The Book: TrackFieldXC 2005-06

[cajun nation]

The University had a chance to get Boo after Coach Lancon died. They would not meet his demands as far as salary or recruiting budget. The state of the track program is directly faulted to the lack of funding and no support from the admin.

The State of UL Track has fallen off the high horse that Charles Lancon put it on. It is my belief that the only reason Lance Veazey (who is a great person) is still the head track coach at UL is because he never will rock the boat and the administration can tell him whatever they want for him to do and he will do it.

The program has gone from conference champs every year, to the bottom of the barrel as of the last indoor conference championship.

Local kids are not recruited...and if you know anything aboout track, Acadiana alone, much less New Orleans and Lake Charles have enough kids to bring UL back to the top third of the Sunbelt.

Tim Lemaire does a good job with the distance kids.

But...what happened to the throwers??? There are no javelin throwers, no shot or discus people and on top of that, the school is paying a guy to coach the throws that never even goes to practice, who shunned UL to go to college out of state and has been busted for using steroids.

The LA Classics meet today was nothing like those under Charles Lancon. Veazey does not get out and promote his program like Lancon. THERE IS NO DISCIPLINE ALSO...listen to this story: Two high school students witnessed a fist fight Thursday on the track between two UL runners. One girl just punched the other and dropped her to the ground and Veazey was no where even around...I was told that last year a male sprinter slapped a female sprinter on the track...What is happening?

I am making a call for action! Something needs to be done!

Bring back Boo Shexnayder as head coach, hire Charlie Mafouz, there are a bunch of X track guys that coach high school now that can take UL back to domination in track. SOMETHING MUST BE DONE!

[CDeb]

The University had a chance to get Boo after Coach Lancon died. They would not meet his demands as far as salary or recruiting budget. The state of the track program is directly faulted to the lack of funding and no support from the admin.

They were able to take a quality program for granted so long because of Lancon's ability to squeeze blood from a turnip.

[cajun nation]

My grandson left from the program a few years back and puts a different spin on the state of UL tracksters. He says there are some who want to do their own thing, work out with their own coaches, call the coach by his last name without placing COACH ahead of it, loaf/don't complete workouts, tell the coaches what events they will and will not run, report back in pitiful shape after holidays, etc. etc, etc. From the little i have seen in results on the RC website, NO ONE seems to be improving from high school, which is where coaches aren't supposed to know what they are doing. If things are so rosy, why the miserbale output a the recent conference championship held at Murphreesboro and why did the freshman from down around Thibodeaux (who finished up in the rankings of Sun Belt CC) quit such an up and coming and promising group?

Seems that if people don't respect coaches enough to work with them and those people do not compete well, even with that "extra" coaching, then it seems that the wrong people are being recruited and it's time to send them packing. Also, what about these fights? How many are there? four????? WHO is running the show over there???

Care to coment?

There have always been fights in track even when Coach Lancon was there. This is something i know of first hand.

[Xlettrman]

There have always been fights in track even when Coach Lancon was there. This is something i know of first hand.

What are you talking about???? I never witnessed any turmoil that compares to anything that goes on with the track team these days? Lancon's teams got along so well that they were like family; they lived together, did great things together, hell...they even did less honorable things together...but they were a family that brought home gold...not last place!

[Xlettrman]

They were able to take a quality program for granted so long because of Lancon's ability to squeeze blood from a turnip.

You are on the money CDEB! What Lancon did was amazing. A certain ADministration didn't help him do squat.

Boo Schexnayder has made enough money at LSU to take care of himself now; the university better get its act together before UL Track is competing in the SWAC instead of Sunbelt.

[cajun nation]

What are you talking about???? I never witnessed any turmoil that compares to anything that goes on with the track team these days? Lancon's teams got along so well that they were like family; they lived together, did great things together, hell...they even did less honorable things together...but they were a family that brought home gold...not last place!

Well I do not want to name any names, but I can say one very good male triple jumper and a hurdler threw down outside of the weight room. Also, two female sprinters were involved in an altercation midway through a 200 meter sprint dunring practice. Yes the track team for the most part is a family but family's do fight. Thats just two that happened at the complex there were many others off campus.

[kiki92]

For those of you picking on UL Track,particularly about the "fighting" going on, let me just let you know that there are fights in other UL sports, particularly when women are involved. They are just not publicized as they are here on this site. Obviously the Track girls are more inclined to "spread the gossip/word." Let's also keep in mind that Track is such an individualized sport, so you don't necessarily have the same "team" support and friendships that you would have with other sports. This can certainly affect the way individuals deal with their teammates. I assure you Veazey has his hands full with coaching, monitoring and disciplining both men and women student-athletes. I hate to hear such negativity about the UL Track team, particularly for the current student-athletes who are working hard to build a reputable program. The negative talk about the program and the coaching staff can also hurt recruiting which will only hinder any efforts being made to build and market UL Track. Let's also keep in mind that the Track Program needs more financial and administrative support from the University.

[Turbine]

For those of you picking on UL Track,particularly about the "fighting" going on, let me just let you know that there are fights in other UL sports . . .

I agree, in other sports in other universities in other states as well.

I can remember in the 5th grade every time I woul beat a certain person in a race he would just start hitting on me. What fun

I think the setup or makeup of the track world makes for a tinderbox of sorts. It is much harder to get the team concept across when you have a large group of individuals, competing as individuals, constantly trying to motivate themselves and using teammates as motivation between meets.

"One way or another I'm going to beat you" ?

[Xlettrman]

lets skip to the bottom line...no offense to the few track athletes working hard; but the track program is horrible and Veazey is doing nothing to fix it. I saw the "throws coach"...lol...what a joke! at a district track meet this week; did he talk to one prospective athlete?... no, not one, I watched to make sure...was Veazey around to do the same ?...no!

[BrentAlmand]

Don't forget to come out and support the UL Track Team at the conference meet May 12th to the 14th.

On the night of the 12th the 10k will be run. The 13th and 14th will be packed with races so come support the team if you can make it!

[NewsCopy]

Lance Veazey's been spending a lot of hours preparing to host the Sun Belt Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships. The University of Louisiana track coach is now trying to make sure he's still spending the time he wants and needs with his team, as the Ragin' Cajun men and women prepare for this weekend's league meet. "I told someone the last couple of days that it didn't seem like this in 1998," Veazey said of the last time that UL hosted the league meet. "It's quite a bit of work, but you don't want to put on a bad show." That show gets underway Friday in the first day of the three-day meet at the Cajun Track/Soccer Complex. Friday's action includes the first day of the decathlon and the heptathlon, the men's and women's discus and the men's and women's 10,000-meter runs. The action picks up steam Saturday with five field event finals, two running event finals and preliminaries in most of the other running events. Finals in 29 different events are scheduled for Sunday's final day. The rest of the story Dan McDonald dmcdonald@theadvertiser.com

[Xlettrman]

Lancon never had to worry much when hosting conference because he built up fabulous relationships with people, drummed up support, and had a team that would go and work for him...no additional comment.