Where will Coach Tom Walsh go? Sad that an alumni with 18 years at USC is gone. Obviously, his results weren't as optimal as one would have hoped (I always thought he'd make a better men's coach, and it's hard to coach male distance runners with out a men's xc team), but it seems as if he wasn't given a chance to earn Smith-Gilbert's trust.
Sounds like Illinois women track got a few shake ups?? Where is this program headed Ron Gardner??....I don't think he knows since he hasn't talked to spencer!
Caryl Smith-Gilbert just hired David Freeman to coach the USC women's cross country team and middle distances during track season. Freeman has just a few of years of coaching experience with no real results. So we don't really know if he will do a good job or not.
To me, it looks like Smith-Gilbert is tossing away everything above 400 meters, and trying to win with the other events. You need to be more balanced than that in order to win Championships.
Walsh has a reputation as a very good middle distance coach. He had good success with 800 and 1500 types at USC over the years. I may be wrong, but I doubt USC ever put any real money in the women's distances to have a good cross country program. And I think that trend will continue with Smith-Gilbert. It should be interesting to see what happens at USC.
Walsh got Zsofia Erdelyi on the Hungarian Olympic Team in the marathon, right before her last track season at USC too.
You still have some good distance jobs that are available:
LSU
Kentucky
UConn
Auburn
Sacramento State
Cal State LA
Wonder who gets these jobs?
Auburn looking for a distance coach? I thought they just needed a throws coach and sprints like coach?
And you know this?
Detour wrote:
Sounds like Illinois women track got a few shake ups?? Where is this program headed Ron Gardner??....I don't think he knows since he hasn't talked to spencer!
New head coach hiring friends or friend past employees. As if right now a coaching staff if volunteer coaches.
San Diego Trail wrote:
Caryl Smith-Gilbert just hired David Freeman to coach the USC women's cross country team and middle distances during track season. Freeman has just a few of years of coaching experience with no real results. So we don't really know if he will do a good job or not.
To me, it looks like Smith-Gilbert is tossing away everything above 400 meters, and trying to win with the other events. You need to be more balanced than that in order to win Championships.
Walsh has a reputation as a very good middle distance coach. He had good success with 800 and 1500 types at USC over the years. I may be wrong, but I doubt USC ever put any real money in the women's distances to have a good cross country program. And I think that trend will continue with Smith-Gilbert. It should be interesting to see what happens at USC.
I think you Meant to say
New Head Coach hiring friends or past friend/past employees, As of right now a coaching staff full of Volunteer coaches.
Looks to me like UCLA will be taking the cross town rivalry from now on.
According to the interview he gave!!!
I believe the NCAA 800 meter Champion Natoya Goule from LSU has one more year left. With Elliott going to Clemson, it will be very interesting to see who Shaver brings in to coach the middle distances at LSU. They better pick someone who can coach.
century 22 wrote:
I think you Meant to say
New Head Coach hiring friends or past friend/past employees, As of right now a coaching staff full of Volunteer coaches.
Looks to me like UCLA will be taking the cross town rivalry from now on.
I would expect women's sprints and hurdles to be ridiculous at USC. UCLA won't be beating them there for awhile.
Carol's focus will be there in that area. The rest will be a hodge podge. Will she go through a bunch of assistants every year like she did at UCF before settling down? I'm sure there will be a big learning curve in this position she has to figure out just like at her previous stop.
Goule turned Pro Not returning to LSU
While I was at the Academy School in Chicago Kris Mack said he hired Nadine Faustin Parker from UNC/Mansfield as his coach for sprints/hurdles. Did they hire a distance coach yet?
Here are some of the jobs still available. Are there any quality coaches out there to fill them?
Wisconsin - Sprints and asst Dist
Clemson - Assistants
LSU - Distance
Sac State - Distance
Cal State LA - Head
Auburn- Assistant
Kentucky-Distance
USC - Assistants
New Orleans - Head
South Carolina - Sprints
Cinci - Assistants
Wisconsin distance has been filled! Announcement soon
Does Mick and Stinzi really need another distance coach? With 6 coaches, you have half for distance? Goodbye Wisconsin track team and hello Iona.
As a long time collegiate coach I have to say this summer has been the most interesting of any one that I can remember. Major coaches moving, the domino effect taking hold of assistant coaches, salaries rising. Just a good thing for our profession.
Competition and change is good; but people getting their lives ruined, jobs being offered through cronyism rather than meritt, lack of stability and shortsighted disision making are not good for the sport no matter how you try to justify it. There's been plenty of that this summer as well...
You really hit the nail on the head here Coach Hayes. Hope to see you off the LetsRun boards and on the coaching track soon enough!