Meet Carrie Mackey

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Carrie Mackey. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Carrie below.

Alright, so we’re so thrilled to have Carrie with us today – welcome and maybe we can jump right into it with a question about one of your qualities that we most admire. How did you develop your work ethic? Where do you think you get it from?

I feel being an athlete definitely plays a huge role in developing a strong work ethic! The training, discipline, and constant push for improvement that come with sports can set the foundation for a solid work ethic. When you’re an athlete, you’re often taught from a young age that success requires consistent effort, perseverance, and the ability to overcome challenges. The mentality of pushing through fatigue, competing at your best, and continually improving often translates to other areas of life too.

My family upbringing was also a factor. Many kids and athletes are raised in environments where hard work, dedication, and responsibility are highly valued. Whether it’s parents who instill the importance of striving for excellence, or family members who are actively involved in supporting your athletic endeavors, this background creates a strong sense of accountability and responsibility.

The combination of the mindset from my athletic experiences and the encouragement or expectations from my family has shaped my work ethic. The expectation of being a good athlete and the belief in pushing yourself to do your best can really drive you to approach everything in life with that same level of discipline and focus.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

In the spring of 2010, Women’s Full Contact Football officially arrived in Northern Nevada with the formation of the team now known as the Nevada Storm. With a roster of just six women, these visionary ladies cut their teeth in the 6’s player format against similar startup teams as they learned the subtleties of America’s favorite sport. In the spring of 2011, the Nevada Storm added six more dedicated women to their roster as they continued to sharpen their skills in the game of football. Finishing the season by winning half the games they competed in, it became obvious the Nevada Storm had something special.

The 2012 season proved to be a banner year for the Nevada Storm. As news of the team’s accomplishments spread throughout the community, the roster increased to twenty players, prompting the progression of the Nevada Storm into the 8’s player format of Women’s Full Contact Football. Under the direction of former Head Coach Joel Primus and former owner Jeff Leathers, the Nevada Storm became the WSFL’s Division and Regional Champions, finishing the season undefeated, with a margin of victory of 239 to 32. The program has only continued to grow from there!

The impressive achievements of the 2012 season elevated the Nevada Storm to the fore front of the people’s mind’s in Northern Nevada. Tryouts for the 2013 season have produced a preliminary roster of 32 women eager to build on the success of the previous season as the Nevada Storm joined the Independent Women’s Football League (IWFL) and the Women’s Football Alliance (WFA) to compete in the 11’s player format. In 2014, The Storm solely competed in the WFA, only deciding to return to the IWFL in 2015.

The past few seasons have been tough for the Nevada Storm, but with growth comes lessons. The team had a turnaround year in 2018, winning the most games it has ever won since 2013. The team finished 4-3 for the season, while taking advantage of an opportunity when 3 big teams left the IWFL at the start of playoffs. This gave the Nevada Storm a chance of a lifetime to capitalize on this opportunity and take on the Phoenix Phantomz for a shot at the West Coast Conference Title and at the IWFL National Championship Game. The Storm came out on top against Phoenix and started preparing for the Houston Energy, which was a first time match up between the two teams. Unfortunately, the Storm fell to the Houston Energy in Houston, Texas on July 21st, 2018, but it gave the Storm a taste of what it is like to play at that level. The drive, fight, and resiliency of the Storm have only made them thirsty for more!

2019 for the Nevada Storm was a whirl wind experience. The Nevada Storm finished the 2019 regular season with a winning overall record of 10-1, and went undefeated in Division 3. Switching leagues and joining the Women’s Football Alliance (WFA) proved to be a good move as the Nevada Storm built off of last years success and claimed #1 seed in Division 3, hosting playoffs. Coming up victorious in playoffs the Storm made its first ever appearance in the WFA’s D3 National Championship game in Golden, Colorado. The Storm were looking to take on the 3 time defending National Champions the Orlando Anarchy! After a hard fought and back and forth game, the Storm maintained the lead throughout the entire game, winning 62-45! It was history in the making season for the Storm, with eyes set on returning to the Championship game in 2020!

Unfortunately, the Storm did not have a chance to participate in the 2020 season as many teams were derailed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. With bans and restrictions easing, the Storm is still hungry and determined to make an appearance in the 2021 National Championship weekend, while competing at the Division 2 level of the WFA.

Despite not playing in 2020 due to COVID-19, the Storm picked up where they left off in 2021 completing it’s first undefeated season in 11-man football! With a shortened regular season schedule the Storm went 6-0! Qualifying as the number 1 seed in Division 2, the Storm hosted playoff’s facing off against the Mile High Blaze and Houston Energy. Coming out on top in both playoff games the Storm advanced to the National Championships in Canton, OH where they faced off against the Detroit Dark Angels.

The Storm after its first possession took the lead in the game and never looked back as they came out on top 42-18!

The 2022 season came to a close after the first round of playoffs for the Storm. The Storm moved up to the highest division of women’s football in the WFA, after claiming the 2021 D2 National Championship Title. WFA Pro brought tougher competition to the Storm as they looked to make a three-peat. Facing opponents such as WFA Pro runner ups the Minnesota Vixens and long time rival the Cali War. However, despite the tougher opponents the Storm had a phenomenal season in the WFA Pro with an overall record of 4-3. With probably one of the most amazing football comebacks ever in the history of women’s football, the Storm made a mark, coming back from a 20 point deficit to beat the Minnesota Vixen’s in the Storm’s home opener at Reno High School.

The Vixens however, got revenge as they knocked off the Storm in the first round of playoffs, ending the Road to Canton. Despite the loss, the Storm are already hungry and eager to face the challenges of the 2023 season!

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

For the Storm it is being adaptable to our surroundings and embracing change and challenges to reflect on what works or doesn’t work for our program. Communication is also something the Storm values and receiving feed back from our members so we can either change, continue doing good, or restructure our organizations. Lastly, consistent learning. Being pro active and understanding that there will be good times and there will be bad times. It is how one reacts to the bad that can determine the direction of the program.

Alright so to wrap up, who deserves credit for helping you overcome challenges or build some of the essential skills you’ve needed?

I can’t give enough credit to our board of directors and the coaching staff. Our board of directors and coaching staff is full of very knowledgeable people with varying backgrounds in their every day life, that when all these minds are put together, have helped develop and build our program.

Contact Info:

Image Credits

JTH Multimedia, Kim Jamison Photography, and Amanda Gildea

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