Former D1 athlete wrote:
From what I've noticed coaches tend to do things like this when they want to get rid of a nonproductive athlete or a troublemaker and now your friend has given him the reason that he needs to take action.
She might be the only one doing that event but if she's not scoring she's not helping.
She's on a quarter scholarship. And she is not far from the school record. She happened to PR that meet as well.
A few thoughts here.When I was at Cornell, kids often wanted to leave the home meets early as they take forever. My boss wanted them there the entire meet so they could support their teammates. I see both sides to it. I think we were successful in track as we had a great culture but Ivy League kids often don't have 10 hours to blow every weekend. Yes a soccer team player would never leave mid game but a soccer player isn't in season all year long and doesn't have games that last 10 hours either. But with us it was clear, you didn't leave without talking to the head coach.To me, the key thing is what is the team rule? And what transpired with the assistant coach? Did she ask the assistant for permission? Or when she told the assistant did the assistant not tell her it wasn't allowed? If she either got permission or wasn't told it was against the rules, I don't think she should be dismissed. But if she knew it was an important rule and brazenly told the assistant, "I'm leaving" then I can sort of get it.Moving on.
nick83 wrote:
Update: the coach said he was going to call her and talk to her and her parents about it two days ago. She has tried to call him 4 times, and apparently, according to an assistant coach (same one she told that she was leaving) that he's on vacation for a week. Unbelievable. This guy needs to be fired. What coach vacations in the middle of the season?
The more I read the more I think the coach is seeing this kid as a problem maker. You, a supporter of hers, clearly have an attitude. Your mad that the kid was kicked off the team for leaving a team competition in the 'middle of the contest.' Again, a soccer player would never do this. We can debate whether the coach is overrreacing, but it's clearly a coaches right to do it or not.
Yet you want the coach fired for going on vacation in the 'middle of the season.' I'd say that right now the kids are in exams and the coach went on vacation 'during exams or the christmas holidays' not 'in the middle of the season.' The only person abandoning their duty was the athlete in question who rather than support her teammates went home so her parents could save on some gas money.
It sounds like you think the athletes and coaches are on an even playing field. They aren't. The coach is in charge.
You want the coach to let the kid leave early so the parents can save on an 'hour of gas?' Really? What is that worth $6?
nick83 wrote:
Update: the coach said he was going to call her and talk to her and her parents about it two days ago. She has tried to call him 4 times, and apparently, according to an assistant coach (same one she told that she was leaving) that he's on vacation for a week. Unbelievable. This guy needs to be fired. What coach vacations in the middle of the season?
I agree.
The coach is a troublemaker and the administration should fire him.
10/10 troll. Well done.
nick83 wrote:
She is the only female on the team in her event, and on a team where the drinking tickets add up to the triple digits.
What are drinking tickets?
the coach is a jerk
Update: her and her family talked with the head coach, and she is finishing out the rest of the indoor season, but is off the team for this spring, and is having her scholarship cut. I personally think this is adds more insult to injury than being cut off immediately, because knowing that outdoor (the bigger stage) is something you can't do, no matter what numbers you put up. I honestly feel bad for her and her family.
I say look for another pgm. " Rules" are not sacrosanct but are arbitrarily contrived by people who don't know how to manage people. Kid went thru reasonable steps to cover bases. This 'coach' (if we have the picture correctly) is essentially a twit. "Cutting scholarship"? ... more than a twit. Makes one wonder what the other 'rules' are. Little to any regard for the athletes.
rojo wrote:
We can debate whether the coach is overrreacing, but it's clearly a coaches right to do it or not. ...It sounds like you think the athletes and coaches are on an even playing field. They aren't. The coach is in charge.
Your argument fails to consider the difference between 'authority' and 'right'. The coach does have the authority to dismiss a runner. It is precisely because the coach has authority, and because the coach and athlete are not on an even field, that the coach does not have a 'right' to dismiss scholarship athletes for trivial things. As you note, finals are coming up. Why on earth would a coach NOT want student athletes to go study when they're done racing at a low-key meet before Xmas break?
If you really think that authority equates to having the right to do whatever you want, then your Cornell education was pretty much wasted. Too much time sitting around 10 hour meets not studying, maybe?
I've got to believe there is much more to this story. My gut says this is the straw that broke the camel's back rather than a major issue unto itself.
Without the full context of the situation, there's no saying whether the coach's decision was out of line or not.
athlete, coach, parent wrote:
If you really think that authority equates to having the right to do whatever you want, then your Cornell education was pretty much wasted.
WHOA WHOA WHOA!
RoJo, solecisms and all, did NOT get a Cornell education--he COACHED there for several years.
I actually doubt that his education was wasted--I suspect that he makes a whole lot more than I do--but if it was, it was a Princeton education that went to waste.
So she is so self centered she refused to stay and support her team? I wouldn't want her either.
i think so wrote:
the coach is a jerk
I think it's more of the assistant coach overstepping his bounds...it's not like she left randomly. As a matter of fact, she sat and supported her team for more than half the meet. But, if he (assistant coach) granted permission (which is what she says he did), then she should be good to go, BUT, if he doesn't have that kind of authority, he should've told her to ask the head coach. Either he doesn't understand what authorities he does and doesn't have, or the head coach is out to lunch on this issue.
How many Africans are leaving meets early?
And they don't even have parent to drive them, they have to run home barefoot.
Privileged Americans
I'm sure this is all there is to it and there were no other factors you omitted at all.