The Book CC Track & Field 2006-07

[No_Namer]

You are truly a loser. How dare you name athletes as if they have anything to do with the personal problems you have with veazey. That was so low. You definitely have not helped this situation at all. Now think about it, you knew that the athletes were going to read this so what do you think you have done to their already low spirits? WOW, you have only made matters worse, but you know I will use it as fuel to feed the fire and i hope my fellow teammates do the same. Just to let you know I know who you are no-namer and we LOVE our coach. 99% of us love our coach to be almost exact while allowing you to feel better with 1%.

Frankly, I think you are just jealous, because i have not seen you out there trying to help since you care so much, if anything you are out there trying to stir things up. By the way some of those people who were last in a particular event do not even specialize in those events "Mr. I am going to make veazey look bad" b/c that is what this is all about.Why did you not name the other runners in that event who posted fairly good times of IMPROVEMENT.(thats what matters we are improving--it won't happen overnight ) Our coaches have faith in us and I believe that it is the only thing that is keeping us out there period. Thanks to you go ahead and pull everyone else with you --i guess we'll just have to have extra faith with in ourselves to show you. Look our coach might not be hard on us as some may want him to be, but no where or at anytime has that influenced our feelings toward him negatively. You are the one we dislike. Do you not think that we don't think about conference everyday?

Thanks for stressing us even more!! You are definitely out of line and should be an embarrassment to your self and disgrace to yourself if anything . OH SO IMATURE OF YOU YOU ARE TOO OLD WAY TOO OLD FOR THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You can want him fired if you want but i respect him so much b/c he does not have to put up with what you or anyone thinks, yet he has ,so it must be because he cares cause it isn't the MONEY ---- WE CAN DEAL WITH THAT , BUT WE CAN'T DEAL WITH PEOPLE LIKE YOU CONSTANTLY BRINGING US DOWN!!! THERE IS A BOND YOU ARE TRYING TO BREAK SORRY TO TELL YOU IT CAN''T BE DONE!! SEE YOU AT PRACTICE TOMORROW BUDDY OL PAL.

I just named a FEW of the athletes that I noticed have been doing the WORST on the team. In no way was I trying to belittle them. At most, I would hope that they would see my post and want to work harder.

If you have a problem with me posting results of only a few of the athletes, I would be more than happy to post results for EVERY SINGLE ATHLETE and show if they have become better or worse. I'm sorry, but not everyone is improving as you suggested in your post. I can prove that from the results that I have here on paper.

I'm not sure exactly how hard the track team practices, but if you are practicing as hard as you suggest, maybe it's time you look at other factors for why the team sucks so bad! Do you not understand that only a few years ago UL had a GREAT team, then Veazey took over, and now the team SUCKS? There is no nice way to say it, the team is terrible. There is a reason why the team is no good, and the biggest factor that I can see, is due to the coaching staff.

E.M.

[CajunNation]

It's amazing what can be done when certain people get their "fat you know what's" out of the way.



http://www.latechsports.com/article....02_24_23:13:37

BOISE, Idaho -- Louisiana Tech’s indoor track and field squad finished 3.5 points shy of finishing with back-to-back-to-back championships as they finished second place overall at the 2007 WAC Indoor Track and Field Championships.

[presently past]

I was recently introduced to this forum because of the fact that there was an ongoing plight regarding the "state" of UL Track as it is so put. First and foremost, I would like to say that as a former UL Track and Field athlete who personally endured some of the "ADVERSE CONDITIONS" that affected UL Track and Field, there is absolutely no grounds for dismissal of a head coach on the sole basis of various athletes' performances over the course of only two years.

Now...let me elaborate. Yes, Coach Lancon was an acceptional coach. His achievements speak for themselves, however for those of us who are so opted to rely on statistics, to attempt to prove a point, perhaps those statistics would be more concrete should they have been conducted on a broader scale. How many assistant coaches in the state of Louisiana or the nation for that matter were able take over a head coaching position and continue a winning tradition in light of the fact that key athletes had put in their time and efforts and would soon move on. If you can provide the University with this stat, and it further provides unconditional evidence of an argument for "DISMISSAL"...then I have no argument with you.

I don't disagree that UL's current Track and Field athletes are not performing at their optimal capabilities. Their competitive times are evidence of this. However, when I entered the semi professional world of collegiate athletics, I too was faced with the test of time; nevertheless, I developed the drive to push myself during and after practice so that I could excell.

I became a force to be reckoned with in my own sense and if you dont mind my saying, I will forever cherish the satisfaction and gratification I obtained by blazing the hell out of my competion when I stepped on the track "UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF LANCE VEAZEY"

Emotions are a powerful tool. I came from a small town with a math teacher as a head coach. I walked on at UL and was given an opportunity to run for Lancon. GUESS WHAT... Lance Veazey was my event coach from day 1 and I listened. I ran. I lost. I ran. I began winning and I RAN MY ASS OFF.

I guess when it all boils down to it... as athletes, if you want it, you gotta go out there and get. For you Track and Field athletes who are reading this, don't let any ridicule or unnecessary turmoil spoil your drive. I know what the practices are like and I refuse to believe that you out there busting your asses so an outsider can rip you and your head coach apart.

This is coming from someone who used to be on the inside looking out and is now on the outside looking in, therefore I feel I can fully grasp the full picture. If for some reason anything that gets posted on this forum puts doubt in your mind about your abilities, your coaches' abilities, or the UL track and field organization all together. Then take THOSE stats from "high school" look at what you know you are capable of, and go out there and RUN YOUR ASSES OFF. KEEP IN MIND THOUGH... YOU'LL NEVER MOVE FORWARD IF YOU KEEP LOOKING BACK. STOP WATCHES ARE THE PAST... YOU'RE RUNNING ACCUTRACK.

[cajun4ever]

I was recently introduced to this forum because of the fact that there was an ongoing plight regarding the "state" of UL Track as it is so put. First and foremost, I would like to say that as a former UL Track and Field athlete who personally endured some of the "ADVERSE CONDITIONS" that affected UL Track and Field, there is absolutely no grounds for dismissal of a head coach on the sole basis of various athletes' performances over the course of only two years.

Now...let me elaborate. Yes, Coach Lancon was an acceptional coach. His achievements speak for themselves, however for those of us who are so opted to rely on statistics, to attempt to prove a point, perhaps those statistics would be more concrete should they have been conducted on a broader scale. How many assistant coaches in the state of Louisiana or the nation for that matter were able take over a head coaching position and continue a winning tradition in light of the fact that key athletes had put in their time and efforts and would soon move on. If you can provide the University with this stat, and it further provides unconditional evidence of an argument for "DISMISSAL"...then I have no argument with you.

I don't disagree that UL's current Track and Field athletes are not performing at their optimal capabilities. Their competitive times are evidence of this. However, when I entered the semi professional world of collegiate athletics, I too was faced with the test of time; nevertheless, I developed the drive to push myself during and after practice so that I could excell.

I became a force to be reckoned with in my own sense and if you dont mind my saying, I will forever cherish the satisfaction and gratification I obtained by blazing the hell out of my competion when I stepped on the track "UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF LANCE VEAZEY"

Emotions are a powerful tool. I came from a small town with a math teacher as a head coach. I walked on at UL and was given an opportunity to run for Lancon. GUESS WHAT... Lance Veazey was my event coach from day 1 and I listened. I ran. I lost. I ran. I began winning and I RAN MY ASS OFF.

I guess when it all boils down to it... as athletes, if you want it, you gotta go out there and get. For you Track and Field athletes who are reading this, don't let any ridicule or unnecessary turmoil spoil your drive. I know what the practices are like and I refuse to believe that you out there busting your asses so an outsider can rip you and your head coach apart.

This is coming from someone who used to be on the inside looking out and is now on the outside looking in, therefore I feel I can fully grasp the full picture. If for some reason anything that gets posted on this forum puts doubt in your mind about your abilities, your coaches' abilities, or the UL track and field organization all together. Then take THOSE stats from "high school" look at what you know you are capable of, and go out there and RUN YOUR ASSES OFF. KEEP IN MIND THOUGH... YOU'LL NEVER MOVE FORWARD IF YOU KEEP LOOKING BACK. STOP WATCHES ARE THE PAST... YOU'RE RUNNING ACCUTRACK.

Excellent post. Track is an individual sport that has team scoring. If as a college athlete, you are not getting what you need to succeed. You need to have the initiative to push yourself to improve every day.

[MiddleDistance]

A quick review:

-In 2004 UL's track team was the Sun Belt Conference Indoor Runner-up on the men’s side (Veazey was first year head coach riding on the coat tails of Charlie Lancon's runners)

-In 2006 (2 years after Veazey took over) UL's track team dropped from being 2nd overall (2004) to second from last (9th place out of 10 teams) in indoor track on the men’s side, the women finished LAST. In outdoor track, both the men’s AND the women’s teams finished LAST!

-Now, 2007 indoor track, the men’s AND women’s teams finished DEAD LAST!

The upcoming outdoor track season looks promising......to finish LAST on both the men’s and women’s side again!

Every year the team has gotten worse since Veazey took over the program. The program has become a joke; they are the laughing stock of the Sun Belt Conference. This is a team that used to be highly respected and did well year after year. It is now a big joke.

So, who's to blame here? Of course the athletes have to hold themselves responsible. But at what point in time do we hold the coaches responsible? In my opinion, when you have 99% of your athletes running slower than they did in high school after 1-3 years in the college system, there is something TERRIBLY wrong with the coaching staff. I have taken a few of the current UL track and field athletes, and found their best times/jumps/throws from high school and compared them to how they are currently doing while competing for UL. (I took these names at random from the current roster).

Name/ High School/ HS best time & Event/ Current time at SB Conference Meet

Stephanie Harris/St. Michaels/ 10:46 3k/ 11:31 3k
Stacey Fuller/ Dallas Skyline/ 49.12 400m/ 50.51 400m
Constance Robinson/ DeSoto/ 57.54 400m/ 59.52 400m
Brent Almand/ The Woodlands/ 15:36 5k/ 17:18 5k
Brandon Orso/ Denham Springs/ 16:14 5k (cross country) / 16:21 5k (track)
Jazmin Greer/ Dallas Skyline/ 24.68 200m/ 26:04 200m
Callie Picou/ Walker/ 18:44 5k/ 19:50 5k

This is just a few of the UL runners that are currently performing MUCH WORSE than they did in high school. I can list many more as I have them written down.

Not only are UL track and field athletes not running faster than they did in high school, they are less competitive. For example....

Jamie Blue finished 25th out of 27 runners in the 400m run and finished 34th out of 36 runners in the 200m run.

Stacey Enright finished 14th out of 17 runners in the 1 mile run.

Tiffany Saltzman finished 26th out of 26 runners in the 800m run.

Ashley Faulk finished 19th out of 21 runners in the 3k run and 23rd out of 27 runners in the 5k run, just ahead of teammates Suzanne Boudreaux and Stephanie Harris which finished 24th and 26th out of the 27 runners in the 5k.

India Bell and Chiara Obey finished 27th and 28th in the 55m dash out of the 28 runners.

On the men's side...
Joey Wynn, Quenton Jones, and Tramaine Cosey finished 19th, 20th, and 21st in the 400m dash out of 24 runners.

The men's 4x400m relay team finished 6th out of the 7 teams that finished the race.


Obviously SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE!!!!! There was a similar thread like this last year, saying that something needed to be done. Nothing was done and the team finished worse this year. The program is a complete embarrassment to this university. I do not understand why there is not a coaching change! From what I have heard, Lance Veazey spends the majority of his day surfing myspace and facebook while he should be recruiting new athletes and coaching his current athletes.

Lance Veazey (along with the part time distance coach who works at a local elementary school) needs to be FIRED RIGHT AWAY!!!!!!!!


I HOPE that Lance Veazey and Tim Lemaire read this. I hope that the UL athletic department reads this. I hope that the UL track athletes read this. I hope for these things because obviously most of these people are blind to the fact that our track program is A PIECE OF CRAP! Something needs to be done.....NOW! Fire Lance Veazey and his staff, hire a coach who knows ANYTHING about track and field, that will instill discipline (which seems to be a major missing component) and I'm certain the program will be back to where it SHOULD BE and WAS before Lance took over. If the appropriate measures are taken, the UL track team can turn itself around and re-establish itself as a Sun Belt powerhouse.

Dead last should NOT be an option. Lance and his staff seem to care less that they finished last....AGAIN!!!!! The sad thing is, it seems that they have corrupted their athletes into thinking that last place is an acceptable option!

Veazey, you should be FIRED!

-E.M.

1- You have quite a bit of information that few people have access to, and naming athletes who already feel low is CLASSLESS on your part. It shows that you lack something that is valuable and difficult to gain --- CHARACTER!

2 - The coaching staff needs a Katrina -- yes, but do not bring athletes names into the fracus. One might whollop your happy fannie when your identity is broadcast after any average PhD computer science candidate tracks you thru your IP address.

3- In all instances the athletes you name ran well before coming here -- but those were controlled environments where discipline and respect for coaches ruled. The coaches here are small-time in every way and will never work any place else after leaving, so call them out -- not the athletes.

4- Your HS coaches would be HUNG if they had been caught in nightspots where athletes hung out. Not here. NO ONE CARES! Not the AD, and certainly not the President. So why should you? They are busy with more important matters --- the Horse Barn and keeping Governor Raymond Blanco happy.

5- The bottom line here is that the head coach is not blessed with a drive for personal achievement, nor has he had the ability to surround himself with anyone who has a clue about communicating with, teaching and motivating athletes. No matter the money involved, THAT is what is wrong with the program. Coach Lancon had a smaller budget than today, but great coaches who worked tirelessly to make him look better than he was. Badon and Schexnayder would make you and me look like Coaches of the Year too, and there are others out there. It just take someone to go to work on time, recruit area athletes in person and show some gonads when discipline is sliding to find them.

6- Keep athletes' names out of it. Everyone's blood pressure will stay down. Especially mine.

[Turbine]

I'm just glad to see some passion when it comes to UL track.

If there is still some passion out there, things can get better.

jmo

[cajuntrack]

_________________________________________________________________

Well apparent from No Namers posts, he is someone on the track team or closely involved. Apparently you are an individual who is upset with his own performances in life and upset you can't live up to your own standards, which defines you as WEAK!. you are weak for posting such things on here degrading UL Track and Field and at most the ATHLETES. I AM HAPPY TO SAY THAT I AM A PROUD RAGIN CAJUN TRACK ATHLETE and your nonsense only makes me and my team want to work harder. Just to let you know, if you are ON the team, you are a disgrace. You have only accomplished one thing on your posts and that is irritating us. if you are ever known, i advise you to leave. you say people on our team are an embarrassment...no sweetheart according to you then you are part of that embarrassment. if you are so irritated then leave. we don't want you and we certaintly don't care about you. I'll tell you what, The week we came back from conference, we got our asses kicked at practice. I would call it hell week. conference was a huge wake up call for us. Since then, it has been workouts from hell, but we are getting better and we have that desire.

on the terms of Coach Veazey, we love him! he is like a dad to us. Some of us leave home from different places and the only father figure we have is him. he is there for us no matter what. he cares about our injuries, our performances, our GRADES, and most of all...us. Like TALLER THAN YOU said "99% of us love coach veazey". for all of you who think he is a horrible coach and that he doesn't care... u are truly wrong.

On the money factor...anyone who is ON OUR team or close to the team knows about our issues. apparently you should know since you know so much but i guess you don't. it is more crucial than what you think. but if you care so much, why don't you donate some money? oh wait...b/c you don't have any. why don't you try to make the change mr. hotshot and step up and do something about our situation financially? why don't you go to coach veazey's office and offer your time into helping? i'll appoint you the head of our fundraising committee. then we will see how you do.

all i am saying that every one has their ups and downs. we might have been in a down for some years now but we are willing, ready, and trying to get back up. we don't need you trying to keep us down. we are stronger than that and i'll tell you what...we are getting back up and we plan to make the change. like i said, no one is perfect...not even you No Namer. If i say "just give us a chance" you are going to badger some more but seriously GIVE US A CHANCE!

On announcing names of athletes, you are so wrong for that. you have no place in even mentioning our names. I can admit I can be running better but you don't know my reason. that is my point. you have no clue why some people aren't performing to certain standards. some people do well and some do not. some people realize what is wrong and some do not. some people have injuries and some do not. some people are facing difficult things in life and some do not. Some people have confidence and some do not. these are things that can affect peoples performance whether it is mental or physical. i am not saying people on our team have these problems, but maybe some do. what i am trying to say is that only we as individuals control our performance and we are the only ones that can change it and as well as anyone else who is trying to do something in life like a teacher, cop, parent, etc. by you saying such awful things hurts us. i don't know about the whole team but i know of some that your comments have truly made them feel like they are worth nothing. some even wanted to quite. you have accomplished hurting some of us. That only makes us want it more and get better at our performances. it is to the point where we don't care what you say. WE AREN'T QUITERS AND WE WANT TO PROVE IT TO YOU AND THE REST OF LAFAYETTE. THIS is a step in life and we are not going to step back...we are going to step forward.

i have to thank you though b/c you have made us stronger and closer as a team. WE WANT TO SUCCEED!

we love our coach and we love eachother and you can't change that.

[NewsCopy]

NATCHITOCHES, La.- Louisiana’s Ragin’ Cajuns men’s and women’s track and field teams competed at the NSU relays on Wednesday, bringing home several awards. Toni Lee picked up two first place finishes in the women’s long jump and triple jump. Lee recorded a distance of 19-6.25 in the long jump and distance of 39-1.75 in the triple jump. Joseph Dickens picked up a first place finish in the men’s triple jump with a distance of 46-10.25. Luke Moody placed fourth in the 110-meter hurdles with a time of 15.10 seconds, while Brandon Orso, Nathan Cormier and Micah Rabalais placed sixth, seventh and eighth respectively in the men’s 1500-meter run. D.J. Hebert finished third in the men’s 3000-meter steeplechase with a time of 10:25.48. UL men’s relay teams faired well during the afternoon. The 4X100 meter relay team placed second with a time of 41.14 seconds. The 4X200 meter relay team also finished second with a time 1:27.82. The 1600 sprint medley team finished third, while the 4X400 meter relay team placed third. Lina Futi placed second in the women’s 400-meter hurdles with a time of 1:07.40. Casey Brown finished second in the 3000-meter steeplechase with a time of 11:43.65. Whitney Davis placed fifth in the women’s high jump. Davis recorded a jump of 5-1. India Bell finished fourth in the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 15.62 seconds. Stacey Enright placed fourth in the 1500-meter run with a time of 5:02.01. Andramica Etienne finished eighth, Callie Picou finished ninth, Tiffany Saltzman finished 10th, and Lindsey Mertens finished 11th. Enright also placed fourth in the 3000-meter run with a time of 11:09.12. Picou finished eighth, Suzane Boudreaux finished 10th, Alix Stelly finished 11th and Ashley Faulk finished 12th. The women’s 4X100 meter relay team finished second with a time of 48.29 seconds. The 2X400 meter relay team finished third, and the women’s 1600 sprint medley team finished fourth. The Cajuns will host the Louisiana Classics in Lafayette on Sunday, March 17. LOUISIANA SI

[spearchucker]

Half the field event guys were football guys? I challenge that statement. There were a few, but significantly fewer than half; and other than Rocky Guidry, Brian Soigner and Josh Jeorge [sp] none were really outstanding.

In my senior year, we finished 14th in Outdoor NC's; our top performers were: Lon Badeaux-PV, Winston Sinclair-400M/400H, Ndaba-TJ. These guys skyrocketed our national performance, but in conference, we did rack up points in the javelin with 5 guys hitting at or over 200, 1 scholarship shot/discus guy with a couple of football guys including Anthony Clement. If great high school relations are kept and smart management is done you can find a number of walk-on guys to compete in the throws which can elevate conference standing--which would help the UL program--and there are qualified people that will coach part time in the aforementioned areas if they are sought--it is a matter of what people are content with and what they are willing to work for....Lancon was never scared to work, that's for sure.

[NewsCopy]

The Louisiana Classics annually provides UL's track and field team with a chance to perform on its home track and in front of hometown fans. This year, though, being at home means even more to a large contingent of the Cajuns, many of whom will be in home meet competition for the first time in their careers. "We've got one of the biggest squads we've ever had," said Cajun track coach Lance Veazey, "and a lot of them are freshmen. They've never competed out here on this track, so it'll be an experience for them." Veazey is hoping it's a good experience when the Cajuns welcome most of the state teams for the meet, which gets underway at 7 p.m. today with competition in the men's and women's 10,000-meter events. The bulk of the meet is Saturday at Cajun Track, with field events beginning at 11 a.m. and running events beginning at noon. Teams scheduled to take part include Northwestern State, La. Tech, UL Monroe, Grambling, McNeese State, Southern, Southeastern La. and Nicholls State along with Albion (Mich.) College. The rest of the story Dan McDonald dmcdonald@theadvertiser.com

[BrentAlmand]

The 10,000m run was held tonight. The Cajun men place 1st, 2nd, and 4th.

[Turbine]

The 10,000m run was held tonight. The Cajun men place 1st, 2nd, and 4th.

Yahoo