Today is 12/8/15 and the track team had their first meet on 12/4. If you look at valpoathletics.com you will not see any roster information, any schedule, or ANYTHING other than a recap of the meet with a picture of Sarah Peters vaulting last season. The schedule given to the track athletes didn't even have the 12/4 meet on it - it showed a different meet for 12/5 that doesn't exist.
My question/frustration/statement is this - if we are a D1 program, why don't we act like one? Why can't we publish a schedule? Why doesn't the track team have the nice posters that are published for the other teams? (Golf just came out today.) Why can't we update the website with athlete information? If you look at any of the other Horizon League track team websites they all have their schedules and rosters updated. Why not Valpo?
I am not sure where the responsibility for these sorts of things resides - I emailed an admin for the Athletic Department (found her by digging around in the directory on valpo.edu) and it took 2 follow ups from me before I got a response that the website was to be updated that day (12/1). That didn't happen.
Is it Coach Moore who does the scheduling? What about the website updates? Does anyone know that these things aren't happening?
ok, I'm done with my rant, but honestly, this stuff isn't hard and it would certainly help improve the stature of the program.
Quote from: momofalex on December 08, 2015, 02:05:38 PM
Today is 12/8/15 and the track team had their first meet on 12/4. If you look at valpoathletics.com you will not see any roster information, any schedule, or ANYTHING other than a recap of the meet with a picture of Sarah Peters vaulting last season. The schedule given to the track athletes didn't even have the 12/4 meet on it - it showed a different meet for 12/5 that doesn't exist.
My question/frustration/statement is this - if we are a D1 program, why don't we act like one? Why can't we publish a schedule? Why doesn't the track team have the nice posters that are published for the other teams? (Golf just came out today.) Why can't we update the website with athlete information? If you look at any of the other Horizon League track team websites they all have their schedules and rosters updated. Why not Valpo?
I am not sure where the responsibility for these sorts of things resides - I emailed an admin for the Athletic Department (found her by digging around in the directory on valpo.edu) and it took 2 follow ups from me before I got a response that the website was to be updated that day (12/1). That didn't happen.
Is it Coach Moore who does the scheduling? What about the website updates? Does anyone know that these things aren't happening?
ok, I'm done with my rant, but honestly, this stuff isn't hard and it would certainly help improve the stature of the program.
Good questions and I've been wondering myself. In past years, the roster has taken a few meets to settle on and be published but the schedule is usually up for a while prior to the indoor season.
Looks like they may be loading the pages currently. The team picture is up on the roster page but the roster is not. The coach bio pages have not been loaded yet and there still is no schedule.
Thanks for commiserating VU2624. FWIW, the team pictures on the roster pages was added in the last few days. BTW, those pictures were taken in the fall - coach Moore shared them on his facebook page in October.
I don't have the answers to your questions, momofalex, but I have an opinion (who doesn't on this board ::) ?)
If I were recently hired as the new, say, tiddly-winks head coach, I would see my role as having five key components:
1 - Obviously, coaching -- both the technical aspects as well as the strategic aspects of the sport
2 - Recruiting -- making sure I attracted the best tiddly-winks players to enroll at Valpo.
3 - Monitoring player academic progress.
4 - Team logistics and administration - scheduling, ordering equipment and uniforms, etc. and....
5 - Promoting my tiddly-winks program.
That last component means that while I may not be doing all of it directly, I would at least set promotional objectives and a schedule of what promotional/news items needed to be developed and updated over the course of the year and hold the SID's office accountable for meeting those objectives. I would submit updated required information as early as possible to support the staff and insist that my program receive the attention it deserves. If that means pestering an already busy staffer, so be it. If that means escalating a complaint to the AD. So be it. But my tiddly-winks program depends on my staying on top of this activity.
Yet, of the 5, this is the easiest to forget about and just let slide. It's easy to rationalize that I have to focus on coaching first and foremost. But I would argue that it just might be the #3 key component of a successful college tiddly-winks program, and one that directly and significantly impacts responsibilities #1 and #2 of my job description. Without it, I am handicapping myself.
BTW, I am a former member of the Valpo T&F team.
Thank you for validating my expectations. I don't know when you were on the track team but would be curious to know if things were different then. And also, do you know of this is a "known issue" or is it something recent. My son is a sophomore so I'm still new to the environment - and of course I don't want to ruffle any feathers.
I've also wondered about the University's commitment level to the track program. Of course, the fact that we never even had a track until recently helped shape that opinion. I've met Coach Moore, Coach Straubel, and Coach Pukstys before and was very impressed by each of them. If there is a problem, I really don't think it comes from the coaching staff.
Recently, I've started to wonder about the resources Coach Moore is given to work with, particularly his recruiting budget. My daughter is currently a senior in high school and is being recruited by several mid and high major D1 track and field programs from across the country. Despite her being in Valpo's own back yard, she has never heard from them. It's not sour grapes; she has always wanted to attend a larger school, so VU was never an option for her. It's just odd that they never even contacted her to find that out.
Based on how things are now, the website updating for the track program is left up to a graduate assistant in the sports information department. The scheduling should a matter handled by the athletic director and the head coach. In terms of how the website is handled, with it being done by a GA for that specific sport, he/she isn't working with the track program alone. This person might also have women's bowling, mens/womens swimming and diving, and tennis or some other sport within the athletic department, and currently priority goes to the teams that are "in season". Yes, it annoying that it takes so much time, but when the person in charge of the sports info side is also focusing on classes, time is little to focus on immediate updates of everything happening for every team they are responsible for. Also, the roster has always seemed to take time to finalize, based on early camp having athletes decide they don't want to commit to college track when classes pick up, or they just don't find the program rewarding, when they aren't the one expected to carry the program to glory. I ran for Valpo back when the SIDs were Bill Rodgers and Ryan Wronkowicz, and I know they were busy keeping up with everything, and didn't have the help of grad assistants.
Quote from: webbvufan on December 08, 2015, 05:12:31 PM
I've also wondered about the University's commitment level to the track program. Of course, the fact that we never even had a track until recently helped shape that opinion. I've met Coach Moore, Coach Straubel, and Coach Pukstys before and was very impressed by each of them. If there is a problem, I really don't think it comes from the coaching staff.
Recently, I've started to wonder about the resources Coach Moore is given to work with, particularly his recruiting budget. My daughter is currently a senior in high school and is being recruited by several mid and high major D1 track and field programs from across the country. Despite her being in Valpo's own back yard, she has never heard from them. It's not sour grapes; she has always wanted to attend a larger school, so VU was never an option for her. It's just odd that they never even contacted her to find that out.
How much of the lack of local recruiting is due to knowing the local athletes don't look at VU because they do want to get away from home?
I've seen comments in other threads discussing the lack of recruiting for track. Our experience was a bit better than yours in that our son received a post card, but from that point on it really was us coordinating any relationship. I remember mentioning the lack of communication on our visit (we had to reach out multiple times saying our son was interested before we got any response) and Moore and Overbo explained that they were transitioning the recruiting responsibilities and that we must have gotten lost in the transition.
If I were a potential Crusader and wanted to know where the team competes I'd only look once at the website and then move on to another school. :(
Good luck to your daughter VULB #62 I hope she finds a great fit for her.
That's a fair point, Valporun, but would have been an incorrect assumption in my daughter's case. Of the final list of schools she is considering, 2 of them are in Indiana. If memory serves, Valpo and Purdue are the only D1 schools in Indiana that she never heard from.
Quote from: valporun on December 08, 2015, 05:18:57 PM
Quote from: webbvufan on December 08, 2015, 05:12:31 PM
I've also wondered about the University's commitment level to the track program. Of course, the fact that we never even had a track until recently helped shape that opinion. I've met Coach Moore, Coach Straubel, and Coach Pukstys before and was very impressed by each of them. If there is a problem, I really don't think it comes from the coaching staff.
Recently, I've started to wonder about the resources Coach Moore is given to work with, particularly his recruiting budget. My daughter is currently a senior in high school and is being recruited by several mid and high major D1 track and field programs from across the country. Despite her being in Valpo's own back yard, she has never heard from them. It's not sour grapes; she has always wanted to attend a larger school, so VU was never an option for her. It's just odd that they never even contacted her to find that out.
How much of the lack of local recruiting is due to knowing the local athletes don't look at VU because they do want to get away from home?
"Assuming makes an a$$ of you and me." If a kid, regardless of location, has D-I potential he/she should at least get an initial communication. Regarding the department support ( grad assistants), that is their job. Normally, if my job hinged on getting good athletes to coach, and if people assigned to help me can't always get the job done for me, I'd raise some issues. But then, if it didn't, I could see not putting energy into it. But that flies in the face of the stated athletic department goal of pursuing excellence, doesn't it?
Quote from: momofalex on December 08, 2015, 04:43:17 PMThank you for validating my expectations. I don't know when you were on the track team but would be curious to know if things were different then. And also, do you know of this is a "known issue" or is it something recent. My son is a sophomore so I'm still new to the environment - and of course I don't want to ruffle any feathers.
As I said, in recent years, the roster would not have been finalized by this point however the schedule would definitely be up. The team picture was not typically taken until the athletes returned after winter break.
Re: schedule: In recent years the meets they actually compete in were not necessarily what was on the schedule. I've never quite figured out why this might be but it has happened. I can understand listing the Meyo meet at ND and then moving elsewhere if there weren't any athletes who it would make sense to enter but some of the meets were unrealistic from the get go.
Re: roster: The roster remains fluid during this period of time because there are/could be football players who still may be deciding if they wish to compete plus they have to get into track shape during this time rather than worrying about competing. Brandon Riley, for instance, is a safety on the football team but was also the team's best 400m runner. Don't know if he's competing this year as he didn't this past Saturday. In addition, there are new students and possibly those who make last minute decisions not to return to deal with. So holding off on a final roster makes sense to me.
Re: coaches: the staff make up is a little bizarre to me. In addition to the more senior coaches in Moore and Straubel, you have coach Hicks who is the new sprint coach and, I believe, is a GA who competed last year in Texas. Then, for a reason I have to find out eventually, Tom Pukstys is on the staff. Coach Pukstys is a two time Olympian in the javelin and 6 time US National champion. There seems to be just a bit of a difference in staff on those last two. :-)
Quote from: VU2624 on December 08, 2015, 07:45:12 PMThen, for a reason I have to find out eventually, Tom Pukstys is on the staff. Coach Pukstys is a two time Olympian in the javelin and 6 time US National champion. There seems to be just a bit of a difference in staff on those last two. :-)
Wow, that is one impressive resume to have as an assistant coach! My guess is that he lives/works in the area, and someone asked if he would help out. I can't imagine that our track program has a pile of resumes like this to choose from on a regular basis.
Coach Pukstys is working on his masters in Sports Admin at Valpo. Article in The Torch from a year or so ago.
http://www.valpotorch.com/sports/article_9c7a6b7e-822d-11e4-b264-8784eae63622.html (http://www.valpotorch.com/sports/article_9c7a6b7e-822d-11e4-b264-8784eae63622.html)
Schedule is up:
http://valpoathletics.com/mtrack/schedule/#.Vmm5hb80OXE (http://valpoathletics.com/mtrack/schedule/#.Vmm5hb80OXE)
Story:
http://www.valpoathletics.com/mtrack/news/2015-16/15112/crusaders-announce-2015-16-track-and-field-schedule/#.Vmm6D780OXE (http://www.valpoathletics.com/mtrack/news/2015-16/15112/crusaders-announce-2015-16-track-and-field-schedule/#.Vmm6D780OXE)
Thanks for the update - I had looked this morning and it wasn't there.
Now if we can teach coach Hicks how to submit seed times we'll be all set. They were....um....interesting....for the first meet. :lol:
The 2016 HL T&F Championship will be held on VU's Hoger Track.
Every HS track coach within a 100 mile radius (maybe more???) should receive a personal invitation from the VU coaching staff to attend this meet. And along with that an invitation to bring their best track athletes (emphasis on juniors and younger?) to attend. This will be THE BEST opportunity in decades for Valpo T&F to showcase itself. All stops should be pulled and everything possible done to present Valpo University, and the VU T&F program, in the best possible light over this weekend.
This is a wonderful recruiting opportunity that cannot be blown. T&F needs to tap into the recruiting mentality and expertise of higher profile sports like MBB and FB and Baseball, to put together a program (tours, receptions, etc.) that will generate interest and get kids and coaches excited about Valpo and Crusader T&F. :twocents:
Brilliant! :thumbsup: Any chance that could happen? Granted it will only be the third meet Valpo will have ever hosted. How much does HL help and how much is the hosting school's responsibility? Last years Crusader Open wasn't a fair measure of how well we put together a meet since the weather was god awful so you couldn't tell what went well and what didn't.
The reason I ask is I'd hate to bring in lots of potential recruits only to show that we're still figuring it all out.
The meet should be publicized but I don't think it can be easily turned into what amounts to a semi recruiting show. The first responsibility the coaching staff has it to run the meet and run it properly and on time. It is not to concern themselves with attendees not entered. I don't know how many of the coaches have had experience officiating a meet or if the HL itself has it's own crew but meet preparation is not easy. I've done it so I know. Maybe I'll make myself useful and see if they need help.
I don't know that VU can have some kind of hosted recruiting event during the HL Championships, as this means providing FREE admission to an event not sponsored by the school directly. All we are doing is hosting the meet, but it is sponsored by the Horizon League. Also, having coached track before, a lot of high schools during these two weekends are going into Championship mode, so the coaches are focused on winning conference titles and getting athletes ready for the State series of track meets leading up to the State Finals. Would I like to see a lot of high school coaches at these two meets? Sure, but with the conference championships being 3 days, a lot of coaches can't take that much time away from their coaching responsibilities. Big meets for high schools are happening right around this time, and track is one of the more difficult sports to do recruiting at meets because coaching staffs are small, and not able to spend time talking with college coaches while having athletes running, jumping, throwing, or sitting around waiting to compete. It definitely isn't like football, basketball, or any of the summer recruiting periods. Coaches just don't have the time to go out and recruit. They have to spend a lot of time looking at results from meets online, and that can be tough to judge based on the teams at the meets, weather, and how long of a day the meet may have required.
Point well taken -- they have to coach and run the meet. Let's not put all the pressure on the T&F coaches. How about the athletic department seizing the day and providing all the necessary support for T&F? Not much has been done in the past. Time to rectify that?
Regarding that HS track coaches may be busy at the same time: it doesn't matter. It's the invite that counts. ( Which goes back to the original issue -- lack of consistent outreach to all HS track coaches in northern Indiana, SW Michigan and northern Illinois.)
Around this time of year, the HS coaches are also at some of the big high school invitationals coaching their teams.
Roster and coaches bios are now up on the valpoathletics.com site.
There's my boy! (shameless Mom).
Congrats to Alex Watson for his winning the Horizon League Pole Vault title 4.56m or 14 ft 11 1/2 inches.
Mom should be very proud!
Awesome! Hopefully some good things to come from both T&F teams with the improved facilities for them to practice on
Thanks - it's always fun to see your son doing something he loves. Valpo vaulting has a bright future. Go Valpo!
Story from day 1 of the Horizon League T&F Championships complete with a picture of Alex Watson right at the point I'd be looking for a ladder to climb down.
From this story, freshman seem to be leading the way including a win in the decathlon. Very good news for the future!
http://www.valpoathletics.com/mtrack/news/2015-16/15539/crusader-men-third-women-seventh-entering-final-day-of-track-championships/#.Vy9NBPkrLNM
Men are showing particularly well. Taking 3 places, including 1st, in the decathlon was major. Taking 2 places including 1st in the PV was big. Valpo javelin throwers (both men and women) are making an impact in terms of number of throwers showing in the results as well as performances. This is certainly due to the presence of coach Pukstys. Hopefully the men can hold onto 3rd and the women can get some points and finish strong on the final day.
As mentioned many times before, the VU academic reputation + the new track + good performances + proactive, aggressive recruiting could = more T&F talent coming to Valpo. T&F and CC are sports that do not have high associated costs of operation and can attract lots of new students to the university. It's a no-brainer to push for improvement.
At the finish: Men 4th; women 8th.
Turns out that 3 of the 4 Valpo vaulters are blond this year - the picture is of Zach Topper, not Alex. I sat next to his mother at the meet and we agreed that the resemblance is very strong. Thank goodness Alex wears white shoes and Zach wears black :lol:
Since this was our first opportunity to host the Conference meet, has there been any feedback on how the meet was run, facilities, etc.?
I can speak as a spectator:
- it would be nice to have more convenient bathroom facilities. There were port-a-potties, and then you had to go into the ARC.
- it would be nice to have bleachers, or some sort of seating available for some of the field events so that you could be closer to the action. We took our lawn chairs and ended up using them to watch pole vault as well as high jump, both of which occur at the "end zones" of the field. The only seating provided was the home and guest bleachers.
- it would be a HUGE improvement to have the throwing events located at the same venue as the rest. They were held at Eastgate which was a big inconvenience for fans, coaches, athletes, you name it. I assume they had to shuttle the decathlon and pentathlon athletes - their throwing events were intermingled so they were at the track, then Eastgate, then track, then Eastgate....
- it was great to be able to switch the orientation of the pole vault, long jump and high jump events to maximize the wind direction.
- we ran into fans from all of the participating schools, and I know from first hand experience that the local hotels were full.
Quote from: momofalex on May 09, 2016, 11:25:59 AMI can speak as a spectator: - it would be nice to have more convenient bathroom facilities. There were port-a-potties, and then you had to go into the ARC. - it would be nice to have bleachers, or some sort of seating available for some of the field events so that you could be closer to the action. We took our lawn chairs and ended up using them to watch pole vault as well as high jump, both of which occur at the "end zones" of the field. The only seating provided was the home and guest bleachers. - it would be a HUGE improvement to have the throwing events located at the same venue as the rest. They were held at Eastgate which was a big inconvenience for fans, coaches, athletes, you name it. I assume they had to shuttle the decathlon and pentathlon athletes - their throwing events were intermingled so they were at the track, then Eastgate, then track, then Eastgate.... - it was great to be able to switch the orientation of the pole vault, long jump and high jump events to maximize the wind direction. - we ran into fans from all of the participating schools, and I know from first hand experience that the local hotels were full.
The original plans for the facilities upgrades were to have a throws field which would be adjacent to Brown Field behind the scoreboard.
Page 102 of the master plan:
https://issuu.com/smithgroupjjr/docs/valparaiso_university
Quote from: VU2624 on May 09, 2016, 03:47:10 PM
Quote from: momofalex on May 09, 2016, 11:25:59 AMI can speak as a spectator: - it would be nice to have more convenient bathroom facilities. There were port-a-potties, and then you had to go into the ARC. - it would be nice to have bleachers, or some sort of seating available for some of the field events so that you could be closer to the action. We took our lawn chairs and ended up using them to watch pole vault as well as high jump, both of which occur at the "end zones" of the field. The only seating provided was the home and guest bleachers. - it would be a HUGE improvement to have the throwing events located at the same venue as the rest. They were held at Eastgate which was a big inconvenience for fans, coaches, athletes, you name it. I assume they had to shuttle the decathlon and pentathlon athletes - their throwing events were intermingled so they were at the track, then Eastgate, then track, then Eastgate.... - it was great to be able to switch the orientation of the pole vault, long jump and high jump events to maximize the wind direction. - we ran into fans from all of the participating schools, and I know from first hand experience that the local hotels were full.
The original plans for the facilities upgrades were to have a throws field which would be adjacent to Brown Field behind the scoreboard.
Page 102 of the master plan:
https://issuu.com/smithgroupjjr/docs/valparaiso_university
It sure looks that way and may still happen. They've added a storage building which wasn't in the plans and that has taken part of the throw area you describe. The balance looks like it still could happen but I believe it is the College of Nursing building, that ultimately will be moved, that currently occupies the remaining space.
72, I think you are right on that. Once the nursing school moves it opens up a lot of property. But for the foreseeable future the throws are all the way across campus. Having said that, I asked about that as soon as the track went in (cuz I was a javelin thrower in my day). I wasn't satisfied with the answer. It does not take a whole lot to temporarily construct a shot area, disc/hammer cage and a javelin runway on the vacant land until the soccer stadium and Recreation and Athletic Center are built. I do not believe there is much else going on out there.
Brandon did a nice job of describing the Valpo track & field results and especially Hickey's decathlon come-from-behind win. In the picture the track and infield look really great.
[tweet]729824161598681089[/tweet]
Quote from: momofalex on May 09, 2016, 11:25:59 AMI can speak as a spectator
From a faculty perspective:
I didn't have any track athletes this semester, but I heard a certain amount of grumbling from faculty about the timing of the meet: during finals. Could perhaps impact study schedules, and I heard suggestions that the events themselves were impacting an outsize number of students and causing missed exams - maybe "all hands on deck" to help with tournament logistics?
I'd personally try to be sympathetic to competing athletes. But, if the whole team disappeared for several days during finals, whether they were competing or not (often the travel party seems smaller than the practicing team - though I'm not sure for conference finals), it could be awkward.
I'm not sure how coordinated HL finals schedules are. It seems like basketball teams tend to shut down for finals in the fall semester. There are league championships and NCAA tournaments that are happening after finals. I do wonder if there might be some academic-friendlier schedule.
In general, I find student athletes a very disciplined, hard working, good time managing, group in the classroom. So, hopefully the disruptions weren't too severe.
Certainly good to get to showcase the new facilities, for our athletes to get a home championship, and to fill the hotels. I didn't make it out this year, but enjoyed the inaugural home meet.
Quote from: VULB#62 on May 09, 2016, 07:28:16 PMIt does not take a whole lot to temporarily construct a shot area, disc/hammer cage and a javelin runway on the vacant land until the soccer stadium and Recreation and Athletic Center are built. I do not believe there is much else going on out there.
Some recreational use. There are soccer goals there, and the field was even lined for much of the spring. I've seen a couple of different groups using the soccer goals. Maybe some intramurals use the space too, but some of that also happens at Eastgate. It's nice to have some open grassy space like that, but perhaps there's enough at Eastgate.
You have a good point. For intramurals there is a lot of open space at East Gate and it is about equidistant from the main dorm complexes as the Porter property. Why not dedicate East Gate to intramurals (exclusive of the grass soccer pitch inside the asphalt track and Em Bauer Field) and focus all outdoor intramurals there henceforth and furthermore? There actually appears from Google Maps to be more open space out there than on the present Porter property (later when LeBein Hall comes down and LaPorte Avenue is rerouted that will change and add a couple more acres).
Quote from: agibson on May 17, 2016, 09:04:20 AMQuote from: momofalex on May 09, 2016, 11:25:59 AMI can speak as a spectator
From a faculty perspective: I didn't have any track athletes this semester, but I heard a certain amount of grumbling from faculty about the timing of the meet: during finals. Could perhaps impact study schedules, and I heard suggestions that the events themselves were impacting an outsize number of students and causing missed exams - maybe "all hands on deck" to help with tournament logistics? I'd personally try to be sympathetic to competing athletes. But, if the whole team disappeared for several days during finals, whether they were competing or not (often the travel party seems smaller than the practicing team - though I'm not sure for conference finals), it could be awkward. I'm not sure how coordinated HL finals schedules are. It seems like basketball teams tend to shut down for finals in the fall semester. There are league championships and NCAA tournaments that are happening after finals. I do wonder if there might be some academic-friendlier schedule. In general, I find student athletes a very disciplined, hard working, good time managing, group in the classroom. So, hopefully the disruptions weren't too severe. Certainly good to get to showcase the new facilities, for our athletes to get a home championship, and to fill the hotels. I didn't make it out this year, but enjoyed the inaugural home meet.
Certainly an interesting point of view. The league Outdoor champs are typically the first full weekend of May which may have pushed this year's meet into finals. Most years the meet is held May 2, 3, 4 etc. However with May 1 being a Sunday, the meet was held nearly a week later than most years.
In addition, when the team is travelling for the meet, the only athletes who travel are those who the coaches choose to bring and they are usually limited to potential scorers and/or relay runners. So the roster is not that large. With the meet being a home meet, the entire squad was involved to a great degree.
The meet is at Valpo again in 2018 but I expect the meet to be a weekend earlier and not in conflict with finals.
Really a great point though.
Agibson thank you for sharing the faculty perspective. As the mother of a competing athlete I too worried about the timing of the meet. I talked about it with Coach Overbo and he mentioned that a few of the athletes weren't able to attend practice right before the meet due to studying for finals. He commented that it might have been easier if the meet had been away - then the athletes could have focused on the meet and wouldn't have been running back to their dorms to study, or feeling like they were torn between competing, supporting their teammates, and exams - not to mention packing to leave for the summer. I also vaguely remember a conversation with Coach Moore when he said that one of the other schools had asked for the dates to be changed to what they were but don't hold me to that - perhaps it conflicted with their graduation? I know that Youngstown was already done with classes - not sure about the others.