Catching Up with Coach Carr

NORMAN – Hired in December 2019 to lead the University of Oklahoma women's soccer program, head coach Mark Carr hit the ground running with the Sooners, collecting two wins in the shortened spring season over Texas Tech and Stephen F. Austin. As the pandemic put a halt on spring soccer, Coach Carr looks back at the takeaways from his first semester as head man and looks forward to the fall.

Mark Carr

You got a few months of work in and a couple games before the spring was canceled, what are some of your takeaways from the time spent with the team and also the few games you all got to play?

"First off, my first takeaway is just what incredible young women we have in our OU soccer program. Since day one, they have been so welcoming to me, to (assistant coach) Kat (Mertz) and both our families.

We have really worked quickly to be intentional on a daily basis to build our culture, to reset our new standards and expectations on and off the field. We redefined how we work and how we interact internally.

"I have been so impressed how our team has adapted to our new direction so quickly."

In terms of the soccer component, we were very lucky to get two games in and really demonstrate what we had been working on in our training environment. We had a solid eight weeks on the training field with so much growth so quick.

This work was reflective in the two positive results against SFA (2-0) and Texas Tech (1-0). I know our student athletes felt this!

Aside from this, we were really able to evaluate our full roster from top to bottom, to get a sense of each student athlete, their strengths and growth areas, as well as how their performances can help contribute to our team success.

The most impressive piece for me has been the mentality of our student athletes to want to grow and improve. Whether on the field, in the classroom, with video or in small group meetings. There has been a curiosity to want to know more, a hunger and desire to improve all around. This is something that will always be really important to me and the program moving forward."

How has the transition been for you to now coaching at the collegiate level?

"Honestly, I am so happy to be at OU, working at an incredible institution that gives you every resource we need in order to be successful. Its been an easy transition. Kat has been a great person to lean on with this transition.

I have enjoyed the daily interactions and connections and working alongside all the great people at OU Athletics.

The difference between working with the US Women's Youth National Teams and OU soccer is the amount of time you get to spend with your student-athletes and the amount of work and control you have on a daily basis. The soccer is pretty much the same.

At the core of my leadership is connection, so being in an environment where you work with multiple experts to collaborate to develop young people every day has been really energizing and exciting for me."

What's it been like to be welcomed in to Norman and the OU family?

"Its a perfect fit. It has been a little stressful trying to move a family in the middle of a global pandemic, but we are glad to be settled here in Norman.

We live in a great neighborhood. We are always outside, going for walks or bike rides and have been enjoying the nice weather.

Anywhere you go, whether at OU or in a local community, people are so friendly and so welcoming. My kids love it here and I really look forward to the day we come out on the other side of COVID and we see OU athletics in it's element up close."

What have you and the team been doing to stay connected?

"Lots of different things. I have to really complement all of our support staff on the creativity and initiative they have shown in these difficult times. You learn a lot about people and I have seen their deep care and love for our student-athletes.

From nutrition and strength and conditioning to medical, social media, marketing, academics, equipment and our PROS department. All of these departments have really stepped up to give our student-athletes the support they need to navigate these unprecedented times.

From a soccer side, we have organized Zoom meetings discussing soccer, leadership topics and really tried to reinforce and build off the great work we did in the first part of the year.

I think the highlight for all of us was having (former USWNT coach) Jill Ellis speak to our team and share some incredible nuggets of wisdom touching on leadership, dealing with adversity, being on a team and how to persist. It was really eye-opening and I know our student-athletes walked away with pages of notes!"

What're a few things you are most looking forward to this fall?

"Well first and foremost, I want to make sure we follow all the protocols and guidelines to make sure all our student-athletes arrive back to campus in a safe and healthy manner.

I definitely miss our team, being together, interacting and working on a daily basis, so I know when we return it will be a really special moment.

Then, it will become about going to work. It will be about using training to improve ourselves and our team and how we want to play. For me, it will always be about incremental growth and not what you did in the past.

We know we have a lot of work to do and when that moment arrives for us to be back together, I feel there will be a special energy from our group on what we can accomplish together."

For updates and more information on Oklahoma Soccer, follow the Sooners on Twitter and Instagram (@OU_WSoccer) and like Oklahoma Soccer on Facebook.