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Mostly Cloudy MacDonald honored as coach of the year
A high school sports coach is a unique role. They not only develop students to become athletes and achieve their best, but coaches are also a part of the wider school community.
Glen Cove City School District’s Christopher MacDonald has been awarded the coveted Nassau County Coach of the Year accolade by the United States Tennis Association. He’s committed to building positive relationships among student athletes by becoming the glue that cements the players, binding them together as a team. That’s why many of the school’s younger athletes stick with or return to play on either his tennis or wrestling teams.
“It’s great to see the kids that I’ve had in kindergarten, all of a sudden now a lot older,” MacDonald said. “It’s a great full cycle.”
MacDonald has helped his students place in the 2023 Fall Varsity Girls Doubles Nassau County Championships, 2023 Fall Varsity Girls Tennis Nassau County Singles Championships, 2023 Spring Varsity Boys Tennis Nassau County Championships, 2020 State Wrestling Championships, with Isaiah Jackson placing fourth in the state.
At the Board of Education meeting on Oct. 18, district superintendent Maria Rianna said during the awards ceremony, the United States Tennis Association acknowledged MacDonald led the boys’ and girls’ varsity tennis teams while consistently showcasing exceptional skills and sportsmanship. They also stated he played a vital role in expanding the reach of tennis in the school’s community through the Net Generation program where he was able to bring funding, equipment, and curriculum ideas to the teams.
“Our coach has provided a unique opportunity for 72 Glen Cove children to participate in an on-court experience at the prestigious U.S. Open,” Rianna said. “Could you imagine sitting in the stands and watching the U.S. Open men’s finals, and in between the sets, I look up on the jumbotron and there are Glen Cove students being interviewed with our coach Chris MacDonald standing by. If any one of our students ends up at the U.S Open as a player, I’ll know who got them there.”
MacDonald said his overall goal is to get his students to love tennis at a young age. He says that sports in general will “click” with some students more than others, but he wants to give all his students the opportunity to see if they’re right for them.
MacDonald started playing tennis in 10th grade for the Plainedge Public Schools, where he eventually earned the first singles spot for tennis by 12th Grade. He went on to play tennis, starting at the fourth and fifth singles at Nassau Community College where he studied physical education. There, he had the opportunity to compete in the National Junior College Championships for two consecutive years and was able to earn Junior College All-American Honors. He went on to play first singles at the College of Mount Saint Vincent, where he made the finals of the Hudson Valley Men’s Athletic Conference. By graduation, he was recognized as the school’s most valuable player for soccer and tennis and graduated with the greatest number of goals and points in the history of the college at that time.
Immediately afterward, MacDonald went to study Health Education at Adelphi University where he earned a master’s degree. He accepted a position with the Glen Cove City School District in 2007, where he became a part time physical education teacher for the Deasy Elementary School. For the last 13 years he’s coached three varsity sports consecutively: tennis, wrestling and soccer. Now, he’s teaching physical education at Robert Finley Middle School while still coaching for the school’s tennis teams.
“Sports was always a big deal for me in my life,” MacDonald said. “It’s great to be on a team and contribute. We’re all on the same mission trying to win together as a team.”
