GFU Welcomes New Soccer Coach
Reported by Matasina Childress
Photography by GFU Athletics
The women's soccer team at George Fox University (GFU) has a new coach: Laura Schott. This new change will take effect during their 2020-21 season. Teammates Joie Mckinnon and Madi Costello provided insight on how they feel about the change.
Schott replaces Cory Hand, who was the head coach. Mckinnon said the former coach had been working there for “about 7 years, and the athletic department just thought that it was time for change and possibly growth of the program.”
Though both players look forward to the new coach and the growth that is to come, they will also miss some of their old coach's attributes. Costello says that she admires Coach Hand’s “passion. Whether it was for the game or for us individually as people, Cory cared a lot.”
Hand was admired for the care he had for his players and for always being there for them when they needed him, whether for “school, soccer, [or] everything else,” says Mckinnon.
Both players stated that they were “intimidated at first” by Schott. For McKinnon, her intimidation stemmed from her reflection on herself as a successful soccer player, stating that “change in any case is scary, but [Coach Laura] is also a very successful player and coach, and I am not, so that is kind of intimidating.”
Costello says, “My first impression of Laura is that she means business.” Costello was able to “meet with her again in a smaller group setting; she seems very nice,” she says.
Having a new coach may shake things up as well. All coaches have their own methods for running a team. Each has their preference in the way they coach, which may alter a team’s dynamic. Costello is aware of the possibility of Coach Laura changing team dynamics.
She said, “I don’t think Laura will necessarily change the dynamic of the team because at the end of the day this team is a family and that won’t change. However, she will hold us to a higher standard than we’re used to, and that’s going to push us to be the best versions of ourselves.”