Arcadia HS - Coach O'Brien

Leave that mess wrote:

IMO, he should look at Brea or Dana Hills, where he can run the next 3 years with someone that is his equal in either Austin Tamagno or Jake Ogden.

Join Brea and they have a legit shot at the 4xmile. Stillwater should have surpassed it at nationals this year. With Branton (4:13) and Tamagno (4:09), Brea would crush the record with Rocha. And they would give CBA a race at NXN next year.

Does this qualify as undue influence?

The Rocket. wrote:

Leave that mess wrote:

Join Brea and they have a legit shot at the 4xmile. Stillwater should have surpassed it at nationals this year. With Branton (4:13) and Tamagno (4:09), Brea would crush the record with Rocha. And they would give CBA a race at NXN next year.

Does this qualify as undue influence?

Undue influence? People talking on a message board about a great runner who transferred once already to a school that just fell apart? I'd say it's "due", but likely not very much of an "influence".

That would be be an athletically motivated transfer, which is illegal. Even if his family moves, it would likely be considered an "athletically motivated valid change of residence"

CTIX, look at the results for the cross country season. Majority of the members for the varsity team that actually ran CIF trained under O'Brien during the summer.

And get your story straight. Landis was willing to cooperate with O'Brien, and combine the boys and girls program prior to the summer training a few years ago, when she was hired straight out of college, with very little coaching experience. However, out of the blue, she changed her mind, and decided to do her own thing, which seemed confusing, coaching wise. Why would she give up an opportunity to work with a coach that has been getting great results out of his athletes?

"I know for a fact that Landis can coach, her methods work and would have worked well for O'Briens girls". Where are you getting this? Do you have results for the athletes that didn't train under her during the summer? Are they consistently improving on times? What makes you think this?

blue book wrote:

That would be be an athletically motivated transfer, which is illegal. Even if his family moves, it would likely be considered an "athletically motivated valid change of residence"

Listen, I don't know the kid, but he transferred to Arcadia. Do you think him and his family did that for academics? A national youth record holder transferring to a national championship team...hmmmm. Maybe that was illegal, but who really cares? If the kid was a virtuoso and transferred to a school with an incredible musical program, would anyone care?

Pilav, you're an idiot and a jock sniffer. Can't take anything you say seriously.

A transfer is a move from one high school to another. There are no restrictions on going from any junior high school to any high school as long as you meet the residence requirements of that high school. Rocha never transferred to Arcadia, he enrolled there as a freshman.

With that being said, I would want to stay in school with my five other teammates that are defending CIF, State, and National champions.

CTIX wrote:

Here is another O'Brien f%*k up. The situation in Clovis and suspension of AHS from the meet for two years because of whatever his team did. The next XC season Landis has team scheduled to travel to Clovis for the meet. O'Brien never told her they could not go. O'Brien had his schedule out for a race to replace the Clovis race and again his lack of respect, he never told Landis. What an a________. She had to scamble last minute to change team plans.

I hope this is going to be my last post on this, but I have an inkling it may not. I'm going to try to not point any fingers, but there seems to be conflicting accounts of events, which isn't all that unexpected given the he said/she said, and what seems to be a pretty clear line in the sand with no apparent ground middle ground as people involved are either on one side or another, and nothing is going to change that. You have whatever information is told to you, and I the same, while also at the same time having had being somewhat in the thick of things. I also do know this, most communication from multiple parties seemed to be done hiding behind e-mails, a fair share of which I had been privy to, and some I had not been.

As I recall, Jenny found out when she was unable to log on to the Clovis registration site. We didn't know the girls were not allowed to go, and when Coach O'Brien had been informed that was the case, he lobbied hard for the Clovis people to re-consider their position as it pertained to inviting the girls team to go. As I also recall, and please feel free to correct me if I'm wrong, Stanford was also on the schedule for the girls that year (the year prior, before she was given the head coaching position, Jenny had accompanied us along with Catrina). She had asked, and Coach O'Brien had obliged in helping her with travel arrangements. It's been a while now but I think that fell through because she may have decided the cost was too much and that it may not have been worth going to.

I've known, run for, and had worked with Coach O'Brien for a while now, and had known Jenny even longer. To whomever brought up an alleged "directive", all I know is, I don't believe I have seen or heard from Jenny since congratulating her on her position at the alumni meet during her first season. I hadn't gone out of my way to, nor had I expected her to so either. With regards to Coach O'Brien, the thing I had always appreciated most was the opportunity to work along side him. He had a large coaching staff and gave each of us plenty of input, and was willing to listen to any suggestions, even if it meant straying from his original plans. He entrusted and empowered us instead of micromanaging or treating us as subordinates, and for that, I was grateful as it was quite a learning experience.

CTIX wrote:

I also feel giving him full control would have been a choice, but that would have been unfair to Schultz and Landis.

Too bad they didn't let the athletes vote.

Chalk up another big win for the establishment and another big loss for the kids. The rule of law in the public school system.

blue book wrote:

A transfer is a move from one high school to another. There are no restrictions on going from any junior high school to any high school as long as you meet the residence requirements of that high school. Rocha never transferred to Arcadia, he enrolled there as a freshman.

With that being said, I would want to stay in school with my five other teammates that are defending CIF, State, and National champions.

I had heard he was in the Duarte or Monrovia or some other neighboring district.

Sure, I'd want to go to school with them too, if they chose to actually compete. If they're going to follow their pied piper then I'd go somewhere else.

I know and remember the situation a couple years back. It was evident early on that O'Brien was being a b%&ch. Here was one of his former students, who by the way respected him, just like the rest of those complaining here. He made life difficult immediately, anyone saying it was Landis is dead wrong. She is a wonderful person!!! As for her athletes, I saw her weekly updates and there was obvious and great improvement amongst all of them. True O'Briens girls were the ones that made CIF, but he had the elite runners, they would have made CIF training under Landis too. If you noticed this thread started back in April, it was evident to me something was quite wrong. The telling story is that it was O'Brien who was let go, there has to be good reason for this because who would have the balls to let go of a 2-time National Championship Coach for no reason? People love him, but he did something wrong and is claiming he does not know what it was? Poor innocent me? He h to know why and should have been out front, that would be more respectable. There is two sides to O'Brien, you just don't know the other side. Good for you, it is better that way.

I did not want to get involve in this, but it seem like people are attacking CTIX because he/she is giving another side to the story. I know and talk to Coach Landis. Maybe it was unintentional, but Coach O'Brien did made Coach Landis's life difficult. There are many people who like Coach O'Brien, but you can also find people who do not like him.

By the way, yes in 2010 and 2011, majority of the girls who ran in CIF did O'Brien Army. But this past xc season (2012) only 2 girls ran O'Brien Army.

CTIX, are you Landis' mother? Because you're starting to sound like it. Your mixing of some truths with the accompaniment of wild assumptions

Is really starting to be unproductive to the discussion. I've spoken to several former athletes over the past few years and I can only assume this whole mess has been building up more and more the past 10 or so years. This is not a recent thing you just discovered. However, the cause of that is very unclear and probably is best not to be assumed. There is probably a lot of personal issues at hand, with the obvious conflicts between O'Brien and both the head track coach and administration at the forefront. Apparently a lot of the former athletes are implying that this is not so one-sided. Yet who are we on the outside to assume the real causes at hand? What's important here is the future of these high school kids and preventing them from entering a situation where they may be placed in an unfair situation due to the effects of O'Brien's problems.

As it is, I severely doubt that O'Brien will be brought back to Arcadia. Why would you reintroduce all of that drama back into the administration? He'll probably have no choice but to move to another program, and I'm assuming there are quite a few high school and college programs that are salivating over the possibility of bringing him in. So what of the athletes? They're the real casualties here. Will they be suffering from the impetus of the whole ordeal if they return to AHS? Sounds like O'Brien's successor will serve as an appropriate replacement, and I'm hoping these kids can return soundly and continue to run to their potential and move on. Stop this blaming game!

CTIX, are you Landis' mother? Because you're starting to sound like it. Your mixing of some truths with the accompaniment of wild assumptions

Is really starting to be unproductive to the discussion. I've spoken to several former athletes over the past few years and I can only assume this whole mess has been building up more and more the past 10 or so years. This is not a recent thing you just discovered. However, the cause of that is very unclear and probably is best not to be assumed. There is probably a lot of personal issues at hand, with the obvious conflicts between O'Brien and both the head track coach and administration at the forefront. Apparently a lot of the former athletes are implying that this is not so one-sided. Yet who are we on the outside to assume the real causes at hand? What's important here is the future of these high school kids and preventing them from entering a situation where they may be placed in an unfair situation due to the effects of O'Brien's problems.

As it is, I severely doubt that O'Brien will be brought back to Arcadia. Why would you reintroduce all of that drama back into the administration? He'll probably have no choice but to move to another program, and I'm assuming there are quite a few high school and college programs that are salivating over the possibility of bringing him in. So what of the athletes? They're the real casualties here. Will they be suffering from the impetus of the whole ordeal if they return to AHS? Sounds like O'Brien's successor will serve as an appropriate replacement, and I'm hoping these kids can return soundly and continue to run to their potential and move on. Stop this blaming game!

So it is OK for you to make assumptions? Anyway, I do have intimate knowledge because I saw right away when Landis started that things were difficult for her. I'm not her mother, but I do care when I see someone who is young, vibrant and eager to achieve succees get a big giant roadblock put up by her mentor. This is fact. I'm not BS'ing anyone. I mean I feel bad for the young athlete and hoping Feraco can continue, but you mention more than 10 years by talking to students you knew things were not good. This only confirms why he had to go. Which I said earlier give him all or take it away.

Do you truly believe Shultz treat distance runner like crap. Shultz have never treat them like that. In fact it's the distance boys who choose to think he is a horrible coach. Have guys ever gave him a chance? I would say no!! You guys only blindly believe in what OB says, and never really look at truth right in front of you. What ever OB say you automatic would believe him and always would choose to question Shultz the ways he trains his athletes, and blame him for the injure you guys have which is really is from the long milage OB have you train. You guys only choose to look at one side of the story, and never bother to understand the stress that Shultz have to deal with. Before you say something why don't you do some true research of what OB really have done.

All I gotta say is I'm dying of laughter from this entire thread. Christ, do you guys even read your posts? Look at this guy that posted last, can you have a post be any more hypocritical. This is all hilarious, thank you all you Arcadia people for giving me comfort knowing that my life is more fulfilling than yours.

Case in point. I just switched the names around, and I'm sure some people would argue it's true, and some would argue it's false. Hilariousness ensues.

Yes, it funny to see how the athletes would take this very seriously, and don't understand that what they are arguing about is somewhat pointless. For crying out loud this just a High School sport. They are taking this way to personally here and in fact it is getting tiresome. Look it just a sport, it not the end of the world. Losing O'Brien as a coach will not end your career here. Come on.