Michelle Tumolo Holds Nothing Back at Army
Posted: Thu Jun 16, 2022 11:55 am
https://usalaxmagazine.com/college/wome ... ck-at-army
I am not going to post the entire article from the link above, but the article provides background on her decision to take the Army job.
Michelle Tumolo Holds Nothing Back at Army
By John Strohsacker usalaxmagazine.com
Until 2011, a gay person could be in the military, but they couldn’t be out. Cadets at the United States Military Academy were expected to abide by this policy, which enacted by the Clinton administration and called, “Don’t ask, don’t tell.”
The policy ended in 2011 after the Senate and House of Representatives voted to repeal it, and President Barrack Obama signed legislation to end it.
That same year, Michelle Tumolo led Syracuse with 66 points. Her coaches and teammates knew she was gay — she’d been out since high school. She was never one not to tell people who she was and who she loved. So, when Army Executive Associate Athletics Director Kristine Fowler shot her an email to gauge her interest in the women’s lacrosse head coaching job last summer, Tumolo didn’t ask for permission to be herself. Instead, she told Fowler who she was in the first few minutes of the call.
“I am an openly gay female, and I have been for years,” Tumolo recalled saying. “She was quick to assure me that things were not like the past.”
Tumolo did some more research on Army and read up on “don’t ask, don’t tell.” Her family remembered the policy, too, and talked to her about it. Tumolo was thriving in her first head coaching job at Wagner and wasn’t even looking to leave. Was she sure she wanted to entertain coaching at Army?
“They know how important it is for me to be supported and celebrated for who I am,” Tumolo said.
Ultimately, what Tumolo learned only made her want the job more.
“ to have representation and be who I am at this academy,” Tumolo said. “You don’t need to be put in a box to be somewhere.”
Tumolo traveled from Staten Island to West Point for an interview. Lara Bennett, at the time her fiancé, came, too — the athletics department invited her, a sign maybe things really had changed.
As Tumolo spoke with administrators and coaches and learned more about the department, she also made sure they learned about her.
“As a coach, I am exactly who I am,” Tumolo said. “I am Michelle Tumolo through and through. Something I am so excited and grateful for is the person who I married, who is a woman. I brought that up a lot.”
Of course, Tumolo talked lacrosse, too. And there’s arguably no one better to talk about the game with than Tumolo. An All-American and Tewaaraton finalist at Syracuse, Tumolo had most recently led Wagner to a 29-13 mark and one NEC tournament championship in three seasons.
Who Tumolo was — as a coach and person — was more than OK. It was the perfect fit. She got the job.
It’s one thing to say you’re accepting and even butter up a top candidate during the interview process. It’s another thing to practice it day in and day out. West Point has. Tumolo’s players threw her a bridal shower. She and her wife live on-post at West Point, which is United States Military Academy housing, and feel welcome.
......
I am not going to post the entire article from the link above, but the article provides background on her decision to take the Army job.
Michelle Tumolo Holds Nothing Back at Army
By John Strohsacker usalaxmagazine.com
Until 2011, a gay person could be in the military, but they couldn’t be out. Cadets at the United States Military Academy were expected to abide by this policy, which enacted by the Clinton administration and called, “Don’t ask, don’t tell.”
The policy ended in 2011 after the Senate and House of Representatives voted to repeal it, and President Barrack Obama signed legislation to end it.
That same year, Michelle Tumolo led Syracuse with 66 points. Her coaches and teammates knew she was gay — she’d been out since high school. She was never one not to tell people who she was and who she loved. So, when Army Executive Associate Athletics Director Kristine Fowler shot her an email to gauge her interest in the women’s lacrosse head coaching job last summer, Tumolo didn’t ask for permission to be herself. Instead, she told Fowler who she was in the first few minutes of the call.
“I am an openly gay female, and I have been for years,” Tumolo recalled saying. “She was quick to assure me that things were not like the past.”
Tumolo did some more research on Army and read up on “don’t ask, don’t tell.” Her family remembered the policy, too, and talked to her about it. Tumolo was thriving in her first head coaching job at Wagner and wasn’t even looking to leave. Was she sure she wanted to entertain coaching at Army?
“They know how important it is for me to be supported and celebrated for who I am,” Tumolo said.
Ultimately, what Tumolo learned only made her want the job more.
“ to have representation and be who I am at this academy,” Tumolo said. “You don’t need to be put in a box to be somewhere.”
Tumolo traveled from Staten Island to West Point for an interview. Lara Bennett, at the time her fiancé, came, too — the athletics department invited her, a sign maybe things really had changed.
As Tumolo spoke with administrators and coaches and learned more about the department, she also made sure they learned about her.
“As a coach, I am exactly who I am,” Tumolo said. “I am Michelle Tumolo through and through. Something I am so excited and grateful for is the person who I married, who is a woman. I brought that up a lot.”
Of course, Tumolo talked lacrosse, too. And there’s arguably no one better to talk about the game with than Tumolo. An All-American and Tewaaraton finalist at Syracuse, Tumolo had most recently led Wagner to a 29-13 mark and one NEC tournament championship in three seasons.
Who Tumolo was — as a coach and person — was more than OK. It was the perfect fit. She got the job.
It’s one thing to say you’re accepting and even butter up a top candidate during the interview process. It’s another thing to practice it day in and day out. West Point has. Tumolo’s players threw her a bridal shower. She and her wife live on-post at West Point, which is United States Military Academy housing, and feel welcome.
......