May 26, 2019 - The Rick Wolff Sports Edge Show on WFAN with Coach Dave Kotowski
Click on the WFAN logo below to listen to Coach Kotowski's guest appearance on the WFAN Sports Edge with Rick Wolff.
Rick and Coach K talk about girl's lacrosse, the impact of concussions, girl's lacrosse helmets and how to keep the game safe. Here Coach K's suggestions on how to keep the game safer for all players including adjusting the rules and enforcing the current rules.
Thoughtful Thursdays - 8
Questions with Marie McCool
May 2019 - Today we share with you my interview
with Marie McCool. I had the opportunity to watch Marie for a long time
and got to know her really well in her time as a University of North
Carolina Tar Heel. Marie was a
two time Tewaaraton
Award finalist (2017 & 2018),
1st Team All-American and Midfielder of the Year (2018). Marie was the
first player to ever be named ACC Midfielder of the Year two times. In 2017 she was one
of only two collegiate players playing for the USA
World Cup team. So I guess we can
say that Marie is pretty good at lacrosse!
Marie is an EXTREMELY hard worker who pushes
herself all the time to be great. She also finds the time to help out the
next generation of younger players whenever she can. Marie is now
entering her second year in the WPLL and last year she was a unanimous All-Star Selection.
She is also a New Balance & Brine Lacrosse spokesperson and
sponsored athlete.
Please share this interview and please click on
all the links in this article to help Marie and her sponsors, Team USA and the
WPLL.
1. What helped make you into the great player you became?
Practice, practice and practice. I’ve always
been an energizer bunny and I could never sit still as a kid. Sometimes my
parents didn’t love it, but other times they appreciated how I never sat down
in front of the TV! I always begged my siblings to come outside and play with
me. They said no most of the time, so I went outside on my own. I didn’t do
many clinics or camps growing up, my backyard was my own personal clinic. I had
a rebounder and no matter what the weather was like, I went outside everyday
and did 100 right hand, 100 left. Drop the ball, start over. Skills are
important but I also worked hard to stay in shape. As a midfielder, it’s
important to be in great shape as a two way player. I ran sprints at the turf
and hated taking days off, so
I rarely did!
Along with the practice, I was also very
fortunate to be surrounded by great players at Moorestown and to learn from
some of the best high school coaches in the country, Deanna and K.C. Knobloch.
Watch this great video of how Marie is “changing the game”
2. What advice would you give your 14 year old self today?
If I
could go back to my 14 year old self and give advice, I would tell myself to
focus on being the best individual player I can be and not practice to be
better than my own teammates. I think it’s so important for young girls to work
hard each day in order to become the best player THEY can possibly be. It’s
easy to get blinded by competitiveness but the best way to get better is to
focus on your own individual areas that need improvement and then everything on
the field will fall into place.
3. What is your definition of a great player?
When I think of the “GOAT”
from every sport there’s a common theme and set of qualities that each person
possesses. A great player is one who is not only skilled, but is always one of
the hardest workers on the playing field. It’s someone who has the desire to
get better and spends extra time outside of designated practice hours to work
on his or her game, someone who is a leader by example, confident and
determined. Finally, great players put the TEAM before themselves.
4. If you could make one change in the game today what would it be?
If I could make one change it would be 9v9
(hold three back making it 6v6).
Note: The Women’s Pro Leagues have gone this
route and it has opened up the field for more offense!
5. If you had one thing you wish you had done differently in your
career what would it be?
My playing career has been
far from perfect and there have been may road block and bumps along the way.
With that being said, I don’t have any regrets and can’t truly say what I’d do
differently. My past experiences have played an important part in shaping me
into the person / player I am today. Rather than thinking negatively about the
past, I try to find the positive outcomes from my experiences and use that to
my advantage. While I sometimes find myself dwelling on the past, I don’t have
many regrets because I know it has all been a great learning experience.
6. Is there one moment where you had to overcome some real
adversity and if so how did you do it?
I think
that at some point in life, everyone faces adversity no matter what others
think or see from the outside. Luckily, I didn’t have any serious injuries but
my freshman year was definitely the most challenging year. It’s not easy
adjusting to the collegiate game or the schoolwork. You may be a top recruit in
the country, or the best player on your high school team, but once you get to
college, you’re placed on a team with 30 other girls who were the best and you
have to go in with an open mind. I put pressure on myself to prove to my
teammates and coaches that I belonged and unfortunately, it was mentally
destroying me. At one point I honestly didn’t think I was going to make it at
UNC because I felt I wasn’t good enough for a national championship caliber
team. When I came back in the spring for my first season, I worked really hard
to control my mental game. Rather than worrying about what others thought of me
and trying to prove anything to anyone, I just went out there and played. It’s
important to focus on individual goals and areas to strengthen rather than
thinking about how other teammates are playing and how you can be better than
them. This approach helped me and I went from coming off the bench and being
another body on the field to give people a rest, to a starter on a team
that reached the national championship.
7. Where can we stay in touch with you most on social media?
8. Favorite scene/quote from
a sports movie is and why!?
“I play for the United States of America”
-Mike Eruzione, Miracle
Probably one of the most notable scenes in
sports movie history, when Herb Brooks says “again.” many many times until the
USA players are basically crawling on the ice. This is a powerful statement and
is significant for anyone involved in sports. Always remember you represent and
play for the name across your chest, not the name on the back of the jersey.
Bonus Question from Michele
Tumolo: I think you should
interview Marie McCool! Ask her what her favorite memory of the World cup or
world games was!
Obviously winning gold
against Canada with 17 incredible teammates by my side! Also LOVE when Michelle
Tumolo was my Roomie and brought me back pierogies in Poland!
Who should we interview next and what question should we ask them?
You definitely have to interview Taylor Cummings next! Ask her
what it is like being part of the WPLL!!
Today we share with you my interview with the awesome Michelle Tumolo. Michelle is the new head coach of Wagner College and is a former All-American Attacker from Syracuse University who also happens to play for Team USA and is a professional women's lacrosse player too! Can you say overachiever!!
Michele was also an assistant coach at Syracuse, Oregon and Florida. She left a lasting impression on all of the players she interacted with. I have known Michelle for a long time and I was always a fan of how she played the game - she played ALL OUT. She gave it everything she had and she loved to win.
One quick story of the type of athlete that she is was when I was meeting her at the University of Florida on a recruiting trip. As we were doing a tour of the facilities we came upon the Florida Gators wide receivers getting some football work in with the Juggs Machine.
Thats a jugg's machine on the right and it is used to fire balls at really high velocity. As soon as Michelle saw them catching balls she said let me try that. She jumped in front of the machine just as one of the receivers yelled - "you are too close watch out." The machine fired a ball at around 70 mph right at Michelle's head. Without flinching she snagged the ball cleanly out of the air without as much as a bobble. She then fired a perfect spiral to one of the other receivers about 30 yards away. That's the athlete that Michelle is.
I always liked watching her play and now I was obsessed with this awesome athlete in front of me. As I have gotten to know Michelle over the years, I can tell you that she is an even better person than she is an athlete.
Thanks so much Michelle and good luck to you and the Wagner Seahawks as you continue to take those around you to new levels. That's what great Players/People do - they make those around them better and that's what Michelle does every day!
1. What helped make you into the great player you became?
A lot of practice in my backyard and great coaches helped make me into who I am. I picked up a stick at 14, so I had a ton of catching up to do. I knew I had to work extra hard to get to where I wanted to be but truly, I never would have thought it would be this far. When you fall in love with a sport (like I did with lacrosse), putting in the extra reps to get better wasn't always "easy", but you do it because you love it and you want to be the best version of you.
2. What advice would you give your 14 year old self today?
Like I said above, I picked up the stick at 14. This was such a special year for me! If I could go back and give myself advice, it would be to not be such a nervous wreck about the whole process. Little did I know it was all going to work out better than I ever would have imagined with going to Syracuse, but my nerves really took over. I would tell myself to relax, enjoy being a HS kid and just work my butt off at everything I do. I definitely worked hard to get to where I was, but to do it with not so much anxiety and worry. I'm thankful for my journey though :)
3. What is your definition of a great player?
There's so many types of great players. In my eyes, it's someone that knows how to step up in big moments. Someone who is coachable, who works hard on and off the field and when no one is looking. Someone who is able to learn from their mistakes. A great player is someone that makes their teammates better in practice and in games. Someone who rises to the task at hand. Great players make good players great.
4. If you could make one change in the game today what would it be?
I have 2! First - Go to 6 v 6 in college and second, being able to go through the crease after you release the ball.
5. If you had one thing you wish you had done differently in your career what would it be?
I wish I took better care of my body. I was the kind of player that didn't really stretch or go out of my way to do treatment for the little things. I believe that could have been the reason I tore my ACL in my senior season. I've learned a lot since then. Always listen to your body and take care of it.
6. Is there one moment where you had to overcome some real adversity and if so how did you do it?
Tearing my ACL my senior season not long after being cut from the 2013 World Cup roster. I didn't let that define me. It motivated me to come back stronger and to work hard to gain a spot on that next roster. I am thankful that I had another opportunity to play for Team USA.
7. Where can we stay in touch with you most on social media?
Instagram or twitter! Mtumolo35
8. Favorite scene/quote from a sports movie is and why!?
In Remember the Titans when Julius and Gerry say LEFT SIDE, STRONG SIDE. Alyssa Murray and I used to say this to each other because of us being lefties!! She was an incredible teammate and player who always caught everything I threw at her!
Bonus Question: Who should we interview next and what should we ask her?
I think you should interview Marie McCool! Ask her what her favorite memory of the World cup or world games was!
Marie is an EXTREMELY hard worker who pushes
herself all the time to be great. She also finds the time to help out the
next generation of younger players whenever she can. Marie is now
entering her second year in the WPLL and last year she was a unanimous All-Star Selection.
She is also a New Balance & Brine Lacrosse spokesperson and
sponsored athlete. 
Michele was also an assistant coach at Syracuse, Oregon and Florida. She left a lasting impression on all of the players she interacted with. I have known Michelle for a long time and I was always a fan of how she played the game - she played ALL OUT. She gave it everything she had and she loved to win. 
Like I said above, I picked up the stick at 14. This was such a special year for me! If I could go back and give myself advice, it would be to not be such a nervous wreck about the whole process. Little did I know it was all going to work out better than I ever would have imagined with going to Syracuse, but my nerves really took over. I would tell myself to relax, enjoy being a HS kid and just work my butt off at everything I do. I definitely worked hard to get to where I was, but to do it with not so much anxiety and worry. I'm thankful for my journey though :)
