players have welcomed new players, who are just learning the sport, with open arms and have been such great leaders. Their ability to eff ectively communicate with and support one another is awesome.” The captains for the team are Bella Stamatopoulos (senior), Jordan Martelli (junior) and Ana Kalliavas (junior). “All three captains exhibit such great leadership skills and are incredible role models for the entire team,” Butler said. “They are the fi rst to show up to practice, and the last to leave. Bella, Jordan and Ana are always willing to help and encourage a teammate and are such strong fi eld hockey players themselves.” Senior Matthew Terrell returns and brings speed and “such great control of the ball. His passes are quick, strong and accurate,” Butler said. Bella Stamatopoulos will also be a strong contribution to the team this season. “She is an extremely dedicated player who shows great endurance,” Butler said, “and strong understanding of the fundamentals of the game.” Revere opens up the season with two non-league games. The Patriots begin at Malden Catholic Thursday, Sept. 7 (4 p.m.) and then host Lowell Saturday, Sept. 9 (10 a.m.) at Harry Della Russo Stadium. They open up the Greater Boston League schedule at Malden at Pine Banks Park Monday, Sept. 11 (4 p.m.). How Seniors Can Save on Prescription Drug Costs Dear Savvy Senior, I take several medications for multiple health conditions and the prices keep going up, even with my Medicare prescription drug insurance. Can you recommend any tips that can help cut my costs? Tapped Out Tina Dear Tina, The high cost of prescription drugs is an ongoing problem that stings everyone, but it usually aff ects seniors more because they have a greater need for medications and because Medicare doesn’t cover all their drug costs. While the Infl ation Reduction Act, that was signed into law last year, will help seniors save on their medications by negotiating lower drug prices and caping out-of-pocket spending at $2,000, it will be a few years before the law is fully enacted. In the meantime, here are some diff erent strategies that can help reduce your costs so you can aff ord what you need. Talk to your doctor: A good first step is to review your medications once a year with your doctor to fi nd out if any of them can be stopped or reduced. If you’re taking any brand-name drugs check to see if they are available in a cheaper generic form. Also, for any drugs you’re taking long-term ask your doctor for a cheaper three or six-month prescription, versus a one month. And fi nd out if any of the pills you’re taking can be cut in half. Pill splitting allows you to get two months’ worth of medicine for the price of one. If you do this, you’ll need to get a prescription for twice the dosage you need. Review your insurance: Carefully review your drug coverage during the open enrollment period, which runs Oct. 15 – Dec. 7 for Medicare beneficiaries. Make sure all your regular medications are covered in the plan’s formulary; that your current pharmacy is in the plan’s network; and that your plan covers additional medication coverage in the gap. To shop and compare Medicare prescription drug plans go to Medicare.gov/ plan-compare. Pay cash: Not using insurance for prescriptions seems counterintuitive, but in some cases, it may save you money. For example, many chain pharmacies and big-box stores like Walmart and Costco have their own prescription savings programs that may be lower than your insurance copayment. Or you can use coupons through GoodRx.com or RxSaver.com that can save you up to 80 percent off the list price of generic and some brand-name drugs in certain pharmacies. Shop online: You can also save on regularly used medications by having them sent to you from a mail-order pharmacy. Check with your health insurer or regular pharmacy to see whether it will get you a better deal. If not, check online pharmacies like CostPlusDrugs. com or HoneybeeHealth.com. With these, you may spend less in some cases than you might with insurance. Buy from Canada: Because prescription drugs are often much cheaper north of the border, many Americans have chosen this option for years. While this is technically illegal in most states, the Food and Drug Administration generally does not stop people from doing it. If you want to explore this option use PharmacyChecker.com, an online tool that will help you identify reputable Canadian and international online pharmacies. Get more help: If your income is limited, you may also be able to get help through Medicare’s Extra Help program (Medicare.gov/basics/ costs/help/drug-costs), your state pharmaceutical assistance program (Medicare.gov/ plan-compare/#/pharmaceutical-assistance-program/states) or patient assistance programs (Medicare.gov/pharmaceuticalassistance-program). Visit each website to see if you’re eligible and to apply. Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior.org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of “The Savvy Senior” book.
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