The Roar had the opportunity to sit down with the newly appointed head coach of the women’s soccer team.
Already a recognizable name around campus as Assistant Athletic Director, Coach Timmy McCormick talked about what he enjoys most about his new role at school and the upcoming games this season.
The Lady Lions already had a great start defeating Birmingham Southern and Howard Payne going 2-0 so far this season.
The Roar: Obviously, you aren’t a new face around campus and you have a lot of great experience with the Lions coming into this season, how will that affect the way you look at your position as Head Coach?
Coach McCormick: I think my experience will help me in navigating the everyday parts of the job, which can be kind of tricky coming in as a head coach. But the experiences I have had already at Piedmont will help me because I know the processes here, and how the classrooms work. The professors are great and so are the girls. I think that will help as far as a transition goes.
TR: What are you doing to get the team ready for another tournament on the road this weekend at Rhodes College, and then, of course, the Home Opener against Agnes Scott next week?
CM: I think there will be all sorts of preparation, on and off the field. Making sure we are getting enough rest and making sure the school work is all caught up, taking tests ahead of time and moving around classes if need be before they leave is always one of the bigger worries for playing away. The college and professors do a great job helping us prepare that way. On the field, we are going through preparation for the opponents that we will face, but we are also looking to fix a few things we saw come up this past weekend in prepare better in those areas. As for preparing for the home opener next week, it’s more fun because it’s the first time you can play at home on your own turf… so it’s just making sure they have the small details in order to make sure they are ready for that.
TR: The Lady Lions soccer team is coming off back-to-back USA South Tournament titles and NCAA National Tournament appearances in ‘15 and ‘16, how do you plan on continuing that tradition of excellence?
CM: I think we need to worry about the things we can control. Worrying about the things we can’t control, or winning is getting a little ahead of ourselves. When you take care of the details the winning takes care of itself. We try to take care of the things in front of you first. We are trying to go 1-0 on the day we are playing.
TR: Previously you mentioned having an administrative role was a major reason for coming back to Piedmont. What are the differences you notice most between being a head coach and assistant A.D. and how do you plan to transition into taking on both of those roles simultaneously?
CM: The major difference between being an administrator and being a head coach is the amount of kids you get to interact with. In the assistant athletic director, I get to work with all the student athletes around campus, which is the part of the job I enjoy most… working with the athletes.
TR: This season started off with a bang going 2-0 already this year, how do you feel about these girls moving forward through the rest of the season?
CM: I think it was great that we started with the two wins this weekend, but we have a lot of work to do. I think the girls are aware of it. We have talked a lot about it as far as consistency goes. We played well on attack and defense at times, but we need to be more consistent.
TR: The Lady Lions look like they are shaping up for another great season. Who are your key players that you will be looking to, to help lead this team through the fall?
CM: I don’t think we focus on any particular players. We have a lot of good players and we focus on what we need to do as a team. Play for something bigger than yourself. I think the girls buy into that methodology. We have a lot of vets and a lot of new faces.
TR: There are a lot of young faces on this team with eight freshmen and six sophomores, what are you doing to continue to build a successful program like we have seen in the past few years and get them ready to be leaders on the team in the coming seasons?
CM: The biggest thing is in the recruiting process. We get them in with as many girls already on the team as possible. There are a lot of good players and good players make you look a whole lot smarter than you usually are as a coach that is, the girls are fantastic.
TR: What are you most looking forward to being the head coach?
CM: I enjoy the interaction with the players. I think that’s the reason most of us do it. I enjoy the interaction with the student athletes on and off the field and the relationships I build with them. I am very thankful for the opportunity. This is a very special place and the girls know that. It is definitely a privilege not a right to be here.
Congratulations to Coach McCormick and the Lady Lions on a fantastic start to their 2017-18 season. Great job ladies and best wishes for the rest of the year.
