It's ridiculous how many of you come to these forums and make comments regarding subject matters in which you know nothing about.
Yes, these young ladies are going through a difficult situation, but this is the real world and you do not have all of the facts. Obviously, this article was written from the parent's point of view, so it's hard not to feel for them and their daughters.
This program has been in disarray for years, and it's about time that someone comes in, takes a stand, and changes the culture around here. We went from having an elite SEC track dynasty to a Developmental program that has been focusing more on quantity than quality. At one point, coaces for both the men's and women's programs had high standards and superior expectations in order for an athlete to wear a UT Track uniform. Those expectations have slowly dissapeared over time and we are now at the bottom of the SEC.
Coach Sullivan and the rest of this staff are doing what they need to do in order to turn this program back into the powerhouse that it once was. In order to do that, sometimes you have to make tough decisions. Would it have been better for the coaching staff to wait until the Spring to cut them? At that point, the athlete is really invested in the program and settled in. Obviously, there is no good time to make a cut, but at least it happened early in the Fall so it allows them to have time to find another program. It also allows them to transfer mid semester if they want. Their scholarships have been granted through the Spring, so at least they have options. Like I said, it's not an easy situation for the athletes to be in, but at least they are not being led on for the duration of the year.
When a coach takes over a program that has been in turmoil, it is necessary for them to sometimes come in and make immediate, tough choices. This program went from having 4 female sprinters last year to 15 at the start of this year. That is a large group. More than likely, Coach Sullivan didn't want to make any decisions before she finalized her staff. That was not done until the start of the school year. Once that was done, practices had started and the new staff was finally able to see what they had inherited from the old staff. If you are a good coach and have an eye for talent then You don't have to watch these athletes compete in a track meet to know whether or not they fit your vision moving forward. You can learn a lot about an athlete in a short time by watching their mechanics and work ethic in practice, the way they interact with the team etc.
All I am saying is there are two sides to every story. College coaches have a ton of pressure on their shoulders from day one on the job, so they sometimes need to do what's best for the future of the program. If these girls had not been released and become the foundation for this program over the next few years and ended up not producing then you guys would all blame the staff for the team's performance. If a coach is going to be judged on performance then let them choose their athletes.
I know this is a crazy thought, but why don't we actually stay positive and support our coaches at UT instead of looking for every little excuse to bash them. Cheers!