My only issue with it is that it gives a kid an easy out instead of learning a life lesson on the importance of going through struggle. A weak kid won’t help my program but that young person has just made it easier to quit throughout life. While that doesn’t really hurt my program, it does not teach any life lessons when that is exactly what we are supposed to do. The problem is that most administrators and the ncaa don’t care at all about the kids.
Not quite sure what you are trying to say, but it sounds like you think transfers are quitting and taking the easy way out. One could just as easily say that they are showing initiative, taking charge of their own futures, or displaying courage in pursuit of personal growth. No doubt there are good reasons and bad and that it varies by individual.
Also this: for such a long time, a perpetuated myth was that athletes were at the mercy of their recruited teams and coaches AND they very often believed that the system owned them. This is not true. A secondary myth is that the athlete owes or is supposed to be loyal and thankful for the very opportunity to be at a school--even if the program is a bad fit.
The REALITY is that athletes in college have a brief and precious time in which they can spend focusing on enhancing their talent, skills and abilities AND THEY are the owners of their eligibility. It's their product. They have the right to find the best place to succeed.
I agree that many coaches do not or initially did not like the portal b/c it has shifted some of the power from their hands to the hands of the athletes and I'm sure that makes them uncomfortable, so they have to make comments like "the kids just don't know how to struggle!"
I actually think Portal prepares them for real life.. If you don't like your job or people with you work with you have two choices... Figure it out there, talk with people and make it better OR go find a new job. Same thing with the Portal. Now if kids jump too quickly at the first sign of trouble or a struggle that is not good but it hopefully will teach them a lesson that you don't need to jump from one thing to the other too quickly. All in all portal is way more like real life than having to ask your coach to release you. Imagine having to go ask a boss if it was ok if you left your job before you went to another one.
Some of you must not have real jobs because it isn't nearly as easy as it is in the NCAA. Professional jobs have contracts that include noncompete clauses. And many jobs come with moving expenses and signing bonuses that have to be paid back if an employee leaves within 2 years. Those rules make transferring jobs more like the old NCAA rules.
I give them the benefit of the doubt that they are neither lazy or ignorant, but mostly likely overworked/under-resourced. They simply don't have the time and are mostly paid pretty bad too.
I understand it can feel like team culture may suffer if everyone isn't doing the same or nearly the same workout.
As an example, one of the FL all-americans I got the chance to coach has the typical marathon build and physiological characteristics. He was running about 50 mpw his senior year of high school. They reduced his mileage slightly and greatly increased the number of track workouts. 400s to 1ks for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Unsurprisingly he never improved in college.
Above scenario has actually played out for most of the kids I coached. Reduced mileage and significantly increased anaerobic work.
Only kids I've seen improve are the ones that never made the high school varsity team, but went on to run in community college and got more serious about it. Those are the kids that have been the most fun to watch run in college. The uber-talented kids all got thrown in the meat grinder and it's just been sad to see.
I think most college coaches tend to be former elite/pro/olympic athletes that were ALWAYS phenomenal and as such don't actually understand training nearly as well as they think they do.
I appreciate your perspective but this is simply not the way most good D1 coaches currently train distance runners. It may have been true in the low mileage era of the early 90’s but high volume and strength based training are the way things are done today.
i'm specifically talking about the schools i referenced initially. time period between 2016-2022.
Why should a team do individualized workouts? You think Nick Saben individualizes his practices? The coach is the leader of the team and regardless of what was said in recruiting it’s up to the coach what is to be done- not the runner who has 3-4 whole years of running background
well I am sure all jobs are different... But in my group of friends i have had teachers/school administrators/engineers/project managers/nurses/human resource people/lawyers all change jobs within the last few years.. all changed jobs with no strings attached. I am sure some jobs have those clauses you speak of, but I also think the jobs I listed are pretty real jobs.
"Only kids I've seen improve are the ones that never made the high school varsity team, but went on to run in community college and got more serious about it. Those are the kids that have been the most fun to watch run in college. The uber-talented kids all got thrown in the meat grinder and it's just been sad to see."
I’ve had exposure to over 10 D1 coaches over this time period and none of them train distance runners under 50 mpw. All base training foundation around volume and strength based workouts. I appreciate your perspective but that’s simply not what I’ve seen. If I had a HS kid I was coaching and the coaches recruiting said HS kid described training similar to what you’re describing I would steer them elsewhere. Kids following strength based training do develop.
The Troy University program director, Marc Davis, kicks athletes off the team and revokes their scholarship if they ask to be placed in the transfer portal. Is that an NCAA violation?
You are incorrect. Tuition is paid at the start of a semester so if an athlete is palced in the portal after starting a semester, their scholarship was already paid. If they ask during the summer, the scholarship is not revoked because it was never paid. It is just not provided.
Does a coach need cause to remove an athlete from their roster? As an athlete, knowing that you'll be kicked off the team if you ask to be placed in the transfer portal is gross and the exact opposite of what the portal is for.
Scholarships are yearly so the coach can not deny it in the 2nd semester if the athlete wanted to compete. My guess is that the kid was kicked off of the team for more than wanting to transfer. Otherwise he would likely still be there.
How would you know? Are you claiming that the coach and the athlete had a great relationship until the athlete decided to transfer? Very unlikely. Did the guy transfer after the spring semester? Did he compete unattached dusinr the semester?
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