Lancer coach earns field hockey honor Lancer coach earns field hockey honor (July 01, 2005)

Kathy Lincoln voted best in state by her peers

By Scott Campbell

For Kathy Lincoln, this was certainly an occasion worthy of interrupting her vacation. The St. Francis varsity field hockey coach, who had been basking in the Florida sun, flew to San Diego in order to receive her award as the 2005 California Coaches Association Field Hockey Coach of the Year on June 18.

And yes, she returned to Florida with her newfound hardware to resume vacationing where she left off.

"It's humbling," Lincoln said of receiving the award. "It's nice when you try ... to do the thing that's in the best interest of the kids and in the best interest of your sport and other people recognize that."

For Lincoln, this was an honor seven years in the making. Since founding the St. Francis field hockey program in 1998, Lincoln has guided the Lancers to one outright Central Coast Section title and a share of another.

At the outset, however, the goals were more modest.

"I couldn't really say I had a grandiose plan as to how this was going to work," said Lincoln, who never envisioned her fledgling team competing in three consecutive section title games from 2001-2003. "I basically wanted to be able to have a program where the kids would understand and value hard work and understand that hard work pays off."

Lincoln looked to her own playing days as a midfielder on Central Michigan University's field hockey team in developing her coaching style.

"To be able to do what I felt worked for me as an athlete ... is important. My big thing is you want to feel like you're part of a team whether you're a starter or not," said Lincoln, who previously coached tennis, softball and volleyball at St. Francis. "You treat everyone with dignity and respect. It's very simple, but it seems to work."

But the heart of Lincoln's genius lies in finding the right balance between striving to win and having fun. Every current and former Lancer testified to how effective that method is.

"Her guidance and help and her pushing us every step of the way, but at the same time letting us have fun ... that's what helped us win," said former St. Francis player Gina Demaestri ('02), who now plays at Villanova University. "We'd come out there and we'd always have a good time, no matter what, but we'd always get straight down to business."

Lancers' JV coach Kate Deal calls Lincoln a mentor.

"She creates such a healthy atmosphere," said Deal. "I aspire to have the kind of influence on girls that she does."

That connection occasionally includes a most rare sight in high school athletics -- a coach performing conditioning drills with her players.

"I do it sometimes when I need to sneak in an additional workout," said Lincoln, a Mountain View resident who enjoys competing in triathalons.

Lincoln, who teaches exercise science and sports medicine as well as physical education at St. Francis, considers coaching to be an extension of the work she does in the classroom.

"I think of myself basically as an educator and I think [teaching and coaching] go hand in hand," said Lincoln, who has taught at St. Francis for 17 years. "You're teaching kids a skill; you're still teaching even if you're coaching them."

St. Francis knows how lucky it is to call Lincoln one of its own.

"Kathy stands out in developing the whole person," said St. Francis Athletic Director Michael Pilawski. "Her team's accomplishments speak for themselves. As a community, we're very proud of her."

Lincoln spoke of being especially honored that she was selected Coach of the Year following her team's worst campaign to date, a 7-5-5 record in 2004 and the first season the Lancers failed to receive a CCS bid. Moreover, she is eager to share the kudos.

"Not only am I representing myself and the program and my athletes, but I'm also representing the school as a whole and I think that's an even bigger honor than just receiving the individual award," said Lincoln.

E-mail Scott Campbell at sports@mv-voice.com

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