Hey everyone, just to update you - Parker, Heather, and Emily have all left the group. The rumor is that Elle might be next and that she won't be coming back. So, at the moment, no one is left in the group.
Seems like a BTC and we all know what happen there
Hey everyone, just to update you - Parker, Heather, and Emily have all left the group. The rumor is that Elle might be next and that she won't be coming back. So, at the moment, no one is left in the group.
Seems like a BTC and we all know what happen there
I'm not sure it's the same as BTC.
I was told by a really good source the other day it was petty competitiveness and personality clashes that spiralled out of control. And Coogan is a very good running coach - he's not an HR manager/character coach.
Stuff like who leads what reps at what pace. An athlete running "too fast" at the end of a session of 800's making an athlete coming back from injury not quite as fit "feel bad". It's funny because on the other thread I said that I thought this was exactly what it would be and some people got upset about that - within an hour I had a text from someone saying this was exactly what it was. Valby comes in to the group straight from college and is making at least 2-3x what Mackey and McLean are making - there is no way there isn't friction.
As a brand it/pro group it isn't easy, especially if you have you have the athletes training together, especially on the track. Because then it really needs to be a team exercise but running ultimately is a single, selfish sport. If you had a business and you were assembling a team, you wouldn't choose people with the exact same personalty types and strengths to work together, also knowing they need to compete together. But as New Balance, like other groups, you want to have the best and highest profile athletes and as Coogan, you just get told who you are coaching.
Human nature is why NB Boston is teetering right now.
Hey everyone, just to update you - Parker, Heather, and Emily have all left the group. The rumor is that Elle might be next and that she won't be coming back. So, at the moment, no one is left in the group.
Seems like a BTC and we all know what happen there
I'm not sure it's the same as BTC.
I was told by a really good source the other day it was petty competitiveness and personality clashes that spiralled out of control. And Coogan is a very good running coach - he's not an HR manager/character coach.
Stuff like who leads what reps at what pace. An athlete running "too fast" at the end of a session of 800's making an athlete coming back from injury not quite as fit "feel bad". It's funny because on the other thread I said that I thought this was exactly what it would be and some people got upset about that - within an hour I had a text from someone saying this was exactly what it was. Valby comes in to the group straight from college and is making at least 2-3x what Mackey and McLean are making - there is no way there isn't friction.
As a brand it/pro group it isn't easy, especially if you have you have the athletes training together, especially on the track. Because then it really needs to be a team exercise but running ultimately is a single, selfish sport. If you had a business and you were assembling a team, you wouldn't choose people with the exact same personalty types and strengths to work together, also knowing they need to compete together. But as New Balance, like other groups, you want to have the best and highest profile athletes and as Coogan, you just get told who you are coaching.
Human nature is why NB Boston is teetering right now.
I agree with you 100% and I believe this narrative is correct on what must be going on.
not all of this can be controlled, however, as a professional coach Coogan should have and could have done a better job of managing this. He is the one orchestrating the sessions and who does what with who and to what extent. You have to lay it out there that some athletes are in different stages of fitness and come up with a plan that fits for them all if they do some reps together then teeter off on their own towards the end, separate into small groups or have a better athlete fall back and go catch the others something where it’s not hurting anyone but also not just helping one who happens to be the fittest. He could have done this in so many different ways that the athletes would have appreciated and valued and would be more obligated to be loyal to him and fear venturing out to be coached by someone less caring. It’s a job but it’s not impossible to make this type of situation work. Meet one on one with your athletes weekly or bi-weekly and let them know your philosophy and how you’re planning their training and how it will be coordinated with the group.
I was told by a really good source the other day it was petty competitiveness and personality clashes that spiralled out of control. And Coogan is a very good running coach - he's not an HR manager/character coach.
Stuff like who leads what reps at what pace. An athlete running "too fast" at the end of a session of 800's making an athlete coming back from injury not quite as fit "feel bad". It's funny because on the other thread I said that I thought this was exactly what it would be and some people got upset about that - within an hour I had a text from someone saying this was exactly what it was. Valby comes in to the group straight from college and is making at least 2-3x what Mackey and McLean are making - there is no way there isn't friction.
As a brand it/pro group it isn't easy, especially if you have you have the athletes training together, especially on the track. Because then it really needs to be a team exercise but running ultimately is a single, selfish sport. If you had a business and you were assembling a team, you wouldn't choose people with the exact same personalty types and strengths to work together, also knowing they need to compete together. But as New Balance, like other groups, you want to have the best and highest profile athletes and as Coogan, you just get told who you are coaching.
Human nature is why NB Boston is teetering right now.
I agree with you 100% and I believe this narrative is correct on what must be going on.
not all of this can be controlled, however, as a professional coach Coogan should have and could have done a better job of managing this. He is the one orchestrating the sessions and who does what with who and to what extent. You have to lay it out there that some athletes are in different stages of fitness and come up with a plan that fits for them all if they do some reps together then teeter off on their own towards the end, separate into small groups or have a better athlete fall back and go catch the others something where it’s not hurting anyone but also not just helping one who happens to be the fittest. He could have done this in so many different ways that the athletes would have appreciated and valued and would be more obligated to be loyal to him and fear venturing out to be coached by someone less caring. It’s a job but it’s not impossible to make this type of situation work. Meet one on one with your athletes weekly or bi-weekly and let them know your philosophy and how you’re planning their training and how it will be coordinated with the group.
I'm not saying that might not have helped, but I'm also not sure that that amount of time dedicated to handholding (more the off-the-track stuff than the on-the-track stuff) would be reasonable to expect of or sustainable for a coach of professionals.
Hey everyone, just to update you - Parker, Heather, and Emily have all left the group. The rumor is that Elle might be next and that she won't be coming back. So, at the moment, no one is left in the group.
Seems like a BTC and we all know what happen there
Don't these folks sign long term contracts?
You can't just get up and leave when you get mad without serious financial penalty.
Hey everyone, just to update you - Parker, Heather, and Emily have all left the group. The rumor is that Elle might be next and that she won't be coming back. So, at the moment, no one is left in the group.
Seems like a BTC and we all know what happen there
parker should've been good for the team. she's a 10000 runner who would go down to 5000, so she's not stepping on toes like the others, while still providing a good workout partner. having 3 top notch 1500 runners from the same country is a recipe for disaster.
I agree with you 100% and I believe this narrative is correct on what must be going on.
not all of this can be controlled, however, as a professional coach Coogan should have and could have done a better job of managing this. He is the one orchestrating the sessions and who does what with who and to what extent. You have to lay it out there that some athletes are in different stages of fitness and come up with a plan that fits for them all if they do some reps together then teeter off on their own towards the end, separate into small groups or have a better athlete fall back and go catch the others something where it’s not hurting anyone but also not just helping one who happens to be the fittest. He could have done this in so many different ways that the athletes would have appreciated and valued and would be more obligated to be loyal to him and fear venturing out to be coached by someone less caring. It’s a job but it’s not impossible to make this type of situation work. Meet one on one with your athletes weekly or bi-weekly and let them know your philosophy and how you’re planning their training and how it will be coordinated with the group.
I'm not saying that might not have helped, but I'm also not sure that that amount of time dedicated to handholding (more the off-the-track stuff than the on-the-track stuff) would be reasonable to expect of or sustainable for a coach of professionals.
He has like 6 athletes, he should have had plenty of time.
Or heaven forbid, he works a 43 hour week instead of a 40 hour week.
Instead he sat on his hands and watched his pro group fall apart.
I'm not saying that might not have helped, but I'm also not sure that that amount of time dedicated to handholding (more the off-the-track stuff than the on-the-track stuff) would be reasonable to expect of or sustainable for a coach of professionals.
He has like 6 athletes, he should have had plenty of time.
Or heaven forbid, he works a 43 hour week instead of a 40 hour week.
Instead he sat on his hands and watched his pro group fall apart.
I agree with you 100% and I believe this narrative is correct on what must be going on.
not all of this can be controlled, however, as a professional coach Coogan should have and could have done a better job of managing this. He is the one orchestrating the sessions and who does what with who and to what extent. You have to lay it out there that some athletes are in different stages of fitness and come up with a plan that fits for them all if they do some reps together then teeter off on their own towards the end, separate into small groups or have a better athlete fall back and go catch the others something where it’s not hurting anyone but also not just helping one who happens to be the fittest. He could have done this in so many different ways that the athletes would have appreciated and valued and would be more obligated to be loyal to him and fear venturing out to be coached by someone less caring. It’s a job but it’s not impossible to make this type of situation work. Meet one on one with your athletes weekly or bi-weekly and let them know your philosophy and how you’re planning their training and how it will be coordinated with the group.
I'm not saying that might not have helped, but I'm also not sure that that amount of time dedicated to handholding (more the off-the-track stuff than the on-the-track stuff) would be reasonable to expect of or sustainable for a coach of professionals.
eh, it shouldn't be, but it is in basically every team sport
I think a lot of it has to do with location. Boston is an incredibly expensive city to live in but I have a feeling because of that indoor facility New Balance built they want to keep their athletes nearby to promote the brand.
when Parker Valby left for Florida I bet a lot of her teammates didn't like that, thought it was unfair they have to stay in Boston in the middle of winter while being sucked dry by slumlords. Graham Blanks left soon after for Athens, and I think Emily Mackay spends a lot of time in Flagstaff.