Kindling Moments of Pure Joy

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Kindling Moments of Pure Joy 

Gene McCabe’s Philosophy to Coaching and Mentoring Student Athletes in a Changing World

In this episode, Gene McCabe, head men’s lacrosse coach and assistant director of athletics for compliance, details how sports and childhood mentors launched his trajectory as an educator in athletics. He played both lacrosse and football at Bates College before a neck injury sidelined his football career but ultimately gave him his first taste to coaching at the collegiate level. As he heads into his 19th season as head coach, McCabe reflects on his most treasured memories with the lacrosse program, the challenges he witnesses student-athletes facing, the overall changing landscape of collegiate sports and the culture and values he works to cultivate on Wilson Field. We also discuss his efforts to marry sustainability with the athletic department, the pride he feels as the parent of a W&L alumna, Kaelan McCabe (’21), and the importance of holding onto those passions that feed the soul. 

Recorded: November 5, 2024
Aired: November 12, 2024

“I think the most valuable advice I can give is to make sure you’re doing what you’re doing for the right reasons – the reasons that feed your soul and lift your spirits. I find that sometimes the pursuit of being recruited as a college athlete to play is a means to an end, because we’re told in this culture that that’s one way to get into the best school possible. And all of that is fine. But I also find that burnout is a real thing. Doing any one thing too much can lead to that burnout and decrease the love of doing it. And so, just try to stay in that space where you are loving what you’re doing and who you’re doing it with. Hopefully that leads you to being able to say you did get to do those two things at a place that you loved.”

~ Gene McCabe, Head Men’s Lacrosse Coach and Assistant Director of Athletics for Compliance

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