strength & conditioning coach openings

[DaddyChoc]

link

lots of drama brewing

 

[Phil]

wow

 

[bruinbball]

That's a rather large pay discrepancy. I can see why she was upset enough to be in a lawsuit against them.

 

[meyers7]

Sounds like a job opening for me. I'm sure I could help out the Lady Vols. (snicker, snicker, snicker)
Heck, I'd do it for her old salary.

Off season program.
Conditioning
Sunday 4:00 a.m. Run 10 miles.
Take 3 weeks off
Repeat.

Strength
Friday 11:30 p.m. 100 squats with 200#
Take 3 weeks off.
Repeat.

 

[John Glass]

That's a rather large pay discrepancy. I can see why she was upset enough to be in a lawsuit against them.

Duke's Coach K makes 3x what Geno makes. That is a large discrepancy .

 

[earl the pearl]

We have a new term to digest........"a testosterone wall".


The suit, which was filed by attorneys Keith D. Stewart and Stacey C. Sisco, alleged that the university had created “a testosterone wall” effectively prohibiting women from earning equal play and “further denying Plaintiffs the opportunity to advance their careers by working in men’s athletics at the University of Tennessee.”

 

[vtcwbuff]

That's a rather large pay discrepancy. I can see why she was upset enough to be in a lawsuit against them.

The other ass't strength and conditioning coaches are in the football program. I think the reasoning should be that staff pay is probably determined by program economics and responsibilities. Does the football guy have greater responsibilities? There are a dozen or so athletes in the wcbb program and more than 80 on the football roster. I wonder how her salary compared to a peer on the men's bb team.

You also have to consider also that Mason may not have been a very good strength and conditioning coach. I wonder if Warlick went to bat for her? Probably not given the outcome. Maybe this is just Warlick cleaning house?

In any case, she rocked the boat and the result is that she fell overboard.

 

[Wbbfan1]

IMHO this is not Warlick cleaning house. For one, I suspect Pat wouldn't let her fire her long time friend and comrade. This is the AD cleaning house after it was decided to merge the men and women's athletic departments. Previously at Tenn they were separate departments. While it probably resulted in duplicate positions in both departments, there are many associated with the women's programs that believe they are experiencing a higher rate of reduction-in-force(RIF) then the men are. If the Law Suits are ruled in favor of the women that were fired and/or laid off, heads will roll.

Don't know why it would impact the other athletic programs but ever since Fulmer was let go as the Football Coach things haven't been the same in some of their Athletic programs. Who knows when their Football program will get back to one of the elite programs of the SEC.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

Universities are notoriously imperious in their personnel and pay decisions. This usually reflects the personality of the head of the department at issue, because Admin. so routinely defers to them. If you have had to suffer higher academia for any length of time then you know that the incidence of Napoleonic complexes in Departmental hierarchies is very high. There is also a high incidence of coziness between the local U and the judges in the court system - federal and state - reinforcing the arrogance of academia.

 

[bruinbball]

The other ass't strength and conditioning coaches are in the football program. I think the reasoning should be that staff pay is probably determined by program economics and responsibilities. Does the football guy have greater responsibilities? There are a dozen or so athletes in the wcbb program and more than 80 on the football roster. I wonder how her salary compared to a peer on the men's bb team.

You also have to consider also that Mason may not have been a very good strength and conditioning coach. I wonder if Warlick went to bat for her? Probably not given the outcome. Maybe this is just Warlick cleaning house?

In any case, she rocked the boat and the result is that she fell overboard.

I do need to apologize. When I initially read it, I thought I saw $200,000 more....not $20,000 - big big difference. Depending on years served, duties and responsibilities a 25% difference may be a lot of money but not out of the realm of being justifiable.

 

[MilfordHusky]

Wow. The LVs have had very strong women's teams in at least basketball, track and field, and softball, so someone was doing something right.

 

[Kait14]

I do need to apologize. When I initially read it, I thought I saw $200,000 more....not $20,000 - big big difference. Depending on years served, duties and responsibilities a 25% difference may be a lot of money but not out of the realm of being justifiable.

$20,000 or $2,000 doesn't matter. She's getting paid less for doing the same work. It's a sad, disgusting reality that women have to deal with.

 

[Icebear]

$20,000 or $2,000 doesn't matter. She's getting paid less for doing the same work. It's a sad, disgusting reality that women have to deal with.

That is not clear Kait but it is the assertion of the suit. Hopefully if it is true they have done their homework and have the proof.

 

[UConnCat]

Update. After much questioning of the decision to fire Heather Mason -- including suggestions of retaliation for the lawsuit and several tweets by Mechelle Voepel suggesting it was more Tenn AD downsizing that disproportionately affected women's athletics -- it turns out that Mason was fired because of job performance. Both Holly Warlick and the women's soccer coach recommended that Mason be replaced.

"Heather's training approach has been to train the `overall' athlete,' Warlick wrote. "I feel it is crucial to our success that our training regimen is basketball specific. I have lost confidence in Heather's ability to deliver training techniques or motivate our players to the level expected of this prestigious program."

Having watched many LV games during the past several years, I haven't been impressed with their level of conditioning, particularly when compared with UConn's players. Clearly Holly hasn't been impressed either.

http://espn.go.com/womens-college-basketball/story/_/id/9236692/tennessee-lady-vols-cite-job-performance-firing-associate-strength-coach-heather-mason

 

[DaddyChoc]

interesting... thanks for the update Cat (thought it was Pap smh)

 

[vtcwbuff]

" She's getting paid less for doing the same work."

I think an argument could be made that she wasn't doing the same work. She was doing similar work. In any case the argument appears to be moot since it appears that she was let go because Warlick, among others, felt she wasn't doing the right work.

 

[UcMiami]

I am not going to weigh in on any particular job, but obviously the data show that as a class of employees women have been underpaid significantly for equivalent work and while it has improved that is still the case. The problem is to take that generally accepted fact and apply it to any specific person or job. So stating the fact that a general trend exists therefore in this specific instance that trend is also present is bad logic and legally meaningless.
It is also a problem in a merger situation of two unequal parts to assume that one is being unfairly treated - happens all the time in all segments of society - Company A mergers with company B and 80% of the cuts happen to company B's workforce is a standard occurrence. Just because one is focused on women and the other men does not signify anything. Specific to this merger of athletics at TN, the income and profitability of the football and men's basketball programs suggest that their operating budgets are much larger than other sports, they have probably been able to afford more staff and may have been able to attract more qualified employees with higher salaries. It would not be surprising to discover on a pure numbers basis that more of the staff associated with these two programs were maintained than for any of the other sports men's or women's. And given the possible higher quality overall, it wouldn't be surprising if the percentage retention wasn't also higher. None of that has anything to do with gender. The hiring and firing procedure and compensation rate for equally qualified people is a different question.
As for academia having small fiefdoms - I grew up in an academic environment and totally agree, but I also split my professional life between theater and business and saw just as many fiefdoms in those professions (if not more.) There are very few true democracies in any walk of life - the best you hope for is benevolent dictatorships. Almost all 'departments' in all professions have a bias towards some aspect of their work and that bias affects the prospects of those hired or applying for inclusion - in academia in may be proponents of a specific 'school of thought', in the arts a specific artistic 'movement', in business a specific 'management school'.
And I have a higher opinion of the US legal system in terms of its equality. I agree that there is a bias built in based on the quality of representation, and there are other disturbing trends, but a bias towards institutions over individuals ...? The burden of proof is always with the accuser and legal proof is difficult to obtain. But just because someone is seen as the 'underdog' should not have any bearing and generally doesn't.
We have experienced with our beloved coach the annoyance of what most feel is a nuisance lawsuit - based on harassment but it could just as easily have been based on discrimination. I am not sure sitting here in CT and reading press releases that what is happening in TN is any different. Employee lawsuits are very expensive to defend and very easy to bring - and at least some of them are baseless and aimed at a quick score. I am not willing to jump either way without a lot more information.
As an aside - we have gone down an interesting path in employment law. We have codified protections for employees based not on actions but on the perception of those actions by the employee.

 

[Phil]

If comparison to UConn is the right metric, then over 300 coaches in D1 ought to be afraid for their jobs. However, that snide remark aside, I agree with your point, I got the impression that some recent teams have been more "gassed" than they should have been in the ends of games.

 

[Alydar]

"Warlick wrote. "I feel it is crucial to our success that our training regimen is basketball specific. I have lost confidence in Heather's ability to deliver training techniques or motivate our players to the level expected of this prestigious program."
.
Is Heather being made the scapegoat for lazy athletes? If basketball players aren't doing their work I'd say their coach is responsible. I don't see why the S&C coach is held responsible? I would think that it's up to the players themselves to get their butts into the weight room. Or their coach. I've read several comments from Pat in the last several years expressing disappointment with the work ethic of some of her players. I wonder if rating services include "self motivation" in their rankings of players. I suspect that many high school recruits see that scholarship as their goal and once they get it they stop improving. UConn on the other hand, recruits players who aspire to the pro game and come to UConn with a goal of being a 1st round pick in the W. They view themselves as "works in progress" and act accordingly.

 

[UcMiami]

Alydar - valid point re various responsibilities within a program - but ... being a coach at any level of the process involves creating an environment that promotes better results. You can be motivated as heck, but if your S&C coach has you doing things that make no sense to your needs and doesn't or wont explain why you are doing them, you probably aren't going to do them very well or conscientiously. Not saying that is the case, but ... And if the atmosphere in the weight room is critical and unsupportive - it will lead to less participation. A good coach at any level provides motivation as well as structure and gets better results than one that just provides structure.

 

[Alydar]

Uc, Obviously I am just speculating. But I was a union steward and witnessed the process when public employees get terminated. Often a supervisor throws an employee under the bus for things that they knew were occurring but which they did nothing to stop. Then, like Claude Raines in Casablanca, they express shock and ignorance of everything. What often happens is that a higher up is made aware of employee wrongdoing. Then the employee's supervisor is brought in and asked to recommend a course of action with the caveat that the supervisor's own rating will be dependent on that recommendation.

 

[UConnCat]

If comparison to UConn is the right metric, then over 300 coaches in D1 ought to be afraid for their jobs. However, that snide remark aside, I agree with your point, I got the impression that some recent teams have been more "gassed" than they should have been in the ends of games.

In thinking about this I was reminded of the Sally Jenkins' article on UConn after the win over Louisville:

"Even their bodies look superior; they are leaner, and more cut, their biceps and triceps pop, and their calves bulge. Their passes are crisper, their screens are bigger, and their pace is more intense. They are quicker to every loose ball. There is not a single idle moment by any player, on any part of the floor, never a lazy foot or a low hand. They never, ever take a play off and they never get tired. Anyone who wants to beat them needs to start by planting a spy in their training room."

You know that Holly Warlick read this article, although she doesn't need Jenkins to tell her about UConn's unmatched fitness levels. I give Holly credit for seeing a need for change and making a tough decision to make it happen.

 

[DaddyChoc]

the coach and the S&C coach should be on the same page, if the S&C coach see laziness in the players she should report it to the head coach. The head coach should also sit in on a few of those S&C sessions to make sure everyone is giving 100%

and at the same time there needs to be trust by all involved that the best is being given and received.

 

[UcMiami]

Uc, Obviously I am just speculating. But I was a union steward and witnessed the process when public employees get terminated. Often a supervisor throws an employee under the bus for things that they knew were occurring but which they did nothing to stop. Then, like Claude Raines in Casablanca, they express shock and ignorance of everything. What often happens is that a higher up is made aware of employee wrongdoing. Then the employee's supervisor is brought in and asked to recommend a course of action with the caveat that the supervisor's own rating will be dependent on that recommendation.

Not sure if this is in response to a specific part of anything I posted. I agree that the dynamic in the work place is often quite complex top to bottom. But I generally have found most hiring/firing/and promotion/compensation decisions are really quite straight forward. But in the litigious environment of today, the paperwork and 'justifications' for employment decisions are often more copious than the simple decision and I agree are frequently 'backfilled.' If anything union situations become even more convoluted as you are adding a third interested party to the process with often contradictory motivations. I have been in both union and non-union 'shops' and have both benefitted and been incredibly frustrated by aspects of unions. (And do not get me started on teamsters work rules!)

 

[Icebear]

CD needs to be doing drills with the S&C coach, too. It takes tremendous strength, hustle and solid footwork to keep Geno away from the officials, especially, late in the game.