Duke NOT racing full team - forfeits men's and women's races at regionals

Hingle McCringleberry wrote:

For what those kids are paying, and with how hard they all work, the coaches owe it to them to let them race.

What if they really don't work that hard? And what are they owed? That's the problem with society, everyone thinks they are owed something? Maybe the kids are complete strappers and don't deserve to go. All you people need to get a life.

who knows wrote:

edward teach wrote:

No one has suggested this yet: Discipline issues? Maybe the teams partied when coaches told them not to except these runners? Maybe everyone else skipped a 6 am practice?

I have no idea why Duke isn't taking a full team. However,if I was a great HS runner, signed with Duke, and now end up with this obviously amateur for a coach, I might party. Not much incentive when you are dealing with incompetence at the top. They get rid of one bad coach and then immediately hire another bad coach. Makes no sense.

Don't know much about the men's team, but the talented women's team deserves better.

You have no idea why they didn't take a full team - but you come to the conclusion that the coach is an amateur. I guess that's your amateur conclusion....Maybe it was not even her decision.

But you could say the same about almost any other "work hard play hard" school with a..."vibrant social life" life like Dartmouth or a lot of the second-tier Ivies, but it doesn't stop them from having halfway decent XC teams. It's not like Duke is the only place with frats, house parties, and athletes who do summer internships.

Bruh your the one popping up on the board to scrutinize someone else, maybe you need the life my friend, also heres my take on it. I think that perhaps something happened regarding their AD and he decided oh well they just aren't going to to so send (insert number of people) and we will call it an end. Now if thats the case nothing can be done about it, but if say this is the coaches decision for some reason, Think about this situation, your on a team and your the 16th and 17th guys on your team, now say they were walk ons, assuming they are busting their hind end to even be on the team, id say there should be a group full of guys who if their coach went to them and said hey i need you to run this meet, even if you dirt slow i need you to run, I would think they would say yes, and they are going to go out and run their hinds off even if its bad.

So Duke is like every other college or university in the country? How do the these other schools handle it?

LI XC wrote:

You have no idea why they didn't take a full team - but you come to the conclusion that the coach is an amateur. I guess that's your amateur conclusion....Maybe it was not even her decision.

They're already spending money to fly some to regionals. Adding an extra two or three to a travel party to make a full team shouldn't break any budgets, especially after a season spent flying across the country for meets. So financial issues aren't in play.

Would an AD prefer a team only send individuals to prevent a bad showing? Doubtful, because those that would care about a bad showing by Duke would be aware that only a few individuals ran. It's not like the team is trying to be inconspicuous.

If there are discipline issues (as some have speculated), that's on the coach.

If there are training issues (as some have speculated), that's on the coach.

There really aren't any other explanations. Not sending a team to regionals is a disgrace, especially for a big money program like Duke. They even have a huge men's roster; you never see that anymore in D-I.

The first rule of being competitive is protecting the long term best interests of the athletes. This is a guideline often ignored by NCAA teams in all sports. I'm happy the Duke coach is now drawing the line.

If you don't bash Wetmore for throwing in the towel on track and field at CU, Why bash a team for throwing in the towel on XC?

honestly who the hell cares? christine engel is hot as balls. definitely top 5 in the ncaa. go ahead name 4 hotter female college coaches.

playas gonna play.

Thought this belonged here. Repost from qualifiers thread.

Has someone actually found out why Duke did not race full teams?

Perfectly logical if you are trying to build a winning track and field program. Why wear you kids legs out when physiologically you only can get one giant peak per year if you do things right. People want our US kids to be winning against world athletes but aren't willing to pay for it in resting your kids up for that time of the year.

i had a girl recruited by Duke and when she decided to go elsewhere the ladies coach got REAL REAL mean and angry. yikes, scary angry.

From what I have seen and heard about Duke's program, there are a few major factors that hold the team back consistently. But I honestly think there is one critical factor that single handedly contributes to Duke's lackluster status more than anything else.

In my honest opinion, I think Norm Ogilvie is a cancer that should have been cut out from the program years ago. Any quotes from him this year on the duke athletics website always discuss how disappointing the team is this year. Mr. Ogilvie, when a couple of your stars run bad, you can argue that is on them but when your entire team sucks. THAT IS ON YOU. The Duke AD has made a massive error by allowing this hack to stay where he has been for so long. He can't even take responsibility for his own mistakes. It is truly upsetting to see such a pathetic excuse for a division 1 coach be allowed to hold a director position for as long as he has.

I had an athlete recruited by him a little while back. I always make sure to give the kids guidance so they can ask the right questions and get the necessary information to make the right choice which is how I became familiar with this program to begin with. Seeing how downhill the team has gone, I am so happy this athlete went somewhere else. If anyone is interested, I would be happy to go into much more detail about what I learned in regards to Norm's formula... if you can even call it that.

Tl;dr: Duke needs a new director of track and field. Norm is a joke.

The Real Problem wrote:

f anyone is interested, I would be happy to go into much more detail about what I learned in regards to Norm's formula... if you can even call it that.

I'd be interested to hear what the formula is at Duke. I just can't think of a training plan that would be able to undo as many athletes as Duke seems to be able to undo.

I think the larger point is that we have no idea why they're doing what they're doing because they haven't explained themselves. This is division I sports-- people donate to these athletic programs and they develop passionate fan and alumni following. Yes, even cross-country and track can develop a following if you do it right. But when you don't even show up to a championship meet and offer no public explanation? It's small-time, and would never happen in other division I sports, even in the non-revenue sports. If it wouldn't be acceptable for a baseball team or a hockey team to do it, it shouldn't be acceptable for a cross-country team.

Sounds like you just have a personal grudge against Ogilvie. His training plans are fine. He's had decent success in the past, right now his team sucks, but I don't see the basis for your comments and name-calling.

gnome de plume wrote:

DOOOOOOK wrote:

They may not run fast but they will be your boss one day. THAT actually matters in this world.

Yes, because the business world is looking for quitters.

LOL as if an i-banking firm would give one shi*t about a kid who dropped running in order to get a high GPA. No one cares about running in the real world. Sorry, but that's reality.

Duke hoops budget, by contrast, was #2 in the ncaa in 2013 at $15.1 million.

Yet, it seems, XC couldn't afford to spend a thousand bucks to field a full team at regionals.

What makes you feel that you need a personalized explanation from the coaching staff? I am sure that if you had any association with Duke or the team that you would of had a thorough explanation just as the runners received. Since you are not, why does the coach or any of his staff have to justify their reasoning to someone who sits behind a computer to hide their opinion?