The lawsuit says "Julia suffered from ADHD and severe dyslexia, dysgraphia and dyscalculia. " It follows with "Julia had a measured Full Scale IQ of 84 and was emotionally young for her chronological age."
I don't know how I had never heard of this story until tonight when I'm looking for links for the homepage and found this story on how a lawsuit has been filed against Jacksonville University and the ex-cross country coach by the family of a team member, Julia Pernsteiner, who committed suicide.
This is so sad. I started googling around and realize there was a small thread on this situation over the summer on LetsRun. I can't believe people were so dismissive of it a few months ago. Before taking her own life, she went to police, journalists and even emailed the University president. “Teammates recall Grigg taking a special satisfaction in humiliating Julia, referring to her as ‘retarded,’ ‘the slowest f------ runner on the team’ and unable to ‘wipe your own a--,’” the suit says. “Julia, already struggling academically, now found that the sport she loved and found comfort in was the source of her coach’s targeted ridicule and harassment.”...
Coaches out there. Remember, the role you play in people's lives is vast.
In some states, crap like this would lead to criminal charges. Clearly that jackass has no business being a coach. That said, I am starting to wonder if coaches do more harm than good. The AI robot can give you workouts to do without the insults (though I guess maybe the Microsoft one might end up insulting you). There are so many stories of bad coaches.
And let's be real, whether somebody runs a 19 minute 6k on a cross country course or a 27 minute 6k for Jacksonville University doesn't really matter. The results of the meet don't really matter either. Of course runners want to run as fast as possible, but the reality is that, from a societal point of view, running lowers things like diabetes, heart disease, and hypertension among others and saves us lots of $. People should be praised for wanting to run and encouraged to run. Sure, there have to be a few exclusive elite meets, but most local and regional races should be welcoming to all. I mean does anyone other than the coaches and athletes care about the Jacksonville University/Florida Atlantic dual cross country meet? The answer is no.
Regional XC Series for club teams may well be the answer for this level of competition. The Pacific Association of the USATF does a good job of this with their semi-pro cross country league. Some college runners are known to run in that league for either their college club teams or for local running clubs. In general, runners having other options is a good thing.
Some experts say that running is bad for your joints.
Just because this coach was cruel and heartless to his athlete does not mean in any way that we should abolish intercollegiate athletics or that anyone could be coached by an AI bot, which, by the way, has created a marathon training program with such gems as a 19 mile run the day before the marathon and a 4:00 mile program featuring 12 to 15 minute tempos at 4 minute mile pace.
There are always two sides to a story. One must be fair and impartial until all the facts are known. Online clickbait stories often overlook this in order to sensationalize the story for their own purposes and not to get at the truth.
The filing of a lawsuit with the facts claimed isn't clickbait.
If you truly believe all lawsuits contain 'facts' you should consider taking some legal classes...
Julia Pernsteiner, who took her own life in November 2021 after months of alleged bullying and "fat shaming" from her track coach Ronald Griggs, brought issues to university officials. (CREDIT: Submitted by Samantha Mathers)
Been running 65 years continuously (1957-2022) and only in the last few months have I been downgraded to a 'hobbler'. I was blessed to have Berny Wagner as my high school and university coach. So yes, eventually the joints (knees) fail, but then can last a very long time if not abused.
Speaking of the coach involved, it appears his motivation was he favored the better runners and wanted to be known through them. I joined cross country because I could not get cut and all were welcome. I finished last in much of what I did in X-Country and Track that year. Coached by a man who did not see talent as a necessity, I eventually became world class and remained in touch with Berny until he passed.
Through my 65 years running, I would guess that only about 2 of every ten are really good coaches and 4 more are doing it as as requirement. But each of the 2/10 who are really good coaches, always put their athletes well-being above their need for a talented runner.
I am amazed about the institutional tolerance for truly mean and bullying behavior by students let alone by leaders. Why does it take a multi-million dollar lawsuit for executive leaders to wise up? Agree that the AD should get canned also.
She looks absolutely adorable, like she would be so sweet, that this type of activity is so sad. I even take it hard, when I’m viewed as less smart then anyone else, passively, don’t get suicidal anymore, but with that type of pressure I would be. The last friend I had while staying in an insane asylum, was a black girl that lit herself on fire, she said she was going to kill herself once she was out. She was one of the sweetest woman in the world.
The lawsuit says "Julia suffered from ADHD and severe dyslexia, dysgraphia and dyscalculia. " It follows with "Julia had a measured Full Scale IQ of 84 and was emotionally young for her chronological age."
oh..
I feel really bad about what happened to this young woman.
I looked her up on tires. I also see that she had a PB of 12:00 for the 3000m and one of her last race was a 6:22 PB in the mile. Her last race was a 12:27 for 3000m.
She obviously had problems across the board. Not only academically. It feels that perhaps her parents were pushing her to do and be somewhere she should not have been. Perhaps I am wrong, but I doubt it was completely her decision to go to College and be on the track team. Typically ADHD children hate every day of school. Why do that to herself?
This situation is perhaps more complex than it looks.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CfjcP5POsgS/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2YIn November 2021 Jacksonville U distance runner Julia Pernsteiner died by suicide. Less than two weeks prior she had contacted Samantha Mathers, a local journalist, t...
I feel really bad about what happened to this young woman.
I looked her up on tires. I also see that she had a PB of 12:00 for the 3000m and one of her last race was a 6:22 PB in the mile. Her last race was a 12:27 for 3000m.
She obviously had problems across the board. Not only academically. It feels that perhaps her parents were pushing her to do and be somewhere she should not have been. Perhaps I am wrong, but I doubt it was completely her decision to go to College and be on the track team. Typically ADHD children hate every day of school. Why do that to herself?
This situation is perhaps more complex than it looks.
One of the worst parts about American culture is it tells young people they have to go to college to be successful in life. It forces people into situations where they are set up to fail. And them blames them for it.
One of the worst parts about the collegiate system is it tells young athletes they have to go d1 to be successful in their athletic career. If forces athletes into programs where they are set up to fail. And them blames them for it.
Nobody should be on a colligate team with those times. That being said, there's no reason to be a complete A hole to anyone, especially if you are coach in charge of a program. You just tolerate the hangers on, give them a lot of busy work and really concern yourself with the real athletes.
Nobody should be on a colligate team with those times. That being said, there's no reason to be a complete A hole to anyone, especially if you are coach in charge of a program. You just tolerate the hangers on, give them a lot of busy work and really concern yourself with the real athletes.
It's not that hard.
Hey jerk, it's just an extracurricular activity at schools like this and the coach chose to let her on the team. His decision. It's his job to then inspire and support any and all he wants to allow on the team. Or he should have the hard conversation to tell anyone who isn't cutting it to leave the team. To welcome someone onto the team and then act like they're an annoyance to you, at best, and go about belittling them hoping to run them off is mediocre leadership.
Nobody should be on a colligate team with those times. That being said, there's no reason to be a complete A hole to anyone, especially if you are coach in charge of a program. You just tolerate the hangers on, give them a lot of busy work and really concern yourself with the real athletes.
It's not that hard.
Hey jerk, it's just an extracurricular activity at schools like this and the coach chose to let her on the team. His decision. It's his job to then inspire and support any and all he wants to allow on the team. Or he should have the hard conversation to tell anyone who isn't cutting it to leave the team. To welcome someone onto the team and then act like they're an annoyance to you, at best, and go about belittling them hoping to run them off is mediocre leadership.
I assume he had to keep her on the team for some reason. So if you must have someone that slow on the team, you give them easy miles, easy workouts and hope they improve but you spend your time and energy on the runners that can actually compete. In college it is not the coaches job to "inspire" you. That's Hollywood BS.
It is horrible what happened to her but I would like to say I think this is a symptom of the doo doo NCAA rules. For starters Jacksonville University should not be DI and expecting a school like that to compete against Florida is dumb. Coaches are not only under pressure for athletic performance but have to thread the needle with all of the other compliance rules. Graduation rates, APR, Title IX….
Schools end up using track and cross country as an accounting tool to balance those metrics for the rest of the department. Kids that have no business athletically get added to rosters in hope they can graduate on time on a $500 scholarship to boost metrics.
I coached at a small DI school and we had to let all kinds of kids on the team for numbers but also wanted to be competitive. How to you get a 6:00 miler to compete against Parker Valby? You have to hold everyone on the team to the same standards. Let’s face it teams like this are a run club…. But held to the same metrics as athletic departments that spend hundreds of millions of dollars.
It is horrible what happened to her but I would like to say I think this is a symptom of the doo doo NCAA rules. For starters Jacksonville University should not be DI and expecting a school like that to compete against Florida is dumb. Coaches are not only under pressure for athletic performance but have to thread the needle with all of the other compliance rules. Graduation rates, APR, Title IX….
Schools end up using track and cross country as an accounting tool to balance those metrics for the rest of the department. Kids that have no business athletically get added to rosters in hope they can graduate on time on a $500 scholarship to boost metrics.
I coached at a small DI school and we had to let all kinds of kids on the team for numbers but also wanted to be competitive. How to you get a 6:00 miler to compete against Parker Valby? You have to hold everyone on the team to the same standards. Let’s face it teams like this are a run club…. But held to the same metrics as athletic departments that spend hundreds of millions of dollars.
So you think the coach calling her a "retard" is a symptom of the NCAA rules?
It is horrible what happened to her but I would like to say I think this is a symptom of the doo doo NCAA rules. For starters Jacksonville University should not be DI and expecting a school like that to compete against Florida is dumb. Coaches are not only under pressure for athletic performance but have to thread the needle with all of the other compliance rules. Graduation rates, APR, Title IX….
Schools end up using track and cross country as an accounting tool to balance those metrics for the rest of the department. Kids that have no business athletically get added to rosters in hope they can graduate on time on a $500 scholarship to boost metrics.
I coached at a small DI school and we had to let all kinds of kids on the team for numbers but also wanted to be competitive. How to you get a 6:00 miler to compete against Parker Valby? You have to hold everyone on the team to the same standards. Let’s face it teams like this are a run club…. But held to the same metrics as athletic departments that spend hundreds of millions of dollars.
I've worked quite a few D1 collegiate meets and I am constantly shocked at what passes for "collegiate track athlete". You can tell these girls are just filling out roster spots and Title IX requirements. Many wouldn't even be competitive at a decent HS meet, yet they are on a big time collegiate track team.
Hey jerk, it's just an extracurricular activity at schools like this and the coach chose to let her on the team. His decision. It's his job to then inspire and support any and all he wants to allow on the team. Or he should have the hard conversation to tell anyone who isn't cutting it to leave the team. To welcome someone onto the team and then act like they're an annoyance to you, at best, and go about belittling them hoping to run them off is mediocre leadership.
