York Shocker: Newton out as XC coach at York!!!!!!

'My son is an assistant coach at another west suburban high school and likely has more information, but I have been unable to hook up with him- I\'ve only been home less than a full day. Likely, though, if I knew I\'d not say, as it really does not matter. What I see here is Newton doing just what he asks every runner to do- own up to what you do and take responsibility for it. You will note that he has not been quoted or has responded in any way. He just accepted the punishment and moved on.

I don\'t know the new principal at York. I\'ve been out of Elmhurst for a few years now. But I have to feel that she is looking to see him go- he had a charge filed against him a couple of years ago by a student who got in trouble, and he had those kids get caught last year setting fires- though obviously, the fact that they were runners was incidental to what they did- it was the news that noted that they were runners, as if somehow it was Newton who was implicated in what they did. But the principal is new, and she may not know exactly how important Newton has been to the history of high school xc in the US. An easy answer is to turn up the heat until he says the hell with it.

One thing I have noted is that in all of the press releases, the exact violation is not mentioned. How many more days than 25 did he meet with the team, and under what circumstances? None of that is clear to me. I find it odd that the articles have not gone into more specific detail. I am not sure what that means.

Greenliner:

My fear is this camp, which he has been doing for years that everyone knew about, we deemed in violation of the IHSA rule just last week. I wondering if they are defining "contact" merely as the group getting together whether Newton was actually in attendance or not. Or maybe they are summing Kern and Newton's contact to say it was over 25. If Kern and Newton attended camp on the same day, does that count for two contacts?

This may sound silly to us, but to a pointy headed administrator at the IHSA, this is what they live for, to intepret these byzantine rules as they see fit.

The fact that the princpal did not go to the matt for Newton tells me where her priorities are.

One wonders if York's football was highly ranked and the football coach had more than 25 contacts this past summer if she (the principal) would have the same attitude?

Remember that football is still the most popular and most important sport at York (like it is everywhere else), despite Newton's sucesses.

Sorry for the double post- the letsrun sytem has been acting strange.

You raise good points, and I don't know the answers. Like I said, the news has not said exactly what he did wrong.

I am not sure what the principal could have done, what options she had. The IHSA could have attempted to disqualify the entire team, since they met too often with the coach. But as you say, this running program has been going on for years, and kids from inside and outside Elmhurst do run in it.

But had the tried to disqualify the team, I think the uproar would have surprised them. This may be the wisdom of Solomon here. Newton and Kern take the heat but the team is left alone. And that is what matters. You think they won't be motivated next weekend? :-)

One post mentioned that the coach that turned him in might have been out of jealousy. I think a truely jealous person might have waited until after the state meet and then bring this up so that York could potentially lose a state title. The principal and Newton made the right decision not to fight this and possibly get the team dq'd.

I would not be surprised if the IHSA went back and said York had been doing this for years and forfeit those titles...the IHSA is like the IRS, if they want you they will get you. That is why it is better for him to just take the suspension.

XC gets some press finally and this is what happens!

Waco Kid wrote:

http://www.dailyherald.com/sports/story.asp?id=243673

Apparently the IHSA decided that Newton had been present at twoo many practices. I personally believe that this is the end of his time at the head of "THe Long Green Line"

Hopefully there is some investigating going on in Upstate New York too. It's about time someone puts a stop to the coaches that refuse to play by the rules.

Yes, it's the same Charlie Kern.

The New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association eliminated the summer contact rule many years ago because it was not equitably enforceable.

I used to think the NJSIAA was a lame organization, but I am beginning to see it in a better light as I deal with and hear about other state associations.

I think the rules should encourage coaches to meet up with their teams as much as possible. Just make the rule so that coaches can't make practice mandatory. Runners would get more coaching, coaches could do more teaching, and maybe kids would be faster... You dont see coaches in Kenya getting banned because they "met" with their athletes too many times. I think the rule is F***ING stupid! Quite frankly, Newton should be looked upon as a role model for developing phenominal runners, not Bitch slapped for "CHEATING." SPARE ME!!!

I think somewhere mentioned earlier the reason for the rule - it is to keep some coaches from forcing athletes to practice yearround. Even if the practices are not "mandatory" they may seem that way in the mind of the athlete. In our state, there is a period of time between each sport season when ONLY teams playing that season can practice, weight train, etc. After the fall season, the CC, football, soccer, and other teams cannot meet in any way during the "tryout" period for winter sports like basketball. This is to prevent, say, a football player from not going out for wrestling because he fears the football coach may in some way hold it against him for not showing up for weight training for a few weeks.

I know the situation is a little different here in that this is summer and no other school sports are going on at that time, but I think the purpose of the rule is similar - to prevent a coach from having yearround control over his athletes.

I think one problem with allowing coaches to meet with athletes but not mandatory is that it can give an unfair advantage to some athletes.

I know when I was in school I had to work all summer from the time I was 14 on. A lot of people my age did the same, but those people that didn't have to work would get an unfair advantage on us.

Of course you might not think that is a good excuse, but I know I would have been upset if people got extra treatment I was not able to get.

Have the Kraniks been caught yet or does NYS allow certain coaches to get away with manipulating such rules?

Rule Breakers wrote:

Have the Kraniks been caught yet or does NYS allow certain coaches to get away with manipulating such rules?

Rules breakers, they are not! Put foot in mouth, you must!

Yoda wrote:

Rule Breakers wrote:

Have the Kraniks been caught yet or does NYS allow certain coaches to get away with manipulating such rules?

Rules breakers, they are not! Put foot in mouth, you must!

YES, they are. Stop kidding yourself.

someone wrote:

I think one problem with allowing coaches to meet with athletes but not mandatory is that it can give an unfair advantage to some athletes.

I know when I was in school I had to work all summer from the time I was 14 on. A lot of people my age did the same, but those people that didn't have to work would get an unfair advantage on us.

Of course you might not think that is a good excuse, but I know I would have been upset if people got extra treatment I was not able to get.

You can't be serious. EPO is an "unfair advantage". CHOOSING to spend more of your time running instead of working is NOT and unfair advantage. That is like someone who spends all their time training and never works a job, bitching to you because it is unfair that you get a paycheck.

someone else wrote:

You can't be serious. EPO is an "unfair advantage". CHOOSING to spend more of your time running instead of working is NOT and unfair advantage. That is like someone who spends all their time training and never works a job, bitching to you because it is unfair that you get a paycheck.

To summarize:

EPO - UNFAIR Advantage

Extra training - FAIR Advantage

Section2er wrote:

Yoda wrote:

Rules breakers, they are not! Put foot in mouth, you must!

YES, they are. Stop kidding yourself.

I'd be surprised to find that holding mandatory practices everyday is not breaking some sort of high school rule, regardless of what state you live in. I heard they are required to go to training camp, whether the parents can afford it or not.

rebelrebel wrote:

Please list the schools whose alumni have outperformed York's over the last 10-20 years. Provide the athletes' names and performances.

Ok, I'll take a shot.

Glenbard South High School

-Micah VanDenend (Iowa) 3rd at Big Tens (06); Iowa school record holder in 3K--8:00, 5K--13:55; 52nd at NCAA XC (04)

-Eric MacTaggart (Iowa)-- All-American in 10K 28:50; 10th at Big Tens (06); 14:13 5K, 8:08 3K; 2004--59th at NCAA XC (04)

-Bruce MacTaggart (Iowa)--Freshman redshirt; running on scholarship at a Big Ten DI school

-Chris Honig (Valparaiso)--25:27 XC

Naperville North High School

-Mark Pilja-- (Michigan) NCAA XC All-American (200)

-Brian Rae-- (Iowa) 8:24 3K; 14:22 5K; 24:34 XC; 30:52 XC

-David Rae (Purdue)--8:48 steeplechase--NCAA qualifier in steeple; 7th place at Canadian Oly Trial steeple

-Dan Curran (Notre Dame)--8:21 3K, 14:33 5K; 24:55 XC

-Jakub Kolacz (DePaul)--26:00 freshman

Over the last 10 years, I would say these two teams' alumni have outperformed York's alumni.

besides sage, and sean mcnamara when he runs, i don't know of much division 1 talent that york has produced.

Bakken, Luchessi, Cioni, Palumbo, Roche, both Dettmans. All went D1 in the past 10 years. And that is just off the top of my head.

-- wrote:

Bakken, Luchessi, Cioni, Palumbo, Roche, both Dettmans. All went D1 in the past 10 years. And that is just off the top of my head.

Mead had 4 guys go to Oregon and score multiple times at conference track and cross. They were all at minimum provisional qualifiers in track for NCAA's and on cross teams that finished top 5 at NCAA's.

Currently there is a Mead guy on Iona's squad. They've had several guys go to Washington, Washington State and have a guy at UCLA now too.