VA INTERMONT FIRES COACH, ELIMINATES TRACK XC

Bojacques Bojique wrote:

Virginia Intermont fires renown coach, eliminates its track and cross-country programs

What the hell kind of English is that?

Sorry to say, it's a kind of English that occurs with increasing frequency in the US in the early 21st century. "Renown" has nothing to do with "known"--"but its last four letters are the same, so it must be an adjective and it must rhyme with 'known'!"

"And, you know, 'infamous' and 'impious' must be the opposites of 'famous' and 'pious,' so they should be stressed on the same syllables!"

[Meanwhile, a lot of people are asking what your post was about.]

However, let's not get snobby about where this was published. I just read a howler in this week's "New Yorker"--"Yes, 'The New Yorker'"--something to the effect that the number of commercial flights is increasing by 5% every year, so at this rate the number will be doubled by 2050!

I realize that the new college grads the NYer hires (for $23k per year) as fact checkers were English, not math, majors--but *come on* now.

Petra simmons and Diego are still employees of VIC and can do the paper work for nationals.

Thanks to all those who donated and will donate!!!!

just donated $100. its not much but if a bunch of us do that then the team will go to nationals and it will show the VIC president that he just eliminated a great source of fund raising for the university.

I can't believe so many people are missing the bigger picture here.

A coach who produced great results (so much so, in fact, that he is "renown" according to the guy that wrote the article in the Bristol paper!) has been canned for trying to rectify a horrendous situation that the president and athletic department created. And yet some of you are arguing about the nationalities of the team's members. Who gives a shit about that?

Why not offer a helping hand or words of support rather than kick these guys while they're down?

I know that about a dozen or so VIC runners were planning on comprting at the Twilight II meet in Nashville this Saturday. Since the runners have been kicked off campus (finals are done), and Scott doesn't have an easy way of reaching all of you, I would like to convey the following:

If you would still like to come, David Cheromei is still coming and he may be able to give you a ride. And, if it doesn't infringe on NAIA rules, I can put VIC runners up with local runners here in town, so you do not incurr accommodation expenses.

Feel free to e-mail me at the address linked above if you still want to come.

Dave Milner

www.tnrunning.com

The Limey wrote:

I can't believe so many people are missing the bigger picture here.

A coach who produced great results (so much so, in fact, that he is "renown" according to the guy that wrote the article in the Bristol paper!) has been canned for trying to rectify a horrendous situation that the president and athletic department created. And yet some of you are arguing about the nationalities of the team's members. Who gives a shit about that?

Why not offer a helping hand or words of support rather than kick these guys while they're down?

well said. runners should be trying to help out other runners. wtf? Most of us on this board are former college runners who have decent jobs and some cash. Help the cobras out! If everybody comes to their aid and supports them that will be something the athletes will not soon forget.

hey Flagpole Willy, you call everybody your "brother." And we all know you are so good with your money. Have you donated yet?

I feel bad for these guys, but why is everyone acting like not being able to run at Nationals is the end of the world? It's a f*cking race...

It's funny how everyone opens up their wallets for $100 so some kids can get on a plane and fly to a track meet when you probably hold on to your cash when it comes to other charities...

wewanttosee wrote:

It's funny how everyone opens up their wallets for $100 so some kids can get on a plane and fly to a track meet when you probably hold on to your cash when it comes to other charities...

gotta look out for your own. glad I'm not your friend.

If it is true that the whole school is about to go under then I don't think you can blame the president of the school and the board from cutting the sports programs can you?If they are in that kind of trouble they probably have to make a lot of unpopular decisions.

Average_Joe wrote:

To be fair, the article makes is pretty clear this is not the case of some school dropping track and XC and while the football coach's salary dwarfs the entire track budget.

The entire school is about to go under here.

When we signed with VIC, or any athlete with any school for that matter, it was with the thought that we would go to nats when qualified. We paid our bills, we got our grades, and now the school is turning its back on us. Colleges are not supposed to do these kind of things, it rarely if ever happens, that is why it is a big deal. Simmosn did the right thing, he tried to secure alternative ways for us to go to nats, and the president was not happy with that. The president did not have the guts to meet with the team and explain to them why the school chose to cut funding on our team in the middle of the season. That is why it is a big deal. I, personally, am red-shirting this season, so it does not affect me personally. but, put yourself in the shoes of the guys who cant go to nats and tell me how it would feel.

President Puglisi,

I ran XC and Track for Scott Simmons this past year as well as attended and enjoyed my time at VIC for the one year that I was there. I have decided to transfer after this year to finish my education but cannot tell you how much I enjoyed and will miss VIC. The school is like a large family, everyone is so caring, everyone backs one another, and everyone is eager to help each other out i any way possible. These are all virtues I feel every school, large or small, should have and VIC has them all. I am proud that the community is rallying around our campus, that the school is fighting for its life, and that the administration is standing by so loyally. I do feel, however that the school is missing one valuable piece, and that is a leader who has the gusto to stand in the face of adversity and do the right thing. From what I understand the administration has always been the downfall of VIC, and will continue to be for as long as people like yourself lead us. You, as our president and school representative, did not even have the guts to face us face to face and tell us you decided that other things were more important to you than sending out 18 national class athletes to nationals. As a student-athlete I can assure you that what attracted me to VIC was not the area, the campus, the tight knit community, and certainly not the cafeteria. What brought me to VIC was the fact that it offered me a second chance at my running career. Coach Simmons enthused me about school and life again. Before VIC I was out of school for a year and had no inention of coming back. Scott Simmons took a risk on me, and helped make me great again. Before VIC I had no intentions of ever running again or finishing school anytime soon, but by taking me in and training me and getting me back in school I learned there is more to life that running. I learned maturity, risk taking, taking responsibility for your actions, and taking pride in everything you do. Scott is the reason we all came to VIC. We came to VIC to be the best we can be and to win national titles. By signing scholarship papers we had an agreement to achieve certain standards and make payments on our bills, and we met our end of the bargain. You, however stood us up like an unwanted step-child. You chose to ignore how hard we have worked, the sweat we have poured wearing the VIC singlet, the team camraderie we have, and the dedication we have to the program. By doing so you showed us how you really feel. Our chance, and some of our final chances (Cheromei, Glimsdahl) at a national title is now gone because our own administration chose to turn its back on us when we needed it most. We were there at your "Cobra Rally", we saw our banners that we won hanging in the quad, we paid our bills, we achieved our grades, but in the end our payment came with nothing but a worthless I.O.U. from the school, I.O.U. nothing is what you said to us. You chose to use us, our achievements to gain support at your rally, but you chose not to support us. We had a team meeting, we were told you refused to meet with us. You choose to hide behind your gutless lying emails, and your false sense of hope, you would rather hide in your house than meet with 50 concerned young adults. You did not want us to know about the schools financial problems, because if some how the school stayed open you would have lost over 50 student-athletes. You lied to us, you tried to play games with us, for your benefit. Coach Simmons looked out for us, he told us the truth, and in the end you embarass him because he challenged what you were doing, he did the right thing for us. We are young-adults, we are the future of this country, we were the future of your school, but not anymore. Now we are the bright future of another school, a school that will not turn its back on us and that will support our coaches. We stood up for VIC, we turned away the bashers, we wore our uniforms proud, we even were proud when others knew we might be closing down, and we still stood strong, but not anymore. We all now know what VIC really is. A school of individuals looking our for one-self instead of the good of the community. That is not a college, that is an anarchy. This is not the way XC/Track's relationship at VIC should have ended, our program was one of, if not the, most successful programs in NAIA history, but you chose to stomp on the man that brought us our glory like he was nothing. You chose to do away with us and our program like we did nothing for you. You used us for your benefit, for the schools benefit. We did not ask for anyhitng in return, and you did just that gave us nothing. On top of it all you took away one of our privileges that every other school in the nation gives its athletes... a trip to nationals. The entire NAIA knows about this Mr. President, and it will not go unnoticed. We all plan on contacting the governing board of the NAIA, we plan on taking this to higher powers, and we plan on seeing to it that future student-athletes are treated justly. I hope that you relpy back to me, and with the same cowardly furor that you treated Coach Simmons. If you do not reply back I will resend this every day until you do so. I spent a year of my time at VIC, I paid good money to go there and all Im asking for is a reply or a reasoning. You emailed me many times asking me to fill out a survey of the school and the administration and Ill make this easy on you. Put my name on a piece of paper and send it to the survery board, "VIC administration lies!" I hope all works out at VIC, and that our legacy is not forgotten there. The way you handled this, however, was not just and will not be forgotten anytime soon. Enjoy your time hiding behind your lies.

This was the e-mail sent by a great friend and my teammate to the president. he gave me permission to post this and i edited some parts to protect his identity!

Thanks and send the president an e-mail

badger wrote:gotta look out for your own. glad I'm not your friend.

no worries, the feeling is mutual. with an attitude like that i imagine you aren't that much fun to hang out with anyway. thank god people with real influence don't think the same way you do.

Hey Dumbass! They were at the wheel and drove the bus into the ditch! YES, YOU CAN BLAME THE PRESIDENT AND THE BOARD!

someone wrote:

If it is true that the whole school is about to go under then I don't think you can blame the president of the school and the board from cutting the sports programs can you?

wewanttosee wrote:

no worries, the feeling is mutual. with an attitude like that i imagine you aren't that much fun to hang out with anyway. thank god people with real influence don't think the same way you do.

We are trying to raise money and rally behind some fellow runners and you are talking about people not being "fun to hang out with." Moron.

1) I'm not rich. I just don't spend unnecessarily so that one day I will be rich.

2) I already give a decent amount of my money to charitable causes (including my church) each year. Lots of deserving charities out there to give to that I can't afford to give to who would be way ahead of this cause.

3) I just got an e-mail from a lottery in Africa that I've apparently won, so once I receive that money (after I give them my checking account routing number), I will have more money, so perhaps I will donate then. :)

Flagpole Willy wrote:

1) I'm not rich. I just don't spend unnecessarily so that one day I will be rich.

2) I already give a decent amount of my money to charitable causes (including my church) each year. Lots of deserving charities out there to give to that I can't afford to give to who would be way ahead of this cause.

3) I just got an e-mail from a lottery in Africa that I've apparently won, so once I receive that money (after I give them my checking account routing number), I will have more money, so perhaps I will donate then. :)

just what I thought, "brother."

I would love to have a look at the VIC track and field accounting books from this past year. I see they've made several trips across the country (USATF XC nationals in SF in December, Mount SAC, Penn Relays, New Balance Games, etc.), but now they're out of money and begging on the Internet.

Part of me feels bad for the athletes, but this school has been in a precarious financial situation for the past decade. It is not a surprise that they are in danger of closing...they have been teetering on the brink for several years now.

Your college is very close to not being about to provide a college education for thousands of students and you're worried about snagging a plane ticket to California for a track meet?

I just kicked in $50 and will buy Scott dinner when he is in Denver for the Marathon Relay on the 20th. ;-)

Carl, a well written letter and a nice show of support on your behalf, which is way more then what VI apparently displayed to you.

VIC sent one athlete to Mt. Sac and only qualified runners to Penn and New Balance. Club nationals only consisted of 6 runners as well. Penn Relays was funded out of pocket by Simmons, because the school had already cut the budget. Club nationals was funded by the Club Intermont team, basically it is money the program raises itself during the year with home meet money and fundraising. The budget was more than big enough to finance all these trips, the only reason anyone is asking for money is because the budget GOT CUT! They took all the athletic money away for the remainder of this year, but thanks for thinking before you post.