Beyond X's and O's - Navy's Cindy Timchal and the Stuff of Success

To follow is our latest Beyond Xs and Os Article at Inside Lacrosse:

A Revolutionary

By all accounts Cindy Timchal is among the most innovative figures in lacrosse. With 362 wins (the most all-time) and 8 National Championships she is among the most accomplished coaches in all of collegiate sport. Her time as the head coach at Maryland is historic. Highlights of her many achievements with the Terps include 7 consecutive National Championships, four undefeated seasons, scores of All Americans, 13 position players of the year, and the first Tewaaraton Award winner. Tabbed to start-up the fledgling Navy program in 2007, Timchal has her midshipmen off to a celebrated start. In their first two seasons competing in the NCAA, Navy has had two 13 -win seasons and two Patriot League Tournament appearances. With 2010 recently behind them, Timchal’s squad has now begun to make its mark on the larger stage of the NCAA Tournament. With a Patriot League Championship and a first-round NCAA loss this past season, there’s nowhere to go but up.

A Fighter

As a female coach ascending the ranks in the immediate aftermath of Title IX, Timchal speaks memorably of not having a locker room for her squad in 1991. Always up for a challenge, she speaks with equal enthusiasm for how she handled early setbacks, stating that “We fought all the way at the University of Maryland to get what I thought our players deserved.” The reasons for Timchal’s success are hard to pinpoint, but her gritty determination is certainly a place to start. She slowly built up the most memorable empire in lacrosse history over twenty-three years, and then left to start the program at Navy. She’s now plodding along in Annapolis taking one step at a time toward continually improving an already feared and feisty Navy team.

A Teammate

As uncommon as Timchal’s success is, her approach is equally unique. As a head coach Timchal seems to give away more authority than she takes. She continually refers to the skills of her players, creativity of her assistants, and support of her administrators. She speaks fluidly about players from years past, telling one story after another of players’ successes on the field, as coaches, as businesswomen, as mothers. While Gary Gait’s pioneering perspectives of the women’s game are deservedly referenced in conversations about Timchal’s achievements, she is the first to give her old assistant a nod. Timchal brought Gait to Maryland for a reason, and she was happy to let him do his thing when they worked together to find success. Similarly, of her partnering with sport psychologist, Jerry Lynch, for much of her time at Maryland, Timchal saw him as “a true pioneer in sport psychology”, and was glad to have him as part of the team. Timchal’s not afraid to share the stage, and is quick to understate her role in assembling some of the finest staffs in the game. As brilliant a coach as Timchal may be, her ability to bring together leaders with various skill-sets and let them go to work without disrupting each other seems uncanny. Often the behind-the-scenes maestro, Timchal’s greatest strength may be her willingness to yield to those around her.

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