BY WENDI REARDON PRICE
Clarkston News Sports Writer
Cary Exline decided it was a good time to he move up to head coach for Clarkston Girls Varsity Field Hockey.
“My wife asked me why and I said it’s a good time to get involved in the school and what is going on in your community,” Exline shared. “There’s two different ways to give back to your community and one of the small ways is make a positive experience for the players, families and the school.”

Exline served as an assistant coach alongside previous head coach Eric D’Autremont.
“I was volunteered,” he shared, as the team needed an assistant and his daughter, who was team manager at the time, said she knew someone. “I had coached ice hockey for my daughter and son for 5-7 years at that time. Going from ice to grass was the same only different. I watched her first year of field hockey. The more you watch it the more interested you get in it. Field hockey is in top ten of most interesting sport in the world.”
One of his goals for the program is generate more interest so there can be junior varsity and middle school programs.
“It’s important to have success,” Exline said. “When you look at Clarkston, you see the football program and the basketball program where they have growth and have kids involved at a young age. Coming out of junior high school they have a pretty good knowledge base of the sport. For field hockey we don’t have that, most of the players start when they are in ninth and tenth grade and it’s the first time they are exposed to the program. When you look at the success not just athletics but the whole school has, you have a culture of excellence at Clarkston and you want to contribute to it.
Exline, his wife, Becky, and three children, Cameron, Alyssa and Ben, have lived in the Clarkston community since 2001 after previously living in Waterford.
“My wife and I lived in Waterford for ten years and as soon as our first son was born, I started looking to move,” he shared, adding schools was a big factor. “It’s one of the reasons we moved out here. Before that I grew up in Warren. When I was a kid my parents would take us camping and we would travel all the way out to Groveland Oaks, which is now five minutes away from my house, or up to Ortonville. We spent a good portion of my adolescence in Ortonville, Brandon, Springfield and Clarkston area. It’s an odd thing to live where you used to vacation.”
All three kids have graduated from Clarkston High School with their oldest son finishing in 2018 and the other two finished this past school year. Cameron and Alyssa were involved in athletics as Cameron played hockey. Alyssa played ice hockey and field hockey finishing her senior year as captain and named All-State. Ben was involved with Independence Television.
“They have been engaged in the school,” Cary said. “It’s one of the things I want players to know – you have to be involved. You can’t just show up. You have to put in some effort to get results.
When Exline isn’t coaching, he is a manufacturer’s rep for performance automotive truck accessory items.