Arcadia HS - Coach O'Brien

Can't his athletes do what they want? They are foolish if they dont run track. Especially the talented ones, I mean track is more important than XC. Sorry that's just the way it is.

Does he coach a club team too? Some of his athletes (ie Rocha) were highly decorated age-group track athletes, did he coach them?

Currently the Distance Runners are not running on Track Team. They are competing in who know's what events? Parents are in line with O'Brien is my guess, but I think he is hurting these kids. He does have a running club O'Briens Army, which is what the distance runners are competing under right now.

He is obviously a great coach, but his EGO is TOO BIG!!!

wtf. If kids want to run track and not train with him, they can go do that, and I believe there are some that are. I was at Arcadia the last time Coach O'Brien wasn't coaching track and if I had the option to train with him instead, especially in hindsight, I'd have done that with no hesitation. All we really wanted to do was run, run with our buddies, and get better. I'm actually a little surprised how many of his kids decided not to run track.

Looked it up So Cal Roadrunners is who Rocha ran for. No obvious O'Brien mention on their website.

But hasn't O'Brien paid his dues and proven his worth? He came to Arcadia from college coaching and was forced to coach JV for many years because less qualified coaches were unwilling to step down. When he was finally allowed to be head coach of boy's cross country, they soon became a powerhouse.

While based on results, O'Brien should be able to coach whatever he wants to, the other coaches just want to retain power of their fiefdoms (look at the ridiculous ordeal of Catrina McAlister's high school career).

I have heard that an additional factor apparently is the Arcadia Invite. It raises a ton of money for the school, and since, "...lots of people can't stand Jim," that he can't become the main track guy at Arcadia because there is the fear that he may alienate enough people to kill their golden goose.

Rocha didn't train with O'Brien 'till he got to Arcadia late in the summer just before school started. Trained with O'Brien in the fall, and now training with one of the track coaches I probably. This really isn't a big deal. Most of the kids would have only gotten to run dual meets, sucks for the faster kids though but I could understand why they chose to forego running for the track team (although they've been competing in open track races)

Don't know the situation well enough, but Rocha is having an awesome track season so far having run 4:17 fairly early in the season. He seems to be unaffected, but what about their other two superstars, both of whom were significantly faster than Rocha in XC? They undoubtedly have no problem in terms of getting offers for great college programs, but to be as fit as the two of them were/are and not be competing is disappointing.

O'Brien was both the Girls and Boys head XC and Track coach at Arcadia back in the nineties but was replaced/ stepped down (fired) by Doug Speck. He has only recently tried to usurp control over all programs again.

Esteban De La Rosa is the main guy from cross country and he is running for the club team. He ran at the Oxy Distance Carnival in March and ran 14:40, he passed through the two mile in around 9:25 and finished in a 63 last lap. He is a very good runner as are many of the runners on the Arcadia Cross Country. Philip Rocha was part of the So Cal RoadRunners, as was Austin Tamongo from Brea High School(Another good freshmen). Philip has decided to stay with the Arcadia Track team. But as for Coach O'Brien, I would not say he is a very good coach(as in he does not look toward future development). Any coach can have high school boys run 100 plus miles a week very fast and see results. A friend of mine went there and told me the jv boys, who are not really into running, do 70 miles at a minimum. I am not a hater on Arcadia Cross Country, but many of the boys have had minimal to no success after high school(not including moussa who has show little improvement).

-Sergio Gonzalez(State Champ 2012 during high school-now at concordia Oregon)-he ran 27 plus at the naia nationals 8k

-Renaud Poizat(4:20 1600-now at cal and has a 5k pr of just under 15 minutes)

-Ryan Vargas(2012-3200-9:21, 1600-4:18, now at Loyola Marymount having run 25:56 for 8k, with a second best 8k time of 26:52)

-Ammar Moussa(2011-did well his first year of cross country but has not beat his high school 5k pr yet)

-Allen Leung(9:18 3200, 15:32-CC State meet, now with a p.r. 14:58 on the track)

If he is such a great XC and head track coach go down the street to another school and coach there. Then if you are national champs at a different school he was really that good.

Brutal assessment. Not that I'm arguing, just saying.

Jim O'Brien has been fired for good. For all the great accomplishments I think the only way for him to continue with Arcadia HS was to give him full control. Which they decided was inappropriate given his lack of ethics when dealing with the Girls XC and Track team Head Coaches. Maybe he will learn some humility by taking another position elsewhere. He really is a nice person to talk to, but somewhere beneath that exterior is someone who will not work with his peers. Unfortunate, but it is time for him to move on.

2 time national champion, fired. shouldn't be tough for him to find another gig.

For the record, Moussa has beaten his high school pr.

For the record, Moussa has beaten his high school pr.

Will someone please explain this thread to me in plain language! I have been wondering all season why none of the national x-country champion Arcadia runners competed in track this year?!?!? The cross country coach had a fight with some school administrator and so he had all his x-country runners not run track?!?!? PLEASE EXPLAIN

CTIX wrote:

Jim O'Brien has been fired for good. For all the great accomplishments I think the only way for him to continue with Arcadia HS was to give him full control. Which they decided was inappropriate given his lack of ethics when dealing with the Girls XC and Track team Head Coaches. Maybe he will learn some humility by taking another position elsewhere. He really is a nice person to talk to, but somewhere beneath that exterior is someone who will not work with his peers. Unfortunate, but it is time for him to move on.

Wait, from the cross country program as well now? Or are you just re-posting about his being fired from the track team over the winter?

If he isn't running the xc program now, can you link some proof?

watchout wrote:

CTIX wrote:

Jim O'Brien has been fired for good. For all the great accomplishments I think the only way for him to continue with Arcadia HS was to give him full control. Which they decided was inappropriate given his lack of ethics when dealing with the Girls XC and Track team Head Coaches. Maybe he will learn some humility by taking another position elsewhere. He really is a nice person to talk to, but somewhere beneath that exterior is someone who will not work with his peers. Unfortunate, but it is time for him to move on.

Wait, from the cross country program as well now? Or are you just re-posting about his being fired from the track team over the winter?

If he isn't running the xc program now, can you link some proof?

wow, thanks for the link