We need to keep good people

by jesse. on May 3, 2008 8:44 AM EDT

http://www.centredaily.com/sports/story/559497.html

This pisses me off. Buried on the third page of the sports section is the bad news. Our men's and women's swimming coach got poached by Ohio State to be their women'sswimming coach. Wisconsin hired our women's soccer coach two years ago.

This pisses me off because it's about money. There is no reason to lose good coaches to other programs in our own league in any sport. It's a commitment to winning issue. Ohio State is willing to pay off a diving coach to win, and we just let it happen because we're cheap. We have one of the most successful women's soccer programs in the nation, and we let Wisconsin poach our coach? That's total BS.

I can live with not winning, but I get upset when I see other teams that are more committed to winning than Penn State is. I know, it's swimming who cares? Well, we only pay our football coach $500,000 grand a year. If he wasn't 82 and totally committed to Penn State in an almost irrational way, whose to say he wouldn't be the next coach at Indiana?

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I totally agree

It doesn't matter how sweet of a "dream job" psu might be, but if we arn't going to show any money to our coaches, we're screwed.

Roar Lions Roar

by rmcmillen50 on May 3, 2008 12:31 PM EDT 0 recs

It is also about

facilities. The swim coach left because we would not build a new pool

by JGuiher on May 3, 2008 4:56 PM EDT 0 recs

Bill

Well, from what I know about Bill from a close friend who swam for the team his freshman and sophomore year, he was a complete douchebag.

by ignition719 on May 3, 2008 6:00 PM EDT 0 recs

This was about the pool

Ohio State has a brand new pool, Penn State has a garbage pool. A new pool has been promised for like 10 years and hasn't happened. So, yeah, I guess technically that's about money but I don't think it's quite the issue you're making it out to be. Keep in mind a few things:
-Penn State has more teams than most other schools in the country
-The athletic deparment is fully funded by the NLC.
-Even still, there are brand new wrestling, track, and baseball facilities. I believe tennis is happening soon along with softball and golf.
-As far as Joe's salary, he makes a lot more through camps, etc. so that's overblown.

Get up State.

by speedomike02 on May 4, 2008 5:01 PM EDT 0 recs

I always like the Natitorium

I guess you can't build a new pool just to keep a coach, but my impression is that we like to think of ourselves as the school that steals your coach, not vice versa. Further, we can't make excuses just because it's Ohio State. OSU is funding an arms race, that much is certain, but we do have the resources to keep up, it's a question of desire.

While your point about the pool is well taken, Wisconsin grabbing our Women's Soccer coach did not have anything to do with facilities, Jeffery Field being one of the better college soccer venues in the nation.

Penn State does have more sports than most other schools, although Ohio State is not one of those schools. Just as an aside, and apropos of nothing, the Tennis building has been built for a while, and has been paying dividends in terms of recruiting and success.

For the Glory National Champions 1982, 1986, 1994,

by jesse. on May 4, 2008 5:47 PM EDT up 0 recs

Number of sports

I was told by someone in the athletic department that we have like the second most teams in the country, but I can't find anything concrete to support that online. Next time I see him I'll try to remember and ask.

But, I think you have some valid points. Now that I think about it, the swim coach leaving is a good example to support what you're saying. The swim team has been promised a new pool for about 10 years, but nothing has happened. Even with the men winning a Big Ten title in 1999 and the women winning 3 since. Dorenkott is not the first coach to leave because of this either.

This isn't a money thing, but it also doesn't help that club teams like hockey and rugby get nearly the same treatment as varsity teams. They get to use the same weightlifting facilities and take the varsity trainers' time. I know a lot of people like the hockey team, but it's still just a club team.

Regardless, we're still third in the Sears cup and that doesn't include the men's volleyball championship.

Get up State.

by speedomike02 on May 4, 2008 6:42 PM EDT up 0 recs

Hockey...

Is a club team because the university won't fund it, and there are a number of reasons for this, Title IX most likely being one of the most prominent.

PSU is cheap in a lot of aspects, my brother does alot of work for the football program, and while he does admire alot of things that happen about the program, he also has told me numerous times where they "half ass" something to save a few bucks. It is suprising given what Joe has written in the past about attention to detail.

Just my thoughts...

by carolinaeasy on May 5, 2008 10:53 AM EDT up 0 recs

Hockey

Isn't an arena part of the issue? In order to be D-1 they need a bigger place to play. FWIW I've heard the one piece of PSU sports memorabilia Tim Curley has in his office is a hockey stick.

Get up State.

by speedomike02 on May 5, 2008 12:15 PM EDT up 0 recs

Club Hockey

You have to wonder how much interest in the hockey team there really is. For a club sport it is tremendously popular, but I have to think that Division 1 hockey in State College would not draw appreciably better than Division 1 basketball does.

Even if you assume the exact same level of interest, and that's a pretty big assumption, the financial investment in bringing D-1 hockey to State College seems cost prohibitive to me. If we do decide to play, we have to go all out, so maybe we should get our house in order with are sports that are D-1 already.

Conversely, I have no problem with University extending some preferential status to players on the higher profile "club" teams.

For the Glory National Champions 1982, 1986, 1994,

by jesse. on May 5, 2008 11:15 AM EDT up 0 recs

On that subject

The club teams (hockey and rugby) might get to use the athletic facilities but they get last time slots for the weight room and do not get to schedule early like other athletes. Sometimes their lifting schedule is like 10-12 on a school night, not exactly the royal treatment.

by JGuiher on May 5, 2008 4:49 PM EDT 0 recs