The Extraordinary Failures of Mike Crowe:
It is time for The Protocol to throw down the verdict on the USSPEEDSKATING Program Director. Here is my idea of Mike Crowe's Top 10 Failures:
1. Cushman's overtraining "experiments," and failure to learn from them, leading to the underperformance or outright career ending of several athletes.
2. Failure to develop a women's sprint team.
3. Poor team atmosphere.
4. Blatant favoritism, leading eventually to Olympic failure.
5. Failure to integrate alternative-program athletes (and misrepresenting this to the media as well).
6. Failure to intervene in the bad-mouthing of Shani Davis by teammates and administrators.
7. Underperformance of the 2006 Long Track Olympic Team, relative to expectations stated by at least one board member.
8. Failure to fill all spots in the Women's 1500 meters at the Olympics.
9. Failure of the men's Olympic pursuit team.
10. Failure of the women's Olympic pursuit team.
My personal feeling and experience is that Crowe lacked both the integrity and the planning ability that was needed to lead this team throughout the past Olympic cycle. Through the things I've heard him say to the media and to the athletes, he seemed to lose track of the fact that WORDS HAVE A MEANING, and that ACTIONS HAVE CONSEQUENCES.
Some athletes have had good experiences working with Mike Crowe. I think he does just fine working as a coach with a small group of male skaters. But the job of Program Director was way over his head. Not only that: In my opinion, no female speedskater should ever be within Crowe's sphere of influence in any way, be it coaching, team selection, or anything else. I can't imagine that it would be a good thing, whether you're the favorite or the unfavorite.
Even if USSPEEDSKATING could see the magnitude of Mike Crowe's crap-tastic leadership the way I see it, where would they find a replacement? What person having the credentials necessary for such a position would be willing to work with USSPEEDSKATING as it is right now?
Still, I had to say these things. The reason why I resent Mike Crowe is that it always seemed that he was laughing at me for banging my head against the wall in this sport. The fact that I cared so much, and was willing to take so much pain -- it just felt like this was some sort of colossal joke to him.
But when I told one of my friends of this perception, that Crowe was "the jester in the corner," my friend replied, "No way. He's just a country bumpkin. He's not even smart enough to be the jester."
So here it is, like you won't get it anywhere else: A brutally honest assessment of the USSPEEDSKATING Program Director's failures in the 2002-2006 Olympic Cycle. I should get some sort of award for not using unprintable language on this one.
It is time for The Protocol to throw down the verdict on the USSPEEDSKATING Program Director. Here is my idea of Mike Crowe's Top 10 Failures:
1. Cushman's overtraining "experiments," and failure to learn from them, leading to the underperformance or outright career ending of several athletes.
2. Failure to develop a women's sprint team.
3. Poor team atmosphere.
4. Blatant favoritism, leading eventually to Olympic failure.
5. Failure to integrate alternative-program athletes (and misrepresenting this to the media as well).
6. Failure to intervene in the bad-mouthing of Shani Davis by teammates and administrators.
7. Underperformance of the 2006 Long Track Olympic Team, relative to expectations stated by at least one board member.
8. Failure to fill all spots in the Women's 1500 meters at the Olympics.
9. Failure of the men's Olympic pursuit team.
10. Failure of the women's Olympic pursuit team.
My personal feeling and experience is that Crowe lacked both the integrity and the planning ability that was needed to lead this team throughout the past Olympic cycle. Through the things I've heard him say to the media and to the athletes, he seemed to lose track of the fact that WORDS HAVE A MEANING, and that ACTIONS HAVE CONSEQUENCES.
Some athletes have had good experiences working with Mike Crowe. I think he does just fine working as a coach with a small group of male skaters. But the job of Program Director was way over his head. Not only that: In my opinion, no female speedskater should ever be within Crowe's sphere of influence in any way, be it coaching, team selection, or anything else. I can't imagine that it would be a good thing, whether you're the favorite or the unfavorite.
Even if USSPEEDSKATING could see the magnitude of Mike Crowe's crap-tastic leadership the way I see it, where would they find a replacement? What person having the credentials necessary for such a position would be willing to work with USSPEEDSKATING as it is right now?
Still, I had to say these things. The reason why I resent Mike Crowe is that it always seemed that he was laughing at me for banging my head against the wall in this sport. The fact that I cared so much, and was willing to take so much pain -- it just felt like this was some sort of colossal joke to him.
But when I told one of my friends of this perception, that Crowe was "the jester in the corner," my friend replied, "No way. He's just a country bumpkin. He's not even smart enough to be the jester."
So here it is, like you won't get it anywhere else: A brutally honest assessment of the USSPEEDSKATING Program Director's failures in the 2002-2006 Olympic Cycle. I should get some sort of award for not using unprintable language on this one.
posted by Eva at 6:17 PM
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