KJ Mazurek
Staff Reporter
After 28 years of coaching the McDaniel Women’s Basketball team and achieving numerous accomplishments from the courtside, Becky Martin is “privileged and honored” as she takes on a new administrative role as Assistant Athletic Director.Martin will continue coaching and when faced with her everyday duties of teaching classes, a newly acquired administrative role, and advising students with their academics, she is still “enjoying the process” and looking forward to new challenges.
Alongside Martin, colleague and head Volleyball Coach Carole Molloy now in her 16th year at McDaniel, was also appointed as Assistant Athletic Director. Both coaches are graduates of Western Maryland College and have contributed greatly to the growth of student athletes and the athletic programs for years.
Martin and Molloy take over for Dr. Carol Fritz who retired as Associate Athletic Director in June 2007 after 40 years as a faculty member, coach and administrator. Athletic Director Jamie Smith says, “As alumnae and head coaches they bring a wealth of experience and knowledge about McDaniel”.
Martin was a multisport star at both Westminster High School and Western Maryland College. She was the first women’s basketball player to record 1,000 points in a career (1,299) between 1976 and 1980 and led the college to its first conference title in 1979-1980. While attending Western Maryland she was also a notable standout on the volleyball, softball, and track and field squads.
However, the small liberal arts college was the last place that Martin thought she would be attending because it was literally across the street from where she grew up. She recalls her thoughts before attending Western Maryland, saying, “Like most local students I thought I knew but I didn’t really know about the campus and the school.” She obtained her master’s in Physical Education Administration as a graduate assistant, working as an assistant coach for volleyball and track and field.
Martin had a verbal commitment for a teaching and coaching job in Carroll County by the time she was a senior at WMC. However, she was then offered the opportunity to be a graduate assistant. It seemed like a great opportunity for her to further her education and continue working in athletics.
In 1976 when Martin enrolled at Western Maryland, it was the beginning of Title-9 and women were just getting the opportunity to hold coaching positions on athletic teams. 30 years ago, Martin would not have pictured herself becoming an administrator. However, she is thoroughly enjoying the process and looking forward to affecting student athlete’s lives and helping coaches through a process in which she has invaluable experience Martin says, “Everybody needs support and mentoring, and it is important for coaches to vent, run ideas past other professionals, other colleagues, and a lot of times it’s nice to speak with someone who has been in that position before, in order to seek advice.”
McDaniel is fortunate to have a coach, lecturer, and administrator with the experience Martin has. Women’s Lacrosse Coach Muffie Bliss says, “I have been here for 7 years, and in that time Coach Martin has been a sounding board for ideas on how to motivate my players, how to balance my life, and how to be successful in all facets of coaching.”
Over the years, Martin has had opportunities to leave, but she is a firm believer in the quality education that McDaniel offers and what she and other coaches are trying to do for their student athletes. Martin has had the opportunity of winning championships both as a player and a coach. She says, “As a coach you have more of an opportunity to experience it through the eyes of the student athletes, the excitement on their faces for their accomplishments.”
Senior women’s basketball player Danny Fraider comments on Martin saying, “She is a great people person, she promotes team bonding, and helps organize events so that we get along. She also helps us with school problems we may have and always reminds us that school comes first.”
Coach Martin often involves the team in events outside of campus. When she is not busy with her schedule at McDaniel she enjoys traveling, hiking and playing golf. This fall, Martin and her team enjoyed a 6-mile hike along the Potomac River near Harpers Ferry.
These are the types of experiences Martin sees as vital to the growth of her student-athletes as people not just basketball players. She thinks it’s important to go beyond the experiences on the basketball court to create a unique sense of bonding. She also has a deep passion for her athletes and enjoys watching their successes and helping them with their struggles. Martin says that “coaching is not a career, it’s a lifestyle.”
As Coach Martin’s schedule gets increasingly busier with the 2008-2009 season beginning, she still finds herself invigorated and fortunate. Recently a former student-athlete made a call to ask Martin how practice was going and she realized how happy she was to still be the coach. She looks forward to growing as a person and professionally with the new challenge of her administrative role.
Martin’s biggest concern with taking on her new job title is the time it may take away from the rigorous recruiting process. Martin says, “It will be interesting to be able to keep up with recruiting, fortunately I have a good staff that will help me find the type of student athlete were trying to recruit.”
“Time will tell; I’m excited for myself because it’s a new career challenge; coaching is still exciting, and I am still glad that I’m coach.”