Three new coaches have been added to North Harford varsity sports staff; Mrs. Linda Cisco will be coaching the varsity softball team, Mrs. Haley Ford is the new girls lacrosse head coach, and the new varsity field hockey head coach is Mrs. Kellie Fialcowitz.
Fialcowitz “graduated from Millville Senior High School in Millville, NJ, in 1995. I went to Gettysburg College and graduated in 1999 with a degree in exercise science. I graduated from McDaniel College in 2001 with my masters in education.” Fialcowitz states that she played field hockey in “high school and college, but did not play all four years at Gettysburg.”
Fialcowitz says that she has “coached in various capacities at Dulaney High School prior to having kids. In 2013, I was hired as the head coach at Dulaney. I coached from 2013-2018. In that time, I had 81 wins, and 24 losses, [as well as]two state final appearances, five State Semifinal appearances, and five Regional Championships. I decided to resign from coaching at that point so that I could focus on my kids and their activities.”
Ford, a NH alumna, “graduated from North Harford in 2011, where I played on the girls’ soccer, basketball and lacrosse teams. I take great pride in being a North Harford alumna, and I did not want to miss the opportunity to once again be a part of such a great community,” says Ford. She went “on to play lacrosse at Penn State, [and graduated in] 2015.”
Ford has been “North Harford head JV lacrosse coach in 2016- 2017, North Harford assistant varsity basketball coach in 2017, North Harford assistant varsity lacrosse coach in 2021, 2022, Bel Air assistant varsity basketball coach in 2023 until now, and Bel Air JV head lacrosse coach in 2023,” states Ford.
Cisco states that she “graduated from Lake Clifton High School in 1980 and Towson State University in 1990.” She “played both high school and college [softball] during my years of attendance. Subsequently, I continued on to play adult womens softball and currently play in two local leagues, and play tournament-level ball with the Delaware Rebels,” states Cisco.
“I have been instructing and coaching softball and swimming for about 35 years at various levels. I also coach youth baseball and soccer at the rec level as needed. In the fall, I accepted the Hickory Lady Hornets (16U) head coaching position for the new team and continued as an assistant coach and consultant for the MVSA Storm (18U), which I have coached for the past 12 years,” states Cisco.
She continues to state “my high school coaching experience with Harford County includes four years coaching Bel Air HS swimming and softball from 1988-1992. My other softball coaching experience includes working with the North Harford Thunder 14U travel (two years), North Harford rec 14U-18U teams (five years) and the Emmorton Rec 10-12 U teams (two years).”
Fialcowitz states that she decided to become the head coach of the varsity field hockey team because “over the past couple of years, I have really missed coaching. While I have absolutely no regrets taking that time away from coaching to support my kids, I am excited to get back into it. The opportunity came at the right time, and I am lucky to have a family that is supportive of this decision.”
Ford states that she is “looking forward to bringing a new culture to the [lacrosse] program, and this season I am hoping to improve upon what the girls accomplished last season and for everyone to buy into what the coaching staff and I are looking to build here.”
Cisco states that “many factors go into my coaching background in general. Athletics have always been a huge part of my life and provided so much to me as a student athlete and even as an adult currently. Some coaches I played under were tremendous role models for me, and coaching is a way to pay that forward in an area that I have some skills to share.”
Cisco continues “one of the other motivations for me staying active as a coach are the experiences I have from my career in law enforcement. I witnessed firsthand how a lack of positive adult mentors can impact teenagers and young adults. In addition, from being in the softball community for so many years, I know there is a huge need for qualified coaches to step up and work with the student athletes. When the opportunity to coach at North Harford was presented to me, I felt it was a good fit and both the players and I could benefit from the experience.
“There are so many things that I am looking forward to. I am excited to bring my knowledge and experience to a well-established program. There is a solid foundation that I plan to continue building upon. I am also looking forward to sharing this journey with [junior Mollie Fialcowitz, her daughter]. It will be very special to be a part of her senior season,” says Fialcowitz.
Cisco states that she is looking forward to “winning, of course,” but it is also “the new interactions with players and coaches. I still learn new things every time I start with a new team, and hopefully each of the athletes takes some new things away from working with me. Coaching at this level involves more than just providing the spork skills to your athletes; the personal interactions are probably even more important.”
“A successful team, which does not always mean a winning team, must have excellent cooperation and good relationships between coaches, athletes, and parents. If the athletes enjoy their time with the coaches and teammates, learn some new things, and improve their skills, I consider it a successful team and season,” comments Cisco.
Fialcowitz states that when it comes to a player she wants them to “work hard and trust the process. I expect my players to work hard. On the field, in the classroom and in life, I want them to develop a strong work ethic. Nothing of value comes easily. If we want to be successful, we have to be committed to the work that it takes. I expect them to have faith in me and the process. Above all, I want them to be good people. Respect and kindness towards others is something that I believe is a non-negotiable quality in a player.”
“I am looking for players who have a team-first mentality, are coachable, and who are willing to be comfortable doing the uncomfortable. Embrace the changes that are going to happen this season,” states Ford.
Cisco states that “commitment is probably one of the most important things I look for in a player both on the field and off the field. If I have committed team members, coaches can improve their skills or help with academic issues when the player is consistently present and open to learning. Being a good teammate is also extremely important to me. I can teach skills and improve performance; it is problematic when a coach is faced with a difficult personality and a player that is resistant to working with their teammates.”
Cisco continues to state that “one of my first statements to my team in our first team meeting is, ‘we all do not have to love each other, but we must respect each other and work together as a team.’ As a coach, especially the head coach, it is my job to see that the team bonding and cohesiveness happens. Experience has proven to me, both as a player and a coach, that teams that genuinely like playing together will be very successful even if they have less talent than an excellently skilled team that has dissension.”
Ford comments that “my core values as a coach are to push the people around me to be better versions of themselves, to always enjoy the moment, be positive yet constructive, and instill confidence in the young players that I am lucky enough to get to work with.”
Fialcowitz comments that “I take my job as a coach seriously. I firmly believe that my role is to provide my players with the opportunity to succeed, lead them by example and have a little fun along the way. Sports are meant to be fun….and you can have fun and be successful at the same time. That can be a difficult balance at times as I like to run a tight ship, but a well-run program is a happy program, and a happy program can be a very successful one!”
