NVA Runner wrote:
OK...my mistake. Why has Taylor alienated the local schools so much?
I would not expect GMU to be signing some of the very best talent in Fairfax County each year. If these girls choose to stay in Virginia, they almost all end up at Tech, UVA, W&M or Madison. But, there is a lot of 2nd tier talent out there - girls running around 20 minutes or even better for 5K. What surprises me is that Mason doesn't seem to be signing any of those runners either.
From my time here it stems from a number of factors:
1. The former HC, Norm Gordon, was very good at keeping up with the local talent and staying on good terms with the HS coaches that could feed his program. Taylor probably could not tell you more than 1 or 2 names of local HS coaches, and probably no distance coaches.
2. Poor mismanagement of HS meets run by her program - poor communications, high entry fees, limited fields.
3. Failure to recruit local talent when the athlete is dropped in her lap. She could have a strong group of walk-on athletes, but restricts them so much on her team that they are discouraged from attending GMU. Not all athletes should be able to walk-on, but ones that are faster than the current GMU roster should have a shot. Also, low cost quality athletes are readily available, but are neglected to keep numbers low.
4. Program instability - The HS coaches in the area notice the trend of a distance coach being there for a year or two and leaving. They just cannot deal with no scholarship help, and a limited roster. Why should I send my athletes to GMU if they are going to be coached by 3-4 coaches and possibly 3-4 differing philosophies. I'm sure Harvey, Binning, and Freeman (I think that was the last guy's name) are capable coaches, but they were fighting a losing a battle from the beginning.