What is the Coaching Dynamic at Oregon?

Vin is the overall coach (Athletic Director for Track and FIeld) with his expertise in the distances. His head coach for men's distance runners is Andy Powell (6th year) and Jennifer Ashcroft (6th year) is the new women's distance coach. Vin is still very much hand's on with both men and women's distance and XC programs and works closely with both coaches. In addition, Vin coaches a small select group of runners who are with OTC (e.g. Andy Wheating and Nicole Blood) is the Coordinator for the 2012 Olympic Trials and is the Head Coach for the 2011 USA World Championships team. He is a busy guy, but still spends a lot of time with the mid and distance athletes.

Doe close to ZERO coaching differing to Andy Powell and wife nearly 100%. He exclusively coaches Wheating now.

By the way, there is absolutely zero time involved in being World Champs coach until the trip starts.

Football or track?

You are obviously out of the loop. Vin is a "control freak" of sorts, and thus he is still very much involved, especially with the men. Relative to the OTC pros, he coaches more than just Wheating. Maurica Powell is no longer a paid coach, as she is focusing on raising her kids. Being World Champs coach has already begun to take some of Vin's time. He has spend days in meetings and on the phone, selecting his asst coaches and working with other USATF issues. If he waited till the trip started, it would be a disorganized fiasco... something that WILL NOT happen with anything having Vin's prints on it.

Here is Vin's bio:

http://www.goducks.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=4363&SPID=243&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=500&ATCLID=156985&Q_SEASON=2010

You are obviously alluding to the rumors that this is Vin's last hurrah in Eugene. He'll be starting his own elite club in SD / OC after Daegu 2011 or some say after London 2012.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but Salazar has no role with coaching Duck athletes whatsoever. I'm sure he's gotten to know Lananna, if he didn't know him before he came to Oregon. But know that it was Salazar who never wanted Rupp to go to Oregon. His relationship with Rupp started when Rupp was in HS and had virtually nothing to do with the UofO.

I don't think there is anything special about the "coaching dynamic" at Oregon. Oregon just has a combination of tradition and booster support with a strong focus on wanting to keep the middle and long distance running aspects the strength of the program.

ryan foreman wrote:

Correct me if I'm wrong, but Salazar has no role with coaching Duck athletes whatsoever. I'm sure he's gotten to know Lananna, if he didn't know him before he came to Oregon. But know that it was Salazar who never wanted Rupp to go to Oregon. His relationship with Rupp started when Rupp was in HS and had virtually nothing to do with the UofO.

I don't think there is anything special about the "coaching dynamic" at Oregon. Oregon just has a combination of tradition and booster support with a strong focus on wanting to keep the middle and long distance running aspects the strength of the program.

You are right Salazar only coached Galen. He convinced Galen to sit out of college while Martin Smith was coaching UO. Martin was forced out the year after Rupp's graduation and Salazar cleared the way for Galen to enroll at UO with the expectation that they would keep their coach/athlete arrangement. Under different circumstances Lanana probably wouldn't have accepted Salazar continuing as Rupp's coach but since everyone was coming into a new scene I think he saw it best to accept this one exception.

You are obviously alluding to the rumors that this is Vin's last hurrah in Eugene. He'll be starting his own elite club in SD / OC after Daegu 2011 or some say after London 2012.

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It is possible that Lananna will take on new challenges after the 2012 Olympic Trials are concluded, but the thought of him moving to the Southern California area is ludicrous. Vin Lananna is an East Coast guy, who probably abhors the Southern California athlete/drug scene and LaLa Land "look at me" sickness as much as anyone.

Walter Petersen wrote:

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It is possible that Lananna will take on new challenges after the 2012 Olympic Trials are concluded, but the thought of him moving to the Southern California area is ludicrous. Vin Lananna is an East Coast guy, who probably abhors the Southern California athlete/drug scene and LaLa Land "look at me" sickness as much as anyone.

^^^

this is more Vin than anything written about him.

As for the constant troll "promoting" the Southern California track and field scene each time an Oregon thread comes up do some research. T&F in Southern California at the post collegiate level has been dying for a very long time, about 30 years now. It is a shame and anyone who loves the sport would be happy at the success people have in other parts of the country and wish for succes to return to Southern Cal.. You troll are a bore, petty and not good for the sport as you offer the sport absolutely nothing.

Vin has absolutely nothing do do with the assistant coaches on his "staff" for World Championships. All (including Vin) applies on their own to USATF for whatever position they're interested in and each one is seperately looked at and determined at Convention. The "Big 3" are Worlds, Pan-Ams, and Olympics; coaches have to "coach" working their way up (World XC, Juniors, Under-23 NACAC, etc. before getting appointed these positions.

It is a bit of politics, but it is a smaller list of canddidates than people think to miss their college teams, spend time from family, not getting paid, etc.

So you think that Vin had nothing to do with the selection of his Oregon assistant, Lance Deal, in getting also selected for the WC team? Yes, it is a bit politics...and yes, Vin has more than a little to do with the selection of the assistant coaches on his "staff".

Lance Deal was in fact the ONLY throws coach to apply on the men's side that met all the nominating requirements. Very few coaches want to do these trips because it is simply time away from home, away from their teams, zero money, and bascially babaysitting once they get there!