About Us

Virginia Beach Field Hockey has been operating for over 25 years! Debbie Lowrance and Cindy Midkiff are the owners, and here is a little about the organization and their basic philosophy:

Va. Beach Hockey League is one of the largest and longest running field hockey youth leagues in the country. It started as a Saturday morning “ free hockey clinic “ in 1982 and developed into an organized intramural-type league with 6 teams in 1984. Deb Lowrance was organizing and getting this grass roots group going with the younger players when Cindy Midkiff came in shortly after and was organizing play for older players. The two “ hooked up “ and Va. Beach Hockey LTD. was born.  Debbie met Dena Reardon when she was a player for Kempsville High School and attending her summer camps.  Several years ago, she became involved with VBHL as a volunteer when her daughter Megan began playing.  Megan coached and officiated in the league for many seasons, and now plays DI field hockey for UC Davis in California.  Dena’s involvement with field hockey grew over the years, and has included working for US Field Hockey and its Futures program, local travel teams, and many Hampton Roads area schools.  In between traveling to watch collegiate hockey games, Dena currently oversees daily operations for the league.

Its reputation of combining fun and competitive field hockey in an atmospere that taught young women and girls to become empowered and self confident through sports began to spread throughout Tidewater Virginia. Today,  we have grown to an average of 40 teams per season with participants ranging in age from 5 1/2 years old to adults. Our seasons include winter ( Jan. & Feb. ) spring ( April & May ) summer ( July ) and fall (Sept.-Oct.) . We sponsor two travel teams ( U-16 & U-19 ), the Va. State Games, fall tournaments,  middle school tune-ups and a summer camp. Each year we give two scholarships to girls who have played and worked in the league.

We are proud of the fact that all of our league coaches and officials are area high school and current collegiate players and graduates. Our coaches and officials are trained and serve as mentors to their youth teams which allows them to impart their knowledge, spirit, enthusiasm, and love of the game to our younger hockey players each season. Our mission is to celebrate the sport of field hockey in a safe and family oriented atmospere by giving our participants an opportunity to experience every facet of field hockey.  It’s truly a labor of love and we welcome suggestions for improvement and of course…. praises. Feel free to contact us, or Dena Reardon at 714-0019,  should you have any questions!

A little about Debbie and Cindy : Debbie is what most in Va. Beach call the “ mother of field hockey “. She has been enthusiastically involved with the game for the past 33 years! Her love for the game spans her playing years at Cox H.S. and Longwood College, her coaching years at Kempsville and Independence Middle Schools, teaching a field hockey course at O.D.U., and her involvement with Va. Beach Hockey and summer camps. She founded the youth league in 1982 so that her daughters, Page, Meredith, and Jordan would have an opportunity to experience the joy of field hockey in their elementary years. She has continued to give that same opportunity to all young girls in our area along with the help of her husband Keith and partner Cindy Midkiff.

Cindy has been playing hockey for 23 years including high school , college, and club. ( Menchville H.S., Radford University, and Va. Beach Club ) She coached for 10 years at Green Run and Salem High Schools in Va. Beach.  She is currently a teacher at First Colonial High School, and a certified  athletic trainer for the Virginia Beach middle schools and Glasson Sports Medicine.  She was also an athletic trainer with the United States National Field Hockey Team for five years.