It has already been pointed out by a few people that Solinsky isn't even responding to women who would be immediate impact makers. That is sort of the opposite of recruiting.
You don’t his potential imminent departure had anything to do with ‘not responding’? He was probably in a quiet period.
My son contacted him last year with a 4:15 junior year 1600 and 15:30 XC time. No response
I wrote several college coaches from high school in the 1960s and none of them responded. That summer I was training at a University near Los Angeles and the coach offered me a scholarship that same day. I was visiting my parents at the time, but in retrospect from many years later, I should have taken it.
In contrast to the college coaches, just out of high school I wrote a couple of quite successful high school coaches at the time, just for information. Neither of them had anything to gain but both both of them responded quite generously, one of them twice.
Maybe most college coaches are simply too arrogant and full of themselves, which I'm saying from also having met quite a few. In any case, I wouldn't go to a school where a coach couldn't even be bothered to respond.
It has already been pointed out by a few people that Solinsky isn't even responding to women who would be immediate impact makers. That is sort of the opposite of recruiting.
"A few people" = one disgruntled parent. I would take those posts with a grain of salt.
Just my experience with Solinsky: low 9:20s 3200 as jr, gave polite and encouraging response in a relatively timely manner.
Based on my experience, college coaches are hit or miss in terms of responses to runners. Some I didn't expect responses from responded, while others I expected a response from didn't respond.
Just my experience with Solinsky: low 9:20s 3200 as jr, gave polite and encouraging response in a relatively timely manner.
Based on my experience, college coaches are hit or miss in terms of responses to runners. Some I didn't expect responses from responded, while others I expected a response from didn't respond.
It’s situational. You may have caught him at a good time, some may have caught him at a bad time. Coaches are people too with outside lives. Then once it goes a week that email will get drowned with a ton others. So it’s either get a quick response or you’ll need to touch base again. Then, like someone else said, if he knew he was leaving he may not be as responsive as he doesn’t want to sell you something knowing he’s leaving.
Just my experience with Solinsky: low 9:20s 3200 as jr, gave polite and encouraging response in a relatively timely manner.
Based on my experience, college coaches are hit or miss in terms of responses to runners. Some I didn't expect responses from responded, while others I expected a response from didn't respond.
It’s situational. You may have caught him at a good time, some may have caught him at a bad time. Coaches are people too with outside lives. Then once it goes a week that email will get drowned with a ton others. So it’s either get a quick response or you’ll need to touch base again. Then, like someone else said, if he knew he was leaving he may not be as responsive as he doesn’t want to sell you something knowing he’s leaving.
Is there such a thing as a type of ‘Transfer Portal’ for high school runners? It would be linked to their mile-split results and their PB’s. There would be a blurb paragraph(s) describing what they are about, their interests/hobby’s, and what they are looking for in terms of training and educational aspirations. The athletes would then self-declare and enter this portal, letting coaches come and peruse their info, and thus letting coaches know they are interested in being contacted.
I haven't had time to read all 15 pages, but I'm curious as to why there was an opening at Oregon in December.
Can someone tell me who previously had the job Solinsky got at Oregon previously? Or did Jerry never fill those roll way back when he was hired?
I kind of liked your comments on Valby’s alternatives in your first publicly available podcast on the situation. You followed this up with more discussion on the situation in the ‘private podcast’. Care to release that discussion to the non-paywall public? Or maybe list the bullet-points down here in this forum?
Other posters pointed out that the vast majority of good Florida runners went elsewhere. Florida is a great school and has the best track team in the country. Most instate runners want to run there. The data suggests that Solinsky does not do a good job recruiting.
All college runners have to assume their coaches might leave. Most should choose a school that they will benefit from academically and socially if they didn't have running. Valby is good enough that a coach should be a selling point and the changes in transfer rules over the last few years really benefit athletes like her if they choose to use them. She'll be fine as long as she takes the time to find a coach that communicates well with her.
Consider the possibility that Solinsky and Flanagan are good choices to be Jerry's assistants. They understand his program, they know the pitfalls and hopefully adapt Jerry's system to the athletes they are able to recruit. Solinsky's adaptation for Valby makes me think that the Ducks won't just be a survival of the fittest like BTC has been thought to be. It might allow a smoother transition into Jerry's training program. Plus both coaches know what it takes to be a world class athlete, that is a valuable commodity as a mentor to the top level recruits. There are a lot of great coaches out there, many of whom we have never heard of, that doesn't mean that this program can't succeed with the staff they have.
. Valby is good enough that a coach should be a selling point and the changes in transfer rules over the last few years really benefit athletes like her if they choose to use them. She'll be fine as long as she takes the time to find a coach that communicates well with her.
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She has just a few days left to enter the current Transfer Portal. Assuming she stays at Florida for now, then that means potentially proceeding with indoor and outdoor with some coaching uncertainty. A key going forward, in the near term, is transitioning info on her current program to the new coach. What about those ‘coach assistants’ Solinsky mentioned on one of the video interviews? How in-tune with her training were they?
She has just a few days left to enter the current Transfer Portal. Assuming she stays at Florida for now, then that means potentially proceeding with indoor and outdoor with some coaching uncertainty. A key going forward, in the near term, is transitioning info on her current program to the new coach. What about those ‘coach assistants’ Solinsky mentioned on one of the video interviews? How in-tune with her training were they?
My money says she stays at Florida for now. Maybe she follows Solinsky to Oregon over the summer before outdoors or XC, but she would have to want to be on a real XC team and not just a solo runner. Does she even want that? In either case, she has an in now with BTC. BTC would be the biggest reason to go.
Other posters pointed out that the vast majority of good Florida runners went elsewhere. Florida is a great school and has the best track team in the country. Most instate runners want to run there. The data suggests that Solinsky does not do a good job recruiting.
FL is track-based sprint and jumps school. Clearly that’s where they put scholarship $$ and use roster spots. I’m sure most of the top HS distance kids in FL know this and look elsewhere. Tough to draw conclusions on Solinsky’s ability to recruit in this environment.