Coach Janet McCormick Inspires Players to Improve: “The Magic is in the Journey”

Photo courtesy of Holton Communications

Whether she’s on the turf coaching varsity lacrosse, hard at work in the pool lounge as associate athletic director or walking through the halls chatting with students, Coach Janet McCormick’s impact at school is undeniable.

For the past 14 years, students and athletes have benefitted from McCormick’s passion, experience and encouragement on the lacrosse field and beyond.

McCormick’s interest in lacrosse began when she was just in fourth grade because she could catch rides to practice with a neighbor. At the time, she was more captivated by basketball. McCormick humorously explained that she was already 5’ 7" by the time she was in fifth grade, a height advantage that aided in her ability to rebound and “shoot the ball over and over until it went in.”

Over time, however, basketball faded from view, and she realized her serious aspirations as a high schooler to play lacrosse in college. She accomplished this goal through the Division 1 lacrosse program at the University of Connecticut, a school she still enjoys cheering on in many sports, especially during March Madness.

Like her love for lacrosse, McCormick’s role as a coach is nothing new. Before working at Holton, she coached at boarding schools in Connecticut, where she appreciated how faculty members played an active role in students’ lives. McCormick said she was originally drawn to Holton because she felt the same energy here as in the boarding schools she loved as “the kids here were happy to be at school, and they wanted teachers and coaches to invest in what they were doing inside and outside of school.”

It is clear that McCormick takes a holistic approach to coaching; she claimed that for athletes, “the magic is in the journey.” Whether the varsity lacrosse team is celebrating big wins - like the 2019 defeat of St. Stephen’s, which had never lost an ISL playoff game, for the first time in school history - or moments of doubt and frustration, McCormick helps athletes grow as players and people, learning by experience and achieving goals in the process.

McCormick’s strategies as a coach inspire players. Livie Thomas ’26 explained that through lessons about sportsmanship and leadership, “each player that goes through the [varsity lacrosse] program comes out a better person because of her.”

Additionally, Eliza Clessuras ’26 stated that “since [her] freshman year, McCormick has pushed [her] to be more confident in lacrosse.”

Whether on the lacrosse team or not, the community benefits from McCormick’s dedication and enthusiasm.