Saratoga Girls Program Lawsuit

So how is Saratoga going to do after Bush / Belisle / Hart leave?

6th place at NXN

I think they will still get top 2 at NXR and make NXN

But Saratoga still has more girls out for the team than FM

Wow prayer! How does that hurt you little baby? Wah- wah! They’re religious and have a right to pray together Einstein.
Today’s society is dealing with adults physically and sexually abusing children. The fact that you are so triggered by prayer speaks to your clueless priorities.

Uh, a lot of 7th and 8th graders have one actually.

Bethlehem Central is on the rise though. This team and Saratoga finished in the top 11 at NXN last year.

Kelsey Chmiel did very well in college. 3rd at nationals can’t be that bad

I hate timesunion. We have to pay for everything nowadays

You point out a single athlete. The vast majority flame out very early in college, if they make it that far.

Maybe it is because they start crankin away in 7th grade that is the reason they are done by college? Does NY as a whole produce a lot of girls college superstars or are just the SS girls flaming out? How many college all-americans from NY girls programs in the past 5 years? How does that compare to other states?

Uh oh wrote:

Did anyone read this article?

It's pretty bad. The law firm the school themselves hired determined that officials did not act on serious complaints about the Kranicks over three decades.

They also didn't follow up or enforce any of their rules. At one point the Kranicks were made to submit training programs to the school to make sure they were ethical but the kranicks never followed up. They weren't fired for truly abusive tactics like tying a runner to the back of his truck and then driving it.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — A law firm found that Saratoga Springs school officials repeatedly rehired two nationally renowned cross-country and track and field coaches despite regular complaints over three decades concerning overtraining and other issues related to their treatment of student-athletes.
At least twice in response to complaints, district officials told Art and Linda Kranick to submit coaching plans showing how they would improve. But no one enforced those plans.
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“It appears these matters were adequately discussed with the Kranicks, but the District left the management (or the correction) of these matters to the Kranicks in their discretion,” the report said.
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In October, an attorney working for a group of Saratoga Springs parents and current and former athletes in several sports sent a 77-page report to the State Education Department and attorney general’s office. Allegations compiled in the report ranged from the 1980s through 2022. In response, the school board hired law firm Harris Beachto investigate whether the district had responded adequately to the complaints.
The law firm found that the district usually investigated complaints about the Kranicks — but that nothing changed after those investigations.
“With several of those complaints or allegations, evidence reviewed by the investigation team suggests that the District’s review did not go far enough and/or the manner in which the District addressed the complaints or allegations lacked follow up or oversight of directives given,” the report said in reference to complaints against the Kranicks. “While the District received complaints regarding student athletes across multiple years concerning alleged improper conduct of the Kranicks, the District continued their annual appointment as coaches.”
The Kranicks have built a collective reputation as win producers. The cross-country squad they coach, the Blue Streaks, captured national Nike Cross-Country titles in 2019 and 2022, have earned 17 state championships, and finished first at the state Federation Meet 26 times.
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Art Kranick was not interviewed due to illness — a recent fundraising effort says he suffered a serious infection in December that required him to use a wheelchair — but his wife sat for two lengthy interview sessions. Linda Kranick did not immediately respond to a call seeking comment Wednesday afternoon.
The law firm interviewed numerous school officials and some of those who had filed complaints.
Among the startling information gained in those interviews, former Superintendent John MacFadden said he knew in 1989 that coach Art Kranick had tied a track team member behind his truck and pulled her to get her to run faster. (Though she is not named in the report, Kristen Gecewicz Gunning described the incident to the Times Union last fall.)
MacFadden “recalled Athletic Director Ray Waldron addressed the truck incident with Art Kranick immediately upon learning of it. This method of training was never repeated,” the report said.
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Kranick was not fired and there was no documentation provided in the report regarding any discipline beyond the incident being addressed.
The Harris Beach report set out a 12-page timeline of the complaints against the Kranicks from the 1980s through 2022.
Read the full report:
The most common complaint alleged overtraining: Students were asked to run every day and throughout the year. Parents and a doctor documented injuries they said were caused by overtraining. One family reported that their daughter wasn’t allowed to compete because she wouldn’t run on Sundays.
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In 1993, MacFadden requested in writing “that the Kranicks submit an annual coaching outline to Athletic Director Waldron for upcoming seasons in order to memorialize certain guidelines on training,” according to the report.
But when parents complained again about overtraining in 1994, the district did not tell them about that new rule.
“District Assistant Superintendent Charles McHarg indicated the District had recently completed its investigation into the track and field program and had found no evidence to support or sustain” claims by one set of parents, the report said.
A month later, the district issued a counseling memo telling Art Kranick to submit weekly plans for practices — an upgrade from the annual plan required in 1993.
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Also in 1994, the district hired Dr. Eugene Long to study the track and field program. That summer, he told the district that the practices were too long, that the students should not be running year-round, and that school principals should have oversight of athletic coaches.
Having no oversight “seems to encourage an uncontrolled independence by coaches,” Long wrote.
No changes appeared to be made after Long submitted his report.
“It is unclear what, if any, follow-up the District took regarding Dr. Long’s report,” the law firm wrote.
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Three months later, Waldron, the athletic director, had to meet with Art Kranick again about students practicing seven days a week. After another three months, he issued Art and Linda Kranick a letter of reprimand after he observed runners on West Avenue in low-visibility conditions.
The Kranicks were still rehired as coaches, year after year.
In 2012, Art Kranick received another counseling memo for shoving a student during an argument on school grounds, the report said.
“Superintendent Janice White stressed that Art Kranick’s behavior was categorically unacceptable and would jeopardize his ability to coach moving forward,” the report said. Nevertheless, he was rehired.
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Saratoga Springs cross-country/track and field coaches Linda and Art Kranick.Times Union archivesIn 2014, three sets of parents complained again about overtraining due to students being compelled to practice seven days a week.
“The District discussed several expectations for the Kranicks moving forward including not running seven days a week (as mandated by pertinent regulations governing high school athletic programs),” the report said.
That appears to be the closest the couple got to losing their coaching positions, according to the report.
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Then-Superintendent Michael Piccirillo “considered not reappointing the Kranicks to their coaching positions for the 2014-2015 season, based on the ongoing nature of allegations against the track and field program. Ultimately, the District determined that it would provide parents, as well as the Kranicks, with the opportunity to further address the complaints from this period in an executive session, if they elected to do so. There is no record of any subsequent executive session(s). It should also be noted that the District did not take any steps to remove the Kranicks from their coaching positions at this time,” the report said.
In 2019, the district received more complaints on the same issue.
“The allegations were similar to other parents’ complaints such as overtraining causing injury, placement of inserts in sneakers without parental consent, poor communication with the Kranicks and what they described as ‘weigh ins’ before and after practice,” the report said. “The District did not produce any documentation to support steps taken with or about the Kranicks following the meeting.”
The school district released the report Wednesday afternoon. In an accompanying statement, Superintendent Michael Patton said, “The failure to sufficiently and comprehensively investigate and respond to some of the complaints made over the 35-year period reviewed was contrary to the District’s best intentions.”
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He said the district would evaluate its programs. He did not mention overtraining, but wrote, “The Superintendent will specifically examine District policy pertaining to the monitoring of any future corrective action(s) taken against coaches and will recommend policy changes intended to ensure follow-through and oversight.”
“To the extent that the findings issued in the Harris Beach report and the remedial actions listed above may lead to changes in coaching personnel in any of our athletic programs, District Administration will handle those matters in accordance with our human resources practices and policies as well as applicable laws and regulations,“ Patton wrote.

Sheesh. Way worse than expected. Tying a girl to your car so she runs faster? Shoving a student? Weigh ins?

Toxic is putting it lightly. I'm sure the Saratoga faithful will still defend these cretins.

The shoving student in 2012 thing should have been the end for him. In 2012 I would not expect that a coach could get away that that behavior.

In 1989, I'm not sure, but tying a girl to the back of your car is incredibly dangerous.

Kids and parents need to know that they deserve better than this garbage. nationally ranked or not.

I don't care how many good runners they coached, and I don't care if they are running fast after college or whatever.

if you are an educator putting your hands on a kid, or putting a kid's life in danger, than you are scum of the earth to me.

The Kranicks are a two-person team in their own right. They were married in 1971 after dating since the ninth grade, and they are now both retired from teaching and focused only on coaching the running programs.

saratogian.com

Kranicks bringing out the best for 25 years

Saratogian

SARATOGA SPRINGS – It’s all but impossible to miss the packed trophy case standing outside the main gym at the Saratoga Springs High School. At a school with as many prolific sports pro…

Link:www.saratogian.com/2010/03/21/kranicks...

Hypocrites.

This reminds me of the movie K-9 where Detective Dooley tied Freddie’s hand to his car when Freddie told him he “needs the exercise” and Dooley decided to help him with it.