Lance Carey was named the 2010 Richmond "Coach of the Year" by the Richmond Sports Council and was honoured at an Awards Banquet on May 6th. Congratulations Lance! The Richmond Ravens Women's Team nominated their most inspiring and dedicated coach, Lance Carey. Lance was a former member of the Canadian National Men’s team and competed in the 1976 Olympics held in Montreal. He shared his love and passion of the sport with the founding of the Richmond Field Hockey Club (RFHC) in 1970. Coming out of retirement three years ago, he picked up his stick once again to rekindle that first love. At that time, a new Women's team was being formed from the ranks of RFHC’s junior players, to participate in the Vancouver Women's League. (VWFHA) Lance was as energized to teach as much as the young girls were hungry and eager to learn. With his vast knowledge gained from his previous experiences as both a player and a coach, the young Ravens gained every advantage from his coaching and training drills. His primary goal is to develop the young girls in the proper technique of field hockey and to hone their skills in order to improve their level of play. Winning a game is simply an outcome of the demonstration and execution of what they have learned. His true dedication, passion, and commitment to the sport, is an inspiration to the young players. In any weather, he is the first on the field with his cage of balls and stack of cones all ready to teach the enthusiastic Ravens. He is a great mentor, always encouraging the girls to improve and bring out the best in themselves. He demonstrates these qualities through his coaching style, skill, knowledge, and patience. He has taught them the essential skills and he gave them heart to play the game. The Ravens have been on top of their game ever since entering the VWFHA League in Division 5. They have continually climbed the ranks by capturing the Division title every year. Winning Div. 3 this season pushes them up to Div. 2 next year. Their successes as the Division winner for three consecutive years and twice Play-off Champions are alone, a true testament to the disciplined training under Lance Carey. Lance’s ultimate goal goes beyond just winning the Division each year. The significance of the Ravens’ successes in the Women’s League is being able to provide the opportunity for RFHC’s up-and-coming junior players to play at a higher level. As he recently articulated in a newspaper article, “For years and years the club has been a training ground for Vancouver-based teams. Now we are building toward a higher standard that will provide the opportunity for many more of our strong juniors to stay within the club to achieve their goals. The ultimate goal would be to be able to offer teams in all five divisions and perhaps the Premier League team. It is a long term project." Lance, along with his wife Nancy, was a driving force in the infancy of the Richmond Field Hockey Club (RFHC). He built the club into a provincial powerhouse and produced several future Olympians. As a coach, his players have enjoyed great success with many of his former players reaching Regional, Provincial, and National levels. He continues to remain actively involved in the Richmond Field Hockey Club, contributing his time as the Club’s Coach Mentor to the young aspiring young coaches. | 
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