When Brooke McMillan and her husband, Tate, came to Savannah Christian Preparatory School two years ago, they had no idea they would somehow morph into a single entity known to students as the “Coach Macs.”
But there it is, on the school’s CrossFit inspiration website. Understandable since they are together most of the time.
“My husband and I teach in the same gym, grades six through eight,” Brooke McMillan says.
They team-teach some classes and spend a lot of time together during the day, but once school is over, they go their separate ways: He is the middle school athletic director, football coach, and assistant coach on the high school baseball team, while she coaches softball at both the middle school and high school levels.
But Brooke McMillan is no ordinary softball coach. She is starting her third year as the Lady Raiders’ coach and already has an enviable track record. She has led Savannah Christian to the state private school semi-finals in each of her first two seasons. During her tenure, the Raiders have yet to lose a game in Region 3-A. With an overall coaching record of 54-18-1, McMillan has won 27 games in each of her first two years and was named Region Coach of the Year both seasons.
In 2012, she had one of her proudest moments as a coach when the Lady Raiders faced George Walton Academy in the 
state tournament. After enduring a grueling contest that saw went into extra innings, SCPS handled the pressure like pros, winning a 6-5 thriller.
“We put together some awesome memories and had a great mesh of players,” Brooke said. “We ended up finishing third at the state tournament, the best finish in school history.”
It hasn’t been long since the McMillans’ met in college; Tate was playing baseball for Tennessee Tech while Brooke was a member of the softball team. After both received their bachelor’s degrees, Tate went on to receive his master’s. Soon after, the two were married and moved to Savannah to take jobs at Savannah Christian.
Brooke McMillan grew up in Green Bay, Wisconsin where she attended Pulaski High School. During her high school career she earned 11 varsity letters (three in volleyball, four in basketball, four in softball) and was named All-State her senior year. Her athletic talents were strong enough to land her a spot on the Golden Eagles’ softball roster at Tennessee Tech.
She was a team leader who helped guide the Golden Eagles to the OVC championship game. Her biggest moment came during the conference tournament her senior year when she hit a two-run single in the seventh inning to put her team in the lead.
“We beat the number two and three seeds that day to advance us in the tournament,” she said. “It was an exhilarating day and one of the last games I ever played.”
Academically, Brooke also outstanding, being named to the Ohio Valley Conference and Tennessee Tech’s Athletic Director’s Honor Roll three straight years.
The couple arrived at Savannah Christian just as the school decided to start CrossFit training for students, making it the first K-12 school in the nation to make the program part of its daily curriculum. CrossFit is a strength and conditioning program based on improving neurological fitness and physical abilities to suit an individual’s level of ability. It uses parts of many different exercise programs including weightlifting, gymnastics, calisthenics, and high intensity interval training. It is also a competitive sport designed to prepare practitioners for any physical challenge.
Teachers at SCPS went through Level One training and the McMillans went on to get their CrossFit Kids certification. “It’s a different classroom environment,” Brooke McMillan says.”It’s not just a regular P.E. class.”
The instructors use CrossFit training and implement games to teach the students to move correctly at an early age. “We teach basics. There’s not a lot of weightlifting involved, it’s mainly about proper movement.” The McMillans’ team-teach the advanced classes together; they have also added CrossFit to workouts for the baseball and softball teams and have seen improvement in the athletes’ strength and fitness.
Fitness has become part of Brooke’s life. If she is not teaching fitness classes, she is taking them. “I can’t seem to get away from it,” she said. “Fitness is just a big passion.”
As a coach, McMillan learned a lot about passion and hard work at TTU, which had high expectations for student /athletes on and off the field. Although she thought it extreme at the time, she has seen the positive influence it has had on her today.
“If nothing else, my basic coaching philosophy revolves around making my players into better people,” she said. “I want my players to learn every day, make the right choice every time, and get through tough situations now so that when they grow older they have the confidence to take on anything.”
CL-CC-0814-McMillan
Coach’s Corner/ Coastal / August 2014
Brooke McMillan
Savannah Christian Preparatory School
Savannah, Ga
Written by Rob Asbell
Photography Imagined by Chas
