Speaker 1: Time for work one v one and we have to
Speaker 1: go to Mars Hill and catch up with a guy
Speaker 1: who's got a very full dance card and a very
Speaker 1: full business card these days. He is director of Soccer Operation,
Speaker 1: said from the men's side, Greg Mount up there at
Speaker 1: Marsil for the Lions. Greg, thanks for coming on for
Speaker 1: a one v one.
Speaker 2: Yeah, no, thanks for having us. Hope you make the time.
Speaker 3: First question, how are you?
Speaker 2: We're doing all right? We're doing all right.
Speaker 4: Mars Mars Hill has been it has been blessed a
Speaker 4: little bit with the not a lot of damage and
Speaker 4: you know, we're pretty much fully operational, so the town
Speaker 4: is doing okay, but obviously the you know, the big
Speaker 4: extended community is in a bad and a bad way.
Speaker 4: So there's just all hands on deck right now every
Speaker 4: day and you know, we're doing the best we can,
Speaker 4: so trying to stay positive, trying to stay optimistic and
Speaker 4: just taking it day by day and you know, just
Speaker 4: helping however we can.
Speaker 3: Where were you when Helene came through as well?
Speaker 4: As we live in Ashville, so Astroll has been hit,
Speaker 4: you know, really hard, So I was I was at
Speaker 4: home in Ashville.
Speaker 2: So we are We've got power back on in my neighborhood.
Speaker 4: But we're still without water and you know, pretty sporty
Speaker 4: sales service in things along those lines. But yeah, campus
Speaker 4: is about twenty five thirty minutes from me, so you know,
Speaker 4: I was, I was bunkered down. A lot of our
Speaker 4: guys were bunkered down, and you know, we had a
Speaker 4: few guys that left early. You know, but you know,
Speaker 4: the campus was pretty safe, but Astroll was was definitely
Speaker 4: in a state of different evacuations and things along those lines.
Speaker 1: Still is obviously everybody just look it built more estate
Speaker 1: and they can see what's going on there and everything
Speaker 1: that's going on there in the Asheville area. When it
Speaker 1: comes to keeping in touch with everyone, and I'll include
Speaker 1: the women's side as well. Since you are director of
Speaker 1: Soccer operations, how much of a challenge has it been
Speaker 1: to keep in touch with everybody?
Speaker 4: Yeah, I mean the first couple of days were really
Speaker 4: difficult because we didn't have any you know, any self service,
Speaker 4: and you know, we're just starting to get a little
Speaker 4: bit of the self service. You know, restored campus has
Speaker 4: actually had Wi Fi for the most part, which has
Speaker 4: been helpful.
Speaker 2: But those first couple of.
Speaker 4: Days, you know, we really couldn't communicate with with anyone,
Speaker 4: you know, coaches, administration, players, So a lot of our guys,
Speaker 4: you know, it was more of we came in, my
Speaker 4: wife and I and our kids. We came in on
Speaker 4: the second day, which would have been the Sunday, and
Speaker 4: tried to see some of our guys in person and get.
Speaker 2: Some messages across and things along those lines.
Speaker 4: But by that time, some guys had left and went home,
Speaker 4: some guys had been you know, had parents come and
Speaker 4: picking them up. And that was the same on the
Speaker 4: women's said, I think, you know, we had about twenty
Speaker 4: five guys remain on that Sunday. I think the women's
Speaker 4: team had about four hem so you know, they got
Speaker 4: out there pretty quick. And you know, our women's head coach,
Speaker 4: you know, she lives in ourselves. We've got to connect
Speaker 4: with her on Sunday and just kind of come up
Speaker 4: with somewhat of a plan in terms of what this
Speaker 4: week look like, and you know, we know school and
Speaker 4: then just.
Speaker 2: Take it day by day.
Speaker 4: So we just we've been training our guys at one
Speaker 4: o'clock each day, just trying to stay pretty consistent, you know,
Speaker 4: and then as we get more information and can start to.
Speaker 2: Kind of plan ahead a little bit.
Speaker 4: That's letting us going to build out from there, and
Speaker 4: you know, really some of that communication with our you know,
Speaker 4: student athletes.
Speaker 1: When it comes to what you've been able to see
Speaker 1: in Asheville and in your commute and in your communications,
Speaker 1: how bad is it still from what you've been able
Speaker 1: to look at.
Speaker 2: Yeah, it's bad.
Speaker 4: I mean there's there's there's no getting away from that.
Speaker 4: And now that you know we've had you know, self
Speaker 4: service somewhat restored and the ability to get Wi Fi,
Speaker 4: you can kind of see the damage and the videos
Speaker 4: and things and pictures that are out there.
Speaker 2: My community was not fun.
Speaker 4: It's not fun, you know right now, because I am
Speaker 4: passing areas that are completely devastated. You know, the River
Speaker 4: Arts District, which is a an unbelievable area in Asheville
Speaker 4: is is you know, just decimated, you know, and we've
Speaker 4: got friends and and things like that that have lost
Speaker 4: homes and lost communities, and you know even here, you know,
Speaker 4: mars Hills in Madison County, and we've got the town
Speaker 4: of Marshall which is you know, completely devastated as well.
Speaker 4: You know, not to mention other you know, college and
Speaker 4: universities and other areas such as you know, Swannanoa and
Speaker 4: in places like this, So you know that the community
Speaker 4: and is you know, those first couple of days, I
Speaker 4: could kind of relay what was going on to our
Speaker 4: guys because because they're obviously down here in mars Hell,
Speaker 4: and you know, they're not driving past the you know,
Speaker 4: the the high water levels and and the damage and
Speaker 4: and the trees that have been down and all these
Speaker 4: type of things. So you know, day by day there's
Speaker 4: there's definitely been progressed that the warriors went down. You
Speaker 4: can start to kind of see, you know, the remnants
Speaker 4: of what's left, and the clean up crews are are
Speaker 4: working day and night. You know, I've got a We've
Speaker 4: got a first responder that's my Stone neighbors, so he's
Speaker 4: he's gave us some information and just kind of gave
Speaker 4: us an idea of what's going on out there. And
Speaker 4: it's not pretty, you know, and a lot of people
Speaker 4: are in a bad way, but the community are banded
Speaker 4: together and doing the best you can.
Speaker 3: What do you need? What does the community need? What
Speaker 3: does mars Hill need? These days?
Speaker 2: Yeah? Well, I mean I think you know, Marshall itself is.
Speaker 2: You know, we're in a an.
Speaker 4: Okay spot with pillar, with water, with the ability to communicate,
Speaker 4: and you know, we don't have the whole campus here,
Speaker 4: so in terms of being able to the guys, get
Speaker 4: our other students and get meals and things like that,
Speaker 4: you know, that's been that's been okay. But I know
Speaker 4: the area itself is is definitely getting a lot of help,
Speaker 4: getting a lot of support.
Speaker 2: You know, we've got to we have got to.
Speaker 4: Go fund me page out there now that was set
Speaker 4: up by our alumni to try and raise the money
Speaker 4: for the Western North Carolina And you know, I can
Speaker 4: take that and put it in the hands of people
Speaker 4: that are going to be really use it, you know,
Speaker 4: such as the local church. So that's feeding you know,
Speaker 4: anyone and everyone, you know, twice a day right now
Speaker 4: with a very leming supply, they're out there trying to
Speaker 4: you know, dig out buildings and you know, search and
Speaker 4: rescue and everything else. So you know, the list could
Speaker 4: be extremely extensive, but I think there's a lot of
Speaker 4: people going in a lot of directions just trying to
Speaker 4: get as much support to this, you know, this community
Speaker 4: as possible.
Speaker 2: And that's not just Marcel.
Speaker 4: That's you know, western North Carolina and you know, obviously
Speaker 4: the Ashville area as well.
Speaker 1: And one of the things that we've tried to do
Speaker 1: here on the network and on the morning show is
Speaker 1: catch up with you, ketch up with Land and ketch
Speaker 1: up with Scott at Gardner Webb, ketch up with with
Speaker 1: you know, making coach McNabb down at u NCA and
Speaker 1: just kind of see, okay, who have you been able
Speaker 1: to get in touch with? Where the where the gaps?
Speaker 1: How can we help fill those gaps? Because I think
Speaker 1: Montreat is a gap still because of it being in
Speaker 1: Black contain, it's difficult for fuck to you know, get
Speaker 1: in contact there, USC, up State Presbyterian, all of these
Speaker 1: different places that we might be able to know in gaps.
Speaker 1: Where are there still gaps for you that you're strying
Speaker 1: still trying to find information about what's going on and
Speaker 1: how folks are.
Speaker 4: Yeah, I think you know, obviously, you know, we work
Speaker 4: you know, pretty closely with one treat in terms of
Speaker 4: you know, preseason game, spring games.
Speaker 2: I've got a good relationship with the coach over there.
Speaker 4: He's a Scottish fella as well, and you know, we
Speaker 4: just think there's just no communication going on right.
Speaker 2: Now with mon treating in that area.
Speaker 4: But you know, I've heard from obviously Mick, you know,
Speaker 4: and you know, coach McNabb and you know these other guys.
Speaker 4: So the soccer community is a big community, but also
Speaker 4: extremely small and tight knit community. At the same time,
Speaker 4: we've had a lot of people reaching out. It's you know,
Speaker 4: those first couple of days were really difficult to be
Speaker 4: able to you know, respond in a you know, somewhat
Speaker 4: of a timely manner getting back to people right away.
Speaker 2: It was maybe days. I mean, I've still have messages where.
Speaker 4: You're struggling to respond to people just because you're you're
Speaker 4: so overwhelmed people trying to reach out. But you know,
Speaker 4: the teams in our conference have been fantastic. You know,
Speaker 4: they're being extremely understanding of you know, right now, we
Speaker 4: didn't even know if we were going to have the
Speaker 4: opportunity to maybe play games, you know, but we've we've
Speaker 4: been giving the green light to you know, reshuffle some
Speaker 4: of our games that we've had to postpone, you know,
Speaker 4: get those on the schedule, especially those conference games. And
Speaker 4: then we've had you know, coaches like coach Hammel at
Speaker 4: Wingate basically you know, we play those guys next Wednesday
Speaker 4: and basically say, all right, what do you guys need
Speaker 4: you know, when we when you guys load the bus
Speaker 4: to go home to campus next week, we'll put whatever
Speaker 4: under that bus we can where that's water, get a
Speaker 4: red fruit and vegetables. I think I think that's probably
Speaker 4: one of the big things I actually speak to my
Speaker 4: wife last night is you know, our guys are doing
Speaker 4: okay right now there they're being you know, pretty pretty
Speaker 4: humble in terms of what we actually do have. But
Speaker 4: you know, the athletes diet right now has definitely been pushed.
Speaker 4: You know, not having access to you know, fresh fruit
Speaker 4: and vegetables and things on those lines does make things
Speaker 4: a little bit more challenging and there's a bit of
Speaker 4: give and take there. But we know that there's supplies
Speaker 4: coming in, so that's that's obviously good news. But yeah,
Speaker 4: like I like I say that now that we're back
Speaker 4: online a little bit, we can we can reach out
Speaker 4: to you know, the local coaches, local schools and things
Speaker 4: like that and just trying to stay connected. But yeah,
Speaker 4: those first couple of days was was really difficult. But
Speaker 4: the soccer community has really banded together to you know,
Speaker 4: not only help their own, but ask in ways that
Speaker 4: they can help.
Speaker 1: Hanging out with Director of Soccer Operations head coach on
Speaker 1: the men's side up at Mars Hill, Greg Mutt here
Speaker 1: for a one v one here on the SDH network.
Speaker 1: What have you learned about your players in the soccer program,
Speaker 1: both men's and women's. What have you learned about your
Speaker 1: coaching staff that in a situation that is that is,
Speaker 1: no doubt a crisis situation that very few of us
Speaker 1: have ever seen in or had to face head on before.
Speaker 1: What have you learned about yourselves as a soccer program
Speaker 1: and athletic program up there at Mars Hill that you
Speaker 1: might not have known before.
Speaker 4: Yeah, I mean the biggest thing that comes to mind.
Speaker 4: There's probably two pieces to that. You know, I already
Speaker 4: knew I had had a great staff, very reliable staff,
Speaker 4: hard working staff that are going to you know, do
Speaker 4: whatever's need to get by and just you know, take
Speaker 4: on adversity and things on those lines. But I think
Speaker 4: speaking on behalf of the staff, and in my opinion,
Speaker 4: you know, probably the biggest thing that stood out to
Speaker 4: me for my guys was that on Saturday when we
Speaker 4: couldn't get here and we didn't know what was going on.
Speaker 4: Our guys got together and they did their own training
Speaker 4: session and they spent time themselves so that they could
Speaker 4: still stay active, so they could still stay busy, so
Speaker 4: they could still be with each other with no coach direction,
Speaker 4: with no trainer direction, nothing like that.
Speaker 2: So they've they've remained really positive.
Speaker 4: They've asked every single day, how can we help, you know,
Speaker 4: how can we support? You know, as much I would
Speaker 4: love to bust them down to ashtroll and get them
Speaker 4: in into the community, from that standpoint, you know that
Speaker 4: there's other opportunities here in Mars Hill or in Madison
Speaker 4: County that they can they can volunteer with. You know,
Speaker 4: we don't have any school right now, so you know,
Speaker 4: we can keep them busy and they can stay busy.
Speaker 4: But yeah, they've been pretty resilient and they've been pretty understanding.
Speaker 4: I know that can be difficult in a crisis like this,
Speaker 4: but they've understood that there's a lot of moving pieces here,
Speaker 4: and you know, there's people out there that are way
Speaker 4: worse than we are. So they just we're just taking
Speaker 4: a day by day, you know, hopefully trying to make
Speaker 4: progress every day and just being fortunate that we we're here,
Speaker 4: we're together. You know, we're healthy, and we're in you know,
Speaker 4: a safe community, and you know, unfortunately that can't be
Speaker 4: said for everyone. So you know, we're we're definitely you know,
Speaker 4: I appreciative of that, that's for sure.
Speaker 1: If my math is correct, and I think I'm fairly closed.
Speaker 1: You have seventeen players on the men's side that are
Speaker 1: not from the United States, and I think it's fifteen
Speaker 1: on the women's side that are not from the United States.
Speaker 1: What has it been like with them in a situation
Speaker 1: here where they're away from home A, they're along the
Speaker 1: way from home B, and then they're in a situation
Speaker 1: like they're having to face that they are with what
Speaker 1: Helene has done to Western North Carolina into the campus.
Speaker 1: What's it like having thirty plus student athletes that are
Speaker 1: in something that I doubt any of them have ever
Speaker 1: been a part of, you know, staring at something like this.
Speaker 4: Yeah, I mean that was I was obviously, you know,
Speaker 4: one of the biggest things for me, you know, the
Speaker 4: first couple of days, you know, just the limited ability
Speaker 4: to communicate, you know, so you know, parents were very worried,
Speaker 4: you know, I was, I was getting limited service. But
Speaker 4: when service was coming through, you know, what's that messaging
Speaker 4: emails trying to figure out, you know, are their kids safe?
Speaker 2: You know what's going on.
Speaker 4: You obviously, you know in different countries that they're they've
Speaker 4: seen the news coverage of of what's taking place here
Speaker 4: in western North Carolina.
Speaker 2: So you know, those first couple of days were really difficult.
Speaker 4: But what I can say is that the community of
Speaker 4: Marsell again banding together and making sure that these guys
Speaker 4: were safe, were looked after. We're checked upon, you know,
Speaker 4: wellness checks, all these type of things, you know, and
Speaker 4: then once we did get more access to Wi Fi
Speaker 4: and things along those lines, you know, the message was
Speaker 4: make sure you guys are reaching out to parents and
Speaker 4: in guardians and letting them know that you guys are safe,
Speaker 4: that you guys have.
Speaker 2: Been looked after.
Speaker 4: That you know, the school and the administration are doing
Speaker 4: all they can within the guid guidelines and you know,
Speaker 4: North Carolina to make sure that you guys are safe,
Speaker 4: and you know, in good hands and the administration have
Speaker 4: certainly done that.
Speaker 2: And we've got a really good group of you know, community.
Speaker 4: Members and things that already look after our guys and
Speaker 4: gals in our program, and you know, they've just doubled down,
Speaker 4: and you know, we've we've extremely fortunate to have these
Speaker 4: people in our life, that's for sure.
Speaker 1: How are you staying in touch with them? I guess
Speaker 1: the fastest, slash most effect efficient way to do it?
Speaker 3: Is it? Email?
Speaker 2: Is it?
Speaker 3: Text? Is it? What'sapp? How are you keeping communication?
Speaker 2: Yeah?
Speaker 4: So, I mean up until today, I've I've had you know,
Speaker 4: pretty much no self service at my house in Ashows.
Speaker 4: So I've been I've been coming to campus with my
Speaker 4: wife and my kids because that's been probably the safest
Speaker 4: place to be in and the best place to be.
Speaker 4: So a lot of our communication has been in person,
Speaker 4: and we've just tried to be you know, consistent. You know,
Speaker 4: one o'clock each day, we're going to we're going to
Speaker 4: practice and then you know, you guys can come in beforehand,
Speaker 4: coming afterwards. You know, whilst well Wi Fi we can
Speaker 4: send up dates and things like that. But you know,
Speaker 4: pretty much until today, when I when I was leaving
Speaker 4: campus at five five thirty, I wasn't going to be
Speaker 4: able to have any kind of communication with the guys
Speaker 4: until I came back or I was fortunate to maybe
Speaker 4: have you know five g access at some some part
Speaker 4: of my community at different times of the day, whether.
Speaker 2: That be you know, late at night or early in
Speaker 2: the morning.
Speaker 4: So you know, we we're just like I said, we're
Speaker 4: getting updates every day from the school as well. They're
Speaker 4: obviously following you know, nor calling a guidelines and updates
Speaker 4: from the town and the surrey and things like that.
Speaker 4: So when we're at practice, we give updates.
Speaker 2: You know.
Speaker 4: Holly on the women's side, she does the same thing.
Speaker 4: Whilst I'm at practice. Holly looks after my two kids
Speaker 4: until we can practice because my wife, she works with LIONSDA,
Speaker 4: so she's out doing food banks and she's out doing
Speaker 4: you know, war stations and shower opportunities and different things
Speaker 4: along those lines. So we're we're definitely being pulled in
Speaker 4: two different directions right now, trying to help her community,
Speaker 4: you know, but that our community here is definitely helping
Speaker 4: us be able to do that and be able to
Speaker 4: stay strong and you know, just try and keep some
Speaker 4: type of normalities as much as possible.
Speaker 3: How much rest do you get.
Speaker 4: Well, I don't need to set an alarm right now.
Speaker 4: So with two young kids, and I would say I'm
Speaker 4: getting more sleep. But I'm definitely not arrested, that's for sure.
Speaker 4: You know, We're just Yeah, I think everyone's emotionally tired.
Speaker 4: I think that would be the key.
Speaker 2: I think.
Speaker 4: I speak to my wife as well and speak to
Speaker 4: community members. Everyone is tired. But it's not so much physically,
Speaker 4: it's more emotionally, just the toe of what's going on.
Speaker 4: And I was not having many answers, you know, Like
Speaker 4: I said, Markussell is an okay spot right now, but
Speaker 4: Ashville as a whole, like we may be looking at
Speaker 4: multiple weeks without water, you know, and what that does
Speaker 4: in terms of just being able to keep people operational
Speaker 4: and functional is extremely difficult. So, yeah, there's a heavy
Speaker 4: toll right now, and I think it's only going to
Speaker 4: get it worse, you know, before it gets better with
Speaker 4: search and rescue and updates and you know, the actually
Speaker 4: once you can see the extent of the damage to
Speaker 4: the community into the area.
Speaker 2: So yeah, we just we sold you on. That's all
Speaker 2: we can do, all right.
Speaker 1: So from a Mars Hill perspective, how can folks reach
Speaker 1: out help out? What are all of the places where
Speaker 1: folks can value up and try to help out.
Speaker 4: Yeah, so we can obviously if they go on the website,
Speaker 4: they can they can grab my email address. You know,
Speaker 4: if there's if there's anyone out there that that's willing
Speaker 4: to help us, ways to help our community, you know,
Speaker 4: feel for.
Speaker 2: You to send me an email. I'll get my.
Speaker 4: Cell number over to you guys as well our social
Speaker 4: media platforms, you know, now that we have a little
Speaker 4: bit more of a better you know, connection and the
Speaker 4: ability to Wi Fi and self service. You know, we're
Speaker 4: trying to get some stuff up on social media. That
Speaker 4: was actually the first way on Saturday that I could
Speaker 4: send some type of message to parents on Saturday morning
Speaker 4: saying Hi, like you know, campus is safe. However I
Speaker 4: can't get there, but the guys are safe. Just just
Speaker 4: bear with us. But we'll try and get more information
Speaker 4: as we get it. So our social media platforms are
Speaker 4: just Mars Hillmen's soccer on Instagram, Facebook, and then like
Speaker 4: I say, just quick as where it would be just
Speaker 4: just an email to me, we have that go fund
Speaker 4: me out there for western North Carolina. And then I
Speaker 4: know that there's there's many many ways that people can help,
Speaker 4: whether that's just sending supplies. Our mail room is open,
Speaker 4: Amazon and ups are delivering to campus so we can
Speaker 4: get supplies here. If we need to go and grab supplies, we.
Speaker 2: Can do that.
Speaker 4: Supplies are coming out, So anyway in which people can
Speaker 4: help is greatly appreciated.
Speaker 2: We you know, like I said, our campus is doing
Speaker 2: okay right now.
Speaker 4: But our greater community is definitely struggling and we need
Speaker 4: all the help.
Speaker 2: We can get.
Speaker 3: Well. Just know that here at the network.
Speaker 1: If there's anything that you need to get out news wise,
Speaker 1: you know how to get in touch with me. Tap
Speaker 1: me on the shoulder, shoot me a text, Sit there
Speaker 1: and go, dude, I need to hop on for a
Speaker 1: couple of minutes to let give an update on something
Speaker 1: here that we need to discuss. You know, you've got
Speaker 1: an open door policy up there. I've said the same
Speaker 1: thing to you and c A. I'm saying it to you.
Speaker 1: I'm saying it to Scott Wells at Gardner Webb, to
Speaker 1: Lee's McCrae. And if you can get in touch with
Speaker 1: Montreat and Presby and sc up State and anybody else
Speaker 1: that you think needs to come on to have a
Speaker 1: platform to spread word about hey we're safe or hey
Speaker 1: we need help or both. You know, you've got a
Speaker 1: home here, so just reach out any time you can.
Speaker 1: I'm glad that I was able to get in touch
Speaker 1: with you before practice today so you could have that
Speaker 1: little bit of normalcy before we get out of here.
Speaker 1: What are you looking at games wise? What it's the
Speaker 1: delay and so what are you looking at on the
Speaker 1: schedule now?
Speaker 4: Yes, well know that no, that travel has opened a
Speaker 4: little bit and there's there's access in and out of
Speaker 4: North Carolina, so it's just going to be conference games
Speaker 4: from here on out. We only had two non conference
Speaker 4: games remain, and we've had to postpone those obviously and
Speaker 4: use those dates and the reschedules, and then you know,
Speaker 4: we had three games we had to reschedule, two at home,
Speaker 4: one away. So we're going to start back up next
Speaker 4: Wednesday at wing Gate, which is you know, there'll be
Speaker 4: a really good test for our guys, and then from
Speaker 4: there it's just everything's conference game from there and then
Speaker 4: we've got five home games, which is which is great.
Speaker 4: You know, like I said, we've got tough year for
Speaker 4: our field hasn't been damaged, our facility hasn't been damaged.
Speaker 4: We have power, we have water, we have Wi Fi,
Speaker 4: so we can run everything. It's just that that travel
Speaker 4: piece was definitely the toughest part to navigate.
Speaker 2: But yeah, we've got nine games, nine games and conference.
Speaker 4: To go, and yeah, if we're playing then you know
Speaker 4: we'll give our best goal and we'll do do what
Speaker 4: we can.
Speaker 3: Absolutely Marshale Lions dot Com.
Speaker 1: And then you go all the tabs and you follow
Speaker 1: the different programs Director of Soccer Operations, head coach on
Speaker 1: the men's side, Greg, Greg. Great to great to see
Speaker 1: you first and foremost, and know that everybody down here
Speaker 1: is sending all their love to every buddy up there.
Speaker 1: We'll catch up with you soon, my friend. Don't be
Speaker 1: a stranger, and I'm serious, do not be a stranger
Speaker 1: under any circumstance because of how things are going these days.
Speaker 2: Thank you, I appreciate it. Thank you guys.
Speaker 3: All right, that's Greg mind. That's a one v one
Speaker 3: here on the SDH now,