Summer plans are eagerly made and looked forward by students and faculty, alike. But for field hockey coach Neil Macmillan and soccer coach Stacy Strauss, summer plans are split between a breath of relaxation and a gulp of hard work.
Macmillan will attend recruiting tournaments through the summer and he and the Bobcat staff will run a field hockey camp in Athens.
While Macmillan will still be working during the summer in preparation for the fall season, he said he is most looking forward to the time he will have with his family. Macmillan said they plan to escape Athens and travel to Idaho for ten days to visit with his wife’s family.
“I really enjoy it out there, it’s very different and any chance you get to spend time with either grandparent is always great,” Macmillan said. “It’s a nice, peaceful and relaxing time where you don’t have to worry about too much.”
Besides spending time in Idaho, Macmillan said he will take advantage of the weather in Athens and his free time.
While Macmillan said riding his bike and being with his family are on the top of his list for the summer, he said he will also keep in contact with the team.
“We don’t spend all our time coaching the players, we know about them as people and they know about us,” Macmillan said. “They’ll ask how the kids are doing and we’ll ask how their family is. I think it’s the kind of relationship we try to build on with them. It is not all about field hockey and only field hockey.”
With the soccer team departing to return home for the summer, Strauss will spend a brief time recruiting players.
A recruiting trip is planned for next week and also during June when Strauss will be at a recruiting tournament to look at potential Bobcats. Besides recruiting, planning for the fall season and hosting various soccer camps during the summer, Strauss, like Macmillan, said she most looks forward to the time to relax.
Strauss and her husband will be taking short vacation trips to Virginia, Cleveland and Kansas City to see both sides of the family. In between all the trips throughout the summer, Strauss will remain at her home in Athens.
“I enjoy Athens in the summer, its nice and quiet and it is a time of the year that I definitely look forward to,” Strauss said. “It’s a time when we kind of take the town back and it’s fun to be social with the people who are here, with going to restaurants and enjoy myself with friends.”
During the summer, Strauss will be vigorously working to prepare for the fall and a possible Mid-American Conference championship run. While she will be in the office a few hours each day to go through the recruitment processes and plans for preseason, Strauss said she hopes to enjoy the time off and spend time with her husband.
“I really like to hike and we have kayaks, so we’ll take advantage of the local lakes,” Strauss said. “It’s a lot of good down time we’re able to have.”
Mb832409@ohio.edu
@ThePostSports
