SC Soccer Forums SCSoccer.com Forums Girls Varsity Soccer Thanks Mac

As my high school soccer career comes to a close, I find that it is necessary to thank coach Drew McNeely for everything he has done for me and the rest of the West Ashley girls during his coaching career. Since my freshman year at WAHS all I really wanted to do was go on to play college soccer. McNeely is one of several coaches who have helped me to achieve my personal goals. So although I thank coach Mac, thank you also to almost every coach in CUSC and to various odp coaches I've encountered on my journey here.
I've never really coached, but I would think that coaching at the highschool level is probably the hardest of all levels. In almost all other instances, the team is comprised of 18 people who are there because they are spending money to pay a coach to help them become better players. But at the highschool level, the team may contain some true soccer players, some people who are simply athletes(with no previous experience), and some people who are there just to get the warm-up jacket and to hang out with their friends. A great highschool coach has to figure out a way to get every girl on the team to not only love the game, but to have a passion for it, and be able to turn that into success. I feel like coach McNeely does that. It's not because he knows some secret drills that no other coaches have adopted yet, or because he runs us into the ground at practice. He, instead, believes that a team should respect their coach not because he punishes them, but because they know that he can make them better. I could go on for pages about the things that McNeely has taught me and my team, but I'll narrow the list down to 4 main things:

1) Coach Mac has taught us that above all we have to believe in each other, and with belief, will come success.
2) He taught us to play with emotion, because soccer is 99% mental, and no team can train to defend against an emotionally propelled team.
3) He taught us to always have fun, because success is no good if you didn't have fun gaining it.
4) He taught us to play for each other, because a team is not a group of individuals, it is a single unit that succeeds and fails together.

If you are reading this, I hope that you know how much you are appreciated by your Lady Wildcats, Mac. I hope that I can take what I have learned from you and apply it not only to my soccer career in college, but to life in general. You have not only been a great coach, but a great mentor. Thank you for everything you do, you will be remembered in all that I do.
To all Lady Wildcats- please feel free to post any comments you have regarding Mac. He deserves to be acknowledged for everything he has done.

Thanks again Mac,

-Your senior captain

I have known Coach Mac since i was in first grade. He was the one that got me started in soccer. He got me started in the wonderful program, Carolina Girls (now CUSC). Throughout my elementary school years all I thought about was eventually playing for him on the highschool soccer team (at that time, Middleton). He was an inspiration to me and was the reason I kept playing all these years. Now that I have been given this chance to play on this wonderful team I can see why I have wanted it so bad since I was probably right above his knees in height.
Mac, I can't thank you enough for all that you have taught me. But, luckily for me my highschool soccer journey is not coming to an end quite yet. The emotion that you put into our team is incredible, and sometimes brings me to tears. I can see it in the seniors eyes how much you mean to them, you mean so much to all of us Mac. You have taught me that this game (like stated above) is 99% mental, and I believe we proved that in the Championship game. Mac you taught us never to give up on each other, and to believe in each other, and that is what drove this team to our victory. We had the mental and physical ability to come back and beat that team.
I am looking forward to sharing many more experiences with you these next two years. You mean so much to me Mac, and I will never forget you.

Love,
Your Rookie (or is that "Graduated Rookie" now?)

West Ashley Lady Wildcats
one vision, one goal, one heartbeat
Blood * Sweat * Tears

Shaiyza & Soccer_is_life:
Ladies, your posts are awesome. Not only do they do a superb job of recognizing a coach who is obviously an outstanding leader, they also are filled with philiosphy lessons (or reminders) that every person who takes the responsibility of coaching can benefit from. Again, that compliments him. Those letters should be the "introduction" to every coaching manual.

I don't know him at all, but I'd guess that he would say those letters, even more than winning, "make it all worth while".

The use of ladies and girls.

Girl

1a: a female child

1b: a young unmarried woman

Lady

1a: a woman having proprietary rights or authority especially as a feudal superior

1b: a woman receiving the homage or devotion of a knight or lover

you just ruined a perfectly goo thread. JERK!!!

Cola Fan

scskeeper
You took the words right out of my mouth!!!!!

To get this thread back on track....

I cannot begin to express my graditude towards Mac. He is simply an inspiring man. He pushes everyone around him to be a little better. He is sincere in every aspect of his life...his love for the game, and the people in his life is unparalleled. His sincerity is what makes his players respect him, and because we respect him...we play our best for him. He taught us what it is like to be truely passionate about something. He leads by example...and is followed.

We play with heart only because he taught us how. At the beginning of playoffs Mac told us to look at each other....and play for each other. He told us that we would never forgive ourselves if we let this year slip by...if we didn't leave everything on the field every game. Not only that though...he ensured us we could go all the way.

He believed in us and optimism is contagious.
Mac your Lady Wildcats thank you for your fashion tips, "one liners," ability to understand high school is not only about soccer, passion for the game, and perpetual hope. It doesn't matter how talented a team is, without a strong coach to make them play together they will never win a game. Thank you Mac...for everything. I look forward to another year.

-one of your juniors

I know this is probably going to sound like every other player on this post, but it truly is the way I feel. Just like many others on our team, Mac is who got me started on soccer, and honestly without his influence during my elementary PE years, I'd probabley never had even begun to play soccer. I remember the first day he put the thought of playing for CGSA (now CUSC) into my head. We were in PE one day and class had just ended. We had played soccer that day and I was putting away the equipment. I kicked one of the balls to the ball bag and Mac aproached me about playing club ball. Very few people out there can take the wonder and curiosity about a sport in a 2nd graders eyes and turn it into a passion for the game in just a few short weeks. Thank you Mac for teaching me what the game is all about... the passion, and believing in each other.

Even though his goofy jokes and new vocabulary words will be forever remembered by us all, there are many other values, lessons, and speeches that will stay with us for the rest of our lives. He taught us that if nothing else is going right, if no one out there thinks you can do it, if its all against you, all you have to do is believe in each other and play for each other and you can do anything. Thanks for always pushing us to do our best and believing in us when no one else in the state did. You told us that we were the best team in the state and we believed it. And because we believed we were capable of being the best, we pushed to work towards owning that title. Thank you for working so hard to bring out our full potential. You never gave up on us and you taught us to never give up on each other.

After having a great end to my 2nd year playing under you at the high school level, I'm looking forward to 2 more great years in this program. You truly are the greatest coach in HS soccer in the state, in my (and many others) personal opinion. You took 22 hard-working girls and helped to develop us into the champions you knew we could be. Thank you for always guiding us and pushing us. Thank you for everything you've done for us. The example you set for our team is one of great leadership that many of us aspire to follow.

-one of the sophomores

I feel like the AFLAC duck - aaahhhh?