"Gail is a not only a terrible coach, but a terrible person too. She created a TERRIBLE team culture on her team by having groups of favorites that would sit in her office with her for multiple hours before and after practice, these girls would also be allowed special privileges that other ppl didn’t receive.( like getting certain gear, picking her children up from school, special trips with her when we travel, trips to her house, ect) Gail would tell her favorites private information like about an injury or personal information that you had shared with her that you wouldn’t want shared. This created extreme toxicity on our team and eventually lead to it falling apart causing 25+ transfers. She was even like this to her other staff. I will admit she does have a good lax IQ but does that really matter when you’re miserable all the time at practice/lift/games/ and travel? When we traveled she would specifically put groups of girls in rooms close to hers so she could listen to them outside their door ( yes she actually did this.)You will CONSTANTLY catch her giving you dirty looks if you aren’t one of the favorites then turning to her group of girls laughing. She acts like a high school bully to bunch of 18-23 years olds which is really pathetic as a 50+ year old. She does not create a supportive environment and does not care about her players. She will mentally abuse you if you aren’t one of her favorites. Also would only play the people she liked, doesn’t even matter if they should be starting or not, as long as you were on her good side you would be playing. During the recruitment process she sounds great and like she really truly cares for you but it’s all b.s. If I could go back in time I would NEVER commit to play for her knowing the way she treats people. "
"So it looks like a group of unhappy Anderson U players voiced their opinions in May of a "successful" season in which they almost reached D2 NCAAs. Then she leaves and a bunch of parents or friends? leave positive reviews (maybe to ensure new Furman recruits aren't scared away?) I've met Gail briefly and I know former players. As an unbiased outsider I would describe her as a win-at-all-cost type who is knows the sport and is intense. She cares less about developing the individual. She's built two successful D2 programs from scratch and then left them, at their peak. Maybe she has a family and is chasing $. Either way, if you join her program you're likely to have a new head coach in the middle of your college lax career. That's just what the records say."
"Coach is awesome!! She is so passionate, dedicated, and competitive in everything she does. Her contagious energy and attitude has led her career, her family, and her team to a winning record. She deeply cares about her players on and off the field. She not only will coach you to be a better athlete but a better person. She places great emphasis on community by getting the team involved in volunteering, community service events, and fundraisers. This also fosters team bonding and friendships off the field. She expects a lot out of her team, puts a lot of trust into us, and in return she gets results! She gives it her all everyday and she expects the same out of her team. She is very understanding, has open communication, and honest about playing time and where you stand on the rooster. She is approachable and very easy to talk to. She is flexible with practice schedules that may conflict with academics and understands that school will always come first. She is creative when it comes to work-outs, practice drills, and game plans. Team culture was always strong and positive, as she was transparent with athletes and parents. She will teach you a lot about self-discipline, hard work, teamwork, humility, sportsmanship, respect, and the value of practice. She ALWAYS makes the best out of any situation. It's been an honor and privilege to play for coach, and most importantly have the opportunity to see her and her family flourish!"
"Wow! As the parent of a former player, I can't believe all of the negativity on this page. Most of these comments are humorous, borderline libelous, and flat out lies. It really shows the immaturity of some of former "players".
My daughter has had nothing but good things to say about Coach! Playing scholarship lacrosse is not for the faint of heart. It's not high school, or club lacrosse. It's paid (scholarship) lacrosse. People's livelihoods are on the line.
My guess is these negative reviews are coming from kids who were not good enough to see the field or kids who are so spoiled rotten by their parents, they aren't used to constructive criticism or being told no.
Gail is a great coach who not only wants you to succeed on the field but off of it as well. I can't wait to see what she does at Furman!
"
"All of these ratings are just like Gail as a recruiter. She looks amazing from the outside and the second you commit and step foot on campus your life is a living hell. Do not be fooled by the charm and the stories you hear. I wouldn't be surprised if the people who are posting on here were ordered to do so by Gail herself. If you play for Gail, get ready for mental games. She one time sat us down and spit on us while yelling "I f*****g hate you all". If you are okay with someone talking to you like that, then this is the place for you. "
"Got to experience coach as she built a program and developed it into a winner by the time she left, thankful for her help developing me both on and off the field. Hate seeing some of these comments, but coach was honest with players about where they stood with regards to playing time and what they could do to develop, but she also emphasized that at the end of the day we’re there to win. Coach is one of the most competitive people I know and that will to win and passion spills over into all aspects of her coaching and career, she was just as excited when I had a good test grade as when I had a goal. She also placed a huge emphasis for us on community service and outreach and helped players postgrad with connections and networking. Thankful for the experience and the lifelong friend it left me with!"
"I transferred onto Coach Wallach's team and had nothing but great experiences. She was very welcoming and helped in any way to make sure the transition onto the team went smooth. She is a coach that really cares for her players and will do anything for them. She is very passionate about coaching and is willing to do whatever it takes to have a successful team and if you look back at her records she has been very successful, so I have no doubt she will do the same at Furman. I loved her as a coach and have nothing but great things to say about her! "
"Gail was a wonderful, intense, and very honest coach. She brought my game up exceptionally from the high school level to playing at the college level. She was very up front with her expectations of every player on the team. She was demanding on the court, but also allowed for wonderful friendships and relationships off the court to flourish, both with teammates and our coaching staff. We had a lot of fun and made it to post-season play. I wish she had been able to coach me my entire career. "
"Coach G had an invaluable impact on my life as a player and a person. She helped me grow my game and put me in positions to highlight my strengths. Beyond the court, she has been a mentor and constant shoulder to lean on. "
"My daughter played for Coach Wallach and I have absolutely zero regrets about sending her to play for Coach Gail. From day one, Gail was upfront and truthful about everything (playing time, expectations on and off the field, travel, etc.). I stumbled onto this page and could not believe all of the negative remarks. From both my and my daughter's experiences, we could never say a bad thing about her. She is tough and demands the best out of her players, but is fair when it comes time to put the best lineup on the field. Don't believe the negativity on some of these reviews. Go out and create your own college experience, if you choose to play for Coach Gail it will be one of the better decisions you can make."
"You commit to a program based on trust knowing your child is being taken care of and the coach helps them on and off the field. Can’t say anything positive about the experience as this coach played head games with her players and had girls always stressed and unhappy. All we ask as parents be honest tell your players where they need to work harder and do better. Don’t tell th one thing them do another. You lose all trust and confidence. Not a coach I would have my kid play for … very disappointed in the facade presented to parents. "
"Horrible person all around. Manipulative, Dishonest Mind games, anything horrible you could think about a coach .. she has. Hoped for a career ending injury with her"
"She has genuinely been one of the worst coaches I have ever been coached by. She treated most players horribly and created an environment where teammates couldn’t trust each other. She turned such an amazing school horrible and ruined my first two years of college. She forced over 20 players to either quit or transfer at her previous school because of how terrible of a coach she was. She had favorites, not even her best players. It was players who loved feeding into Gail’s toxicity and betraying their teammates. She not only did this at her last institution but at the one before that one as well. She has not changed in the 10+ years that she has been coaching. I would never recommend her to coach anyone. I feel bad for the girls at her new school. "
"I heard through many people that this coach was toxic. She would make many people cry after games because of her spreading rumors, talking down about players when they had minor slip ups, and overall a disrespectful and manipulative coach. I myself was not on the team, but I have heard enough about this coach to not recommend her to be a coach to anyone. "
"Manipulative, lies, steals. Tells players they need to lose weight. She will be so nice to your face and then turn around and talk bad about you. Results in a poor team culture where everyone talks bad about each other, other teams, and other coaches. "
"I do not recommend playing for this coach. She is dishonest, talks poorly about players to other players, and has no boundaries or moral compass. A great deal of players have removed themselves from her leadership because of the toxicity she creates with her little group of favorites. She has many narcissistic tendencies and very clearly views herself above all others. She cries on the sidelines when her team is losing, and has very little control over her emotions and actions. She hides her true self decently to players, but it was very clear that she had poor relationships with other coaches and staff, which speaks volumes. Unless you want to be lied to on a daily basis and learn how to be a kleptomaniac, I would not play for this woman "
"Overall was a terrible coach and I never wish to have anyone experience the manipulation, lying, and deception that comes with having her as a coach. There were multiple times where she would outright yell and scream at her players, assistant coaches, trainers, and fans. She created a toxic environment where players were pitted against each other on and off the field. She would play favorites and would have her “chosen ones” who received special treatment on a daily basis. She would have hang out time in her office with her “chosen ones” and if you weren’t in that circle, good luck. She is fake and goes behind your back to spread lies about you to other players and parents. I hope that no one has to experience what this woman does to an athletes mental, physical, and emotional health. If you are consider playing for her I hope that this helped you decide not to. "
"She lost 20+ of the first 32 players. She alienated good players, diminished confidence, bipolar towards willing players, let team run wild but would constantly talk and scream about god & thankfulness. She was always playing people and often set rumors afloat talking about private lives to other girls. She was also very disrespectful to other teams players and coaches mocking players openly, constant negativity and bullying. She is a very negative coaching saying one thing while acting differently in private. Very mixed signals any successes are due to the assistant coaches efforts. Zero respect for parents. Gossips about girls & parents to other parents. "
"I have known Kirkland for a number of years. She was never all conferences during her playing days but she is a student of the game, more importantly she loves the game. I wish her well landing another head coaching job in the future. "
"Watching from afar, Coach K on game day was intense. She was building a culture at Furman but didn't have a chance to see it thru. She believes, the way you practice earns playing time. Coach K will do well in her next stop. "
"This is not a good coach. She is not experienced or capable of running the Furman softball program. She is not fair, she is not knowledgeable, she plays favorites, she does not care about her players, unapproachable and the list goes on."
"Coach Adam is a really great coach. He focuses on player development and has worked hard to build my skill and confidence in tennis. He expects his recruits to work hard, so if you are someone who does not love tennis and want to get better, the Furman tennis program is not for you. I feel really grateful for the coaching staff at FU. "
"He is a truly genuine person who is understanding and willing to work with you if you need help or are unable to attend any team practices or activities. He has been in the game for a long time and knows the ins and outs. I feel that the team lacks a bit of structure and discipline, however, it has been an enjoyable experience."
"Coach Meade is a very old-fashioned, in your face kind of coach. Not incredibly encouraging in most situations but I believe his hard nosed style of coaching has molded me into the man I am after four years under him. He likes to yell, a lot, and he wont coddle you in the process but in the end he does care about his players and he wants to see a successful program."
"He's a great coach. Not only does he focus on making the team as best as it can be, but he is also very interested in his players' lives outside of athletics"
"Coach Whitten is an amazing coach on and off the field. She genuinely cares about each individual player. She is open to discuss just about anything whether it be playing time/working on improvements or personal issues. Coach Whitten stresses balance concerning academics and athletics and holds the team to a high but reasonable standard. She expects our best all the time both in the classroom and on the field and pushes us physically as well as mentally to reach our fullest potential."
"Meade is very negative and his coaching style is old-fashioned. He self-contradicts himself all the time and never gives specific pieces of advice to improve your game. Basically, he is the ultimate stater of the obvious. During games, all he does is yell at you instead of coaching you on how to improve how you are playing. He is also very stingy with gear, as I only have been issued a couple of shirts and a couple pairs of shorts. The rest he collects at the end of the year."
"Coach Meade is very knowledgable in terms of lacrosse but a hardass at times. At times we as players do not like playing for him but at other times he is very enjoyable to play for and learn from. He puts a huge amount of effort trying to not only make us better lacrosse players but also great men."
"Coach Medved is a very down to earth guy who loves to have great relationships with his players and loves to win. He motivates us to be our best and to give it our all everyday. Im very fortunate to be coached by him and will always have his back going into battle!"
"Coach is a competitor and always held us to a high standard on and off the field, but never expected perfection. She was tough but always fair, she told you the truth even if you didn’t want to hear it and spent time coaching you and getting to know you, no matter if you played or not. But more than that, she cared about us. She comforted us if we had relationship problems, hugged us when we were sad and homesick. She drove us to the airport, doctors appointments, always asked how our day was, and invited us into her home. When we got into some trouble, she forgave us. If we needed her, she was there, no questions asked. She scheduled everything around our schedules and invested in our academics, She constantly advocated for the entire team to be treated fairly and be respected by the university and the athletic department. She led with empowering confidence that made us feel like we could do anything. And there is so much more. Forever grateful!"
"We are relieved this coach is no longer with our program. Manipulation at its best and not a positive or supportive environment for female athletes. "
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