Teaming up with Outback Steakhouse is proving to be a winning strategy for Gloucester field hockey players. Following a highly successful fundraiser in September, Outback is continuing to open fundraising doors in support of Gloucester athletics.

The Gloucester High School field hockey program and the Gloucester Field Hockey Club hosted an Outback Steakhouse fundraising dinner at the school in September with the support of the Outback in Williamsburg. All 200 tickets for the event quickly sold out, and additional supporters showed up to pay at the door.

"We also had a tremendous amount of volunteers," said GFHC spokesman Maria Sadler. She said the volunteers helped serve dinner and drinks and held a bake sale in conjunction with the dinner. More than $3,400 was raised that night, and the volunteer efforts impressed the Outback management so much that it nominated the group for inclusion in a national competition for a $5,000 award.

"They saw how organized we were and ...