With such a storied coaching career, one would imagine Lynne Beecroft was always destined to be a leader. But she sees her coaching career as having something of a fairytale beginning.

The former Olympian joined up with her former teammate Nancy Mollenhauer (then Charlton) in 1984 as a coach for the University of VictoriaB次元官网网址檚 womenB次元官网网址檚 field hockey team.

B次元官网网址淚 was a super shy person, I did not think standing in front of a group of 16 to 20 athletes and telling them what to do would be in the cards for me,B次元官网网址� said Beecroft.

B次元官网网址淚 think she (Mollenhauer) saw something in me that I could bring to the Vikes team that maybe they hadnB次元官网网址檛 had to help them sort of get over the hump because they had some really good teams, but they hadnB次元官网网址檛 won a national championship. I didnB次元官网网址檛 quite know what that entails. But I thought that it would be an opportunity. One of my sort of goals in life was to make a difference, and so I could make a difference in the lives of the athletes that I coach.B次元官网网址�

And make a difference she did. Having never won a national title prior to 1984, UVic Vikes womenB次元官网网址檚 field hockey team went on to be crowned CanadaB次元官网网址檚 best 15 times, all under the tutelage of Beecroft.

The Vikes womenB次元官网网址檚 field hockey team captured their most recent title and their fourth consecutive U SPORTS WomenB次元官网网址檚 Field Hockey National Championship in a 2-0 series sweep over the York University Lions on the UVic Field Hockey Turf on Nov 5.

Much has changed during BeecroftB次元官网网址檚 39 years in the dugout. The team has gone from playing on a field that wasnB次元官网网址檛 in such great condition, Beecroft admits, to one of the best in the country.

Technology has also gone through a paradigm shift. Beecroft says it has its place in sports B次元官网网址� she recently got the hang of texting to keep in contact with her athletes after email went out of style, but thinks that sports as a whole has become too focused on screens.

B次元官网网址淣ow I watch ice hockey and the NHL players are sitting on the bench, looking at the iPad, as to why they didnB次元官网网址檛 do such and such. To me, theyB次元官网网址檝e missed the point. The point is, is that they are not in the now. So theyB次元官网网址檙e not watching the actual game and seeing what actually is happening. TheyB次元官网网址檙e thinking about what they did in the past.B次元官网网址�

Beecroft said she focused on helping players be more intuitive, teaching them the skills and helping them understand their role on the team. Unlike in sports movies, BeecroftB次元官网网址檚 strengths donB次元官网网址檛 lie in standing up in front of a crowd and making big speeches. She connects with them off-the-field.

B次元官网网址淭here are lots of people that would have just sort of off the cuff, they can just go on and on. I still aspire to have that ability but it just is not in my nature, I donB次元官网网址檛 think. I had a hard time talking at my own kitchen table when I was growing up with my family. So it certainly wasnB次元官网网址檛 in my nature. But I think that I connect well enough with athletes on an individual level and then what I try and do is collectively bring all those individuals together.B次元官网网址�

Over her time Beecroft has coached a wide array of successful athletes B次元官网网址� in multiple instances seeing multiple generations of field hockey family play for her team. But she said her proudest moments come when seeing those sheB次元官网网址檚 coached put down their sticks and go on to succeed beyond field hockey.

B次元官网网址淎ny sport is just a microcosm of life. So the things that we can teach them, life skills wise, that they can go off and have success in whatever they do outside of sport. That makes me probably more proud than the successes that weB次元官网网址檝e had on the field.B次元官网网址�

Now sheB次元官网网址檚 retired, Beecroft is looking forward to some well-earned time off, hiking with friends and golfing once the weather improves.

READ MORE: Sweet 15: B.C. coach ends generational run with another national field hockey title