FCD's Turner steps down as soccer coach
Dan Kibler
Turner
Posted: Monday, October 26, 2015 11:00 pm
By Jay Spivey Winston-Salem Journal
After 18 years as the head boys’ soccer coach at Forsyth Country Day, Chris Turner has decided to resign as coach to solely concentrate on being just the athletic director.
“I told my team that this would be my last year coaching,” Turner, who is 48, said. “Eighteen years coaching at Forsyth, 14 coaching the girls. I knew that kind of going into this season that it was going to be my last season. They say you always know, and you don’t want to stay too long, so I knew.”
The Furies didn’t waste any time hiring a coach, as Turner hired associate head coach Russell London, whose son Jamaal, plays on the team.
“I’m still going to be there, and he’s going to ask a lot of questions,” Turner said. “I gave him an awful lot of responsibility this year. I think of the things I have not done well is utilize assistant coaches fully because I’m kind of a take-charge kind of person.”
London brings a different kind way to play soccer, Turner said.
“He certainly brings more of a possession kind of game. I think the fact that we’re very, very good friends, but he knows that this is his team. I said it’s yours and I’ll support you in every way. So I think it’s going to be a good fit.”
FCD went to four NCISAA boys’ and girls’ championships in Turner’s tenure and won two of each. Turner said he won more than 230 games with the boys and over 150 with the girls.
The Furies, who started 1-5-4, finished 9-8-4, and Turner was named the PACIS 3-A/2-A conference coach of the year.
“I’d like to go out with a state championship, but at least I have a couple to hang up on, so we’ve won a heck of a lot more games than we’ve lost,” Turner said. “And the young men and women have unbelievable success stories, and that’s the most important thing.”
Turner said that the rumors had been trickling down to the players and his former players.
“I just knew. I wanted to go out with a lot of energy, and I did,” Turner said. “And now it’s full-bore into being AD and supporting all of our programs.
“With the extra time it’s going to be great. I’ll get to watch all of our fall sports and go to their practices, and being around the kids and practices, and that’s something I haven’t been able to do in four years.”
Turner, who has twin 13-year-old daughters in eighth grade at FCD, says he will be able to watch them as freshmen at FCD next year. Turner said it’s been a long time since he hasn’t coached anything.
“This will be the first year that I’m not coaching some sort of team, club or school or college or something since I was 13,” Turner said. “That was my first experience in coaching.”
Dan Kibler
Turner
Posted: Monday, October 26, 2015 11:00 pm
By Jay Spivey Winston-Salem Journal
After 18 years as the head boys’ soccer coach at Forsyth Country Day, Chris Turner has decided to resign as coach to solely concentrate on being just the athletic director.
“I told my team that this would be my last year coaching,” Turner, who is 48, said. “Eighteen years coaching at Forsyth, 14 coaching the girls. I knew that kind of going into this season that it was going to be my last season. They say you always know, and you don’t want to stay too long, so I knew.”
The Furies didn’t waste any time hiring a coach, as Turner hired associate head coach Russell London, whose son Jamaal, plays on the team.
“I’m still going to be there, and he’s going to ask a lot of questions,” Turner said. “I gave him an awful lot of responsibility this year. I think of the things I have not done well is utilize assistant coaches fully because I’m kind of a take-charge kind of person.”
London brings a different kind way to play soccer, Turner said.
“He certainly brings more of a possession kind of game. I think the fact that we’re very, very good friends, but he knows that this is his team. I said it’s yours and I’ll support you in every way. So I think it’s going to be a good fit.”
FCD went to four NCISAA boys’ and girls’ championships in Turner’s tenure and won two of each. Turner said he won more than 230 games with the boys and over 150 with the girls.
The Furies, who started 1-5-4, finished 9-8-4, and Turner was named the PACIS 3-A/2-A conference coach of the year.
“I’d like to go out with a state championship, but at least I have a couple to hang up on, so we’ve won a heck of a lot more games than we’ve lost,” Turner said. “And the young men and women have unbelievable success stories, and that’s the most important thing.”
Turner said that the rumors had been trickling down to the players and his former players.
“I just knew. I wanted to go out with a lot of energy, and I did,” Turner said. “And now it’s full-bore into being AD and supporting all of our programs.
“With the extra time it’s going to be great. I’ll get to watch all of our fall sports and go to their practices, and being around the kids and practices, and that’s something I haven’t been able to do in four years.”
Turner, who has twin 13-year-old daughters in eighth grade at FCD, says he will be able to watch them as freshmen at FCD next year. Turner said it’s been a long time since he hasn’t coached anything.
“This will be the first year that I’m not coaching some sort of team, club or school or college or something since I was 13,” Turner said. “That was my first experience in coaching.”
