Shalane Flanagan's Role on the BTC Depresses Me

Jerry was never interested in coaching women. This group was just a male group. Shalane came to him and other women have followed. Jerry knows that without Shalane coming to him he would have never been a women’s coach. He feels like he owes her and therefore keeps her on the payroll. She does zero actual coaching. There are middle school coaches that are currently gaining more experience.

I once thought that Des Linden would serve as a coach for the Hansons before her temper tantrum in 2018. I think they need a females touch.

Isn't Jerry known for being a bit of a control freak? If that's the case, he would have a hard time letting up on the coaching control. However, almost all of the BTC girls have said that Jerry barely talks to them and certainly isn't a coach that will comfort them when things go poorly. Shalane is probably needed to feel like there's an actual human there that they can talk to.

emr0129 wrote:

Isn't Jerry known for being a bit of a control freak? If that's the case, he would have a hard time letting up on the coaching control. However, almost all of the BTC girls have said that Jerry barely talks to them and certainly isn't a coach that will comfort them when things go poorly. Shalane is probably needed to feel like there's an actual human there that they can talk to.

“Comfort them”???

Does he comfort the men? Hell no.

Do women want to be treated equal or coddled?

Doesn't surprise me that Nike would not care if she does little more than give shoulder rubs. They are in the business of hiring trained coaches, not molding them. Just like it doesn't surprise me to see LRBF misogynists all over this thread already with <5 posts.

Jerry is just being smart. Far too many coaches are being thrown under the bus these days for saying things that girls/women take the wrong way or mis-construe into romantic intent when there was nothing like that going on. Sure, in most cases, the girls/women are telling the truth, but in some it's just out-and-out over-sensitivity, reading things into comments that aren't there, or "mis-remembering" what was ever said. Why take chances and talk any more than necessary? As a man, when coaching girls and women, the less said the better. Jerry is being smart.

Comfort as in

“Damn I’m sorry you blew up and got passed at the end, tomorrow’s a new day”

I'm not really up to speed on Shalane's exact role in the program, but the OP seems to have a very narrow definition of "coaching". It's more than just writing a training program and designing workouts. And even if Shalane ins't penning her own training schedule for the athletes, I'm sure she's giving Jerry indirect feedback from the women that he can take into consideration.

Also I get that these are professional athletes, but there's a lot to be said for having a coach or coaching figure that the women can really connect to on a personal level. Mark Wetmore has Heather B., Metcalf had that female assistant who appeared to drive Washington's success 10+ years ago, and then there's D. Taylor at BYU who seems to partly fill a big sister role to the women. Not every athlete needs this, but it doesnt seem to hurt.

prefan wrote:

Jerry is just being smart. Far too many coaches are being thrown under the bus these days for saying things that girls/women take the wrong way or mis-construe into romantic intent when there was nothing like that going on. Sure, in most cases, the girls/women are telling the truth, but in some it's just out-and-out over-sensitivity, reading things into comments that aren't there, or "mis-remembering" what was ever said. Why take chances and talk any more than necessary? As a man, when coaching girls and women, the less said the better. Jerry is being smart.

any examples you care to share?

What you’re failing to realize is that coaching takes talent. Just because you were good at running, doesn’t make you a good coach or recruiter.

No, sorry, but I do not care to share. The conversations I have with other coaches are private and confidential. As a coach myself, and in the positions I have held, I have known hundreds of coaches over the years and it is something that a few have had to deal with. It is not common that girls/women accuse an innocent coach, but it happens sometimes. If Jerry is doing this just to be careful and smart, I don't blame him. He knows lots of coaches too, and I'm sure he knows what he's up against if just one woman takes something he says the wrong way. It only takes one.

Alternate take: She is new to coaching and will get more responsibilty over time.

owl man wrote:

Alternate take: She is new to coaching and will get more responsibility over time.

This ^

And she'll have experience coaching at the professional level and will be prime for any number of future opportunities at the elite or collegiate level. All of the Let's Run know-it-alls want her to pay her dues via the high school or small college route, but, despite your disillusionment, this is a prime seat on the bus to future success.

Stop digging for drama that isn't there.

owl man wrote:

Alternate take: She is new to coaching and will get more responsibilty over time.

this. even if outside bowerman, she's getting some kind of learning experience that will improve her job prospects if she wanted to go for a college job, for example, down the road.

the pete julian arrangement of being the "assistant" coach of the program but being the primary/sole coach for half the runner seems like the exception not the rule

owl man wrote:

Alternate take: She is new to coaching and will get more responsibilty over time.

It’s not any different than Alistair Cragg’s role the previous 5 years. You’ll notice that Pascal also does not get a lot of mention. On that, rarely will you ever even hear Jerry quoted or videod.

It’s also possible that you’re neglecting to remember that she has a brand new child she has adopted (her first). There are many more variables to factor other than what has been read in an article or seen on Instagram.

I listened to a couple other interviews she had fairly recently and it does appear that she is still trying to define her role. Do I think she's depressed? Not at all. I do think since Jerry is running the show she was sort of trying to find her unique niche like anyone would do with a new job. She wanted to figure out how she fit into a historic training group like this one. She is a very valuable resource for Jerry and clearly it is working well with the women's group. I think her overall demeanor about the position is more about trying to grasp life after competing at such a high level. She is still trying to figure out her strong suits as a coach and how her strengths as an athlete supplement that.

You don't get to walk off the track and start coaching top US talent the next day. Being a great athlete does not mean that you will be a great coach. Coaching is an entirely different discipline. Schumacher spent years working his way up from his first job as an assistant at UNC to Wisconsin then coming to BTC.

Shalane will have her shot at being a top coach, but she will need to work her way up just as everyone else has.

Just because someone was a successful athlete, it in no way means they are guaranteed to be a good coach too. Jerry seems to be doing a fine job. Why change something which works for the sake of equality? If any of these women switched over to being coached full time by Shalane, and their performances dropped, you can bet at the drop of a hat that they'd ditch her.

She's probably great support for the women athletes.

owl man wrote:

Alternate take: She is new to coaching and will get more responsibilty over time.

QFE. Wouldn't surprise me if she takes over as head coach of the group years down the road when Jerry retires. It will happen gradually.