The Book: TrackFieldXC 2005-06

[CDeb]

Lancon recruited to a promised new track as early as 1995. By 1998 the money was in hand for the new track, which was supposed to be a 9 [48"] lane copy of the track at Mike Myers Stadium [University of Texas]. The AD and President dilly-dallied and ______ed with Lancon [and Veazey] so long it ended up being 8 [42"] lanes with insufficient pits and throws venues. I don't doubt that the stress involved with dealing with those a**hats contributed to Charles' death.

____it Charlie! I hate it when you beat around the bush....

[VObserver]

____it Charlie! I hate it when you beat around the bush....

Well, you know me; ever sensitive to the feelings of others. lol

[BrentAlmand]

Well excuses, excuses. Worst men's and womens cross country teams, worst men's and women's indoor track and field teams, and Worst men's and womens outdoor track and field teams. And to think they won CC conference and the men's team was runner up just two seasons ago. Excuses mean nothing. The proof is in the pudding. Something must be done. Lets face it. There is no team in this conference that is just that good that ULL can't compete with them. To put on this type of performance in front of a home crowd is just down right ridiculous. This is nothing against the kids who have worked their butts off all year. The problem lies much higher. You obviously have people who could care less about what happens to this program in the drivers seat. This includes coaches and administrators . They lack guidance, preparation, and motivation. Now some might see most of us "naysayers" as just people wanting to relive the glory days. The fact of the matter is that the glory days should have been this weekend. Losing is not an option.

Don't knock the cross country guys. Yes, they won conference 2 years ago. Then they lost pretty much 6 of those 7 guys, so this year was a down year. With the guys we've got coming in next year (about 6 xc guys) plus myself (just transfered in January) and also with the help of Phill Guidry and the other returners I know we willl be back on top. We are not shy about voicing the fact that we intend on winning conference xc this coming season, at least I know I'm not shy about saying that. We have the man power now, just wait.

As for the track team, I know we picked up some VERY talented guys (sprinters) from the Dallas, TX area. A few from Kimball HS and a few from other HS's in the Dallas area. Kyle Ward (who was 2nd indoors in hurdles) will be back for track along with some other strong returners. Last place won't happen again.

[Turbine]

Don't knock the cross country guys. Yes, they won conference 2 years ago. Then they lost pretty much 6 of those 7 guys, so this year was a down year. With the guys we've got coming in next year (about 6 xc guys) plus myself (just transfered in January) and also with the help of Phill Guidry and the other returners I know we willl be back on top. We are not shy about voicing the fact that we intend on winning conference xc this coming season, at least I know I'm not shy about saying that. We have the man power now, just wait.

As for the track team, I know we picked up some VERY talented guys (sprinters) from the Dallas, TX area. A few from Kimball HS and a few from other HS's in the Dallas area. Kyle Ward (who was 2nd indoors in hurdles) will be back for track along with some other strong returners. Last place won't happen again.

Good news.

[GetTheFacts1st]

Ok. You guys keep bagging on Coach but do any of you realise that there is no support from the university for the mens or womens program. No finacial or moral support at all. Lancon had been a fixture in the track community here for a very long time. Half of the budget he generated came from his salary. You guys want to change the track program start by donating large sums of money for recruiting, hell for that matter fund a scholarship because the university will not fund all of the ncaa allowed scholarships. You think there are great track athletes in this state you are sadly mistaken. The program will turn around due to the new track. We will hot the conference meet again next year also. Why don't you guys help out instead of _____ing about it, donate time, money, equipment ect.

I can promise you the results this year will not be duplicated next year.

Sorry, but it looks like a repeat of tragic proportions.

The NCAA limit happens to be available from the University. The coach simply hasn't gotten off his lazy butt and convinced anyone to sign over the past few years. If he has htis year we haven't seen it in the news. (Why would anyone want to be a part of THIS doormat?) There have been folks in this state that people are signing and winning with in other parts of the state that have NEVER heard from our coaches. This coach may be a nice guy, but NICE guys should not keep their jobs in any workplace when they are lazy, make excuses and don't get the job done and when they DON'T qualify anyone for the NCAA's. I am told that more than 100 Louisiana ahtletes qualified for the NCAA's this year and We had NONE of those. None of these coaches has a clue I am told that other runners have another outside coach and other athletes are looking outside the program as well for help. What a cluster "you know what!!"

Another poster said we got the Sun Belt meet because of Katrina. I am told that Doc got the meet long before Katrina becasue he "thought" he had just bought a great new facility. What he bought was a mediocre HS facility with aboslutely no one to lead it.

..... I forgot to mention that its time for a change. There are HS coaches in the city limits of Lafayette who can bring this porogram back to its good fortunes while blindfolded.

[BrentAlmand]

I just transfered to UL in January, and red-shirted indoor and outdoor track. But I can promise you that you will see a huge turn around next year. The coaches worked very hard with everyone this year and it should pay off big next year. We are a very young team.

You talk about quailifying for NCAA's as if it is a stroll in the park. It is NOT. I'm willing to bet that about 99% of the 100 Louisiana kids that made it to NCAA's were sprinters. The 2 South Alabama guys are from Kenya, so I don't know if they are included. We are in prehaps the hardest region of track with Arkansas (the most successful team in the history of NCAA track, espically distance.)

As for the other acqusitions (sp?) I don't know anything about that, but then again I'm the new guy. All in all, just give it some time. I don't know how things were before I got to UL but I am very confident in our ability to be conference champs next year.

-Brent

[GetTheFacts1st]

Peace be with you all.

[GetTheFacts1st]

I just transfered to UL in January, and red-shirted indoor and outdoor track. But I can promise you that you will see a huge turn around next year. The coaches worked very hard with everyone this year and it should pay off big next year. We are a very young team.

You talk about quailifying for NCAA's as if it is a stroll in the park. It is NOT. I'm willing to bet that about 99% of the 100 Louisiana kids that made it to NCAA's were sprinters. The 2 South Alabama guys are from Kenya, so I don't know if they are included. We are in prehaps the hardest region of track with Arkansas (the most successful team in the history of NCAA track, espically distance.)

As for the other acqusitions (sp?) I don't know anything about that, but then again I'm the new guy. All in all, just give it some time. I don't know how things were before I got to UL but I am very confident in our ability to be conference champs next year.

-Brent

After my post I received a phone call. I was wrong. Louisiana universities actually qualified 150 athletes (men and women) to the NCAA regionals and UL had NONE and weren't close to getting any. I was also told that it is MUCH easier to qualify now because the standards are FAR lower. So yes, qualifying IS a stoll in the park if 150 athletes did it with lower standards. The SAD thing is UL had ZERO-ZIP-NADA of these 150. I was told that EVEN Nicholls State had someone. NICHOLLS STATE???????? The fact that Arkansas is in the region has nothing to do with Cajun athletes' failing to meet lower and attainable standards. Southeastern qualified 10, McNeese 10 and Northwestern 11. And they weren't all sprinters. Many were my beloved field people. Javelin throwers, pole vaulters and jumpers qualified.

Give it time? Nahhh, don't think so. Of six Sun Belt track championships contested this year, the Cajuns finished DEAD LAST IN FIVE OF THEM and were NEXT TO LAST (with a meager 20 points) in the other one. What do we need, one more season to make it 6 of 6 ???? (One distance runner, BTW, can score 20 points).

Ummm, sorry, but the coaches DID NOT work hard. All they did was spin their wheels (doing "busy" work). They got lost in Houston, and kept a van full of athletes from competing earlier in the season. They got embarrassed at EVERY meet they ran....especially the Texas relays with NO BETTER than HIGH SCHOOL performances across the board. If the coaches worked as hard as you say, they would have done better than LAST in FIVE of SIX track championshps. If YOU think they worked hard, you've either been misled, or brainwashed, or you don't understand what hard work is. Good RESULTS are the result of HARD work. Therefore, if we were last in 5 of 6, you do the math. WHAT kind of report card is that?

Uhhh, "CF" = COACHES FLUNKED!

BTW what events do you do and what are your times or distances if you're a field event person. As much as you want to contribute, you will go it alone. There are no other horses in the stable, just a bunch of mules going through the motions in the office. Uhh, that is when you can find one of them.

As for the "young team" excuse, you have a "young" team because NO ONE recruited people worth a flip after Coach Lancon died. That young team crapola is a trite excuse you're being fed by the lazies in the coaches office. That same excuse was used last year and gotten old. When the program continues to falter, what excuse will there be then? Those young guys got too old and too slow too fast?

A new coaches staff from top to bottom is the only way this ship will be righted. ALL of them need to seek a career change, because they are dismal at this one.

[Xlettrman]

Oh hounddog...Finally another person with a brain. Veazey is a great person, maybe a great assistant coach...I don't know how though...but he destroyed the track program and has nothing but excuses--He's apoor recruiter, poor fundraiser, and has poor relationships with area coaches!

[cajun4ever]

After my post I received a phone call. I was wrong. Louisiana universities actually qualified 150 athletes (men and women) to the NCAA regionals and UL had NONE and weren't close to getting any. I was also told that it is MUCH easier to qualify now because the standards are FAR lower. So yes, qualifying IS a stoll in the park if 150 athletes did it with lower standards. The SAD thing is UL had ZERO-ZIP-NADA of these 150. I was told that EVEN Nicholls State had someone. NICHOLLS STATE???????? The fact that Arkansas is in the region has nothing to do with Cajun athletes' failing to meet lower and attainable standards. Southeastern qualified 10, McNeese 10 and Northwestern 11. And they weren't all sprinters. Many were my beloved field people. Javelin throwers, pole vaulters and jumpers qualified.

Give it time? Nahhh, don't think so. Of six Sun Belt track championships contested this year, the Cajuns finished DEAD LAST IN FIVE OF THEM and were NEXT TO LAST (with a meager 20 points) in the other one. What do we need, one more season to make it 6 of 6 ???? (One distance runner, BTW, can score 20 points).

Ummm, sorry, but the coaches DID NOT work hard. All they did was spin their wheels (doing "busy" work). They got lost in Houston, and kept a van full of athletes from competing earlier in the season. They got embarrassed at EVERY meet they ran....especially the Texas relays with NO BETTER than HIGH SCHOOL performances across the board. If the coaches worked as hard as you say, they would have done better than LAST in FIVE of SIX track championshps. If YOU think they worked hard, you've either been misled, or brainwashed, or you don't understand what hard work is. Good RESULTS are the result of HARD work. Therefore, if we were last in 5 of 6, you do the math. WHAT kind of report card is that?

Uhhh, "CF" = COACHES FLUNKED!

BTW what events do you do and what are your times or distances if you're a field event person. As much as you want to contribute, you will go it alone. There are no other horses in the stable, just a bunch of mules going through the motions in the office. Uhh, that is when you can find one of them.

As for the "young team" excuse, you have a "young" team because NO ONE recruited people worth a flip after Coach Lancon died. That young team crapola is a trite excuse you're being fed by the lazies in the coaches office. That same excuse was used last year and gotten old. When the program continues to falter, what excuse will there be then? Those young guys got too old and too slow too fast?

A new coaches staff from top to bottom is the only way this ship will be righted. ALL of them need to seek a career change, because they are dismal at this one.

Halleluiah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!