The Barr Has Been Raised at UMaine

[AMC]

I'd rather have someone with goals and ambitions. If you are a climber, you have to succeed in your present job to get the next job (Blake James aside). Maine is low enough on the college sports totem pole that if we want success and results, we are going to need to hire people who will move on eventually.

Show me someone in the 2020's who will stay at Maine for decades and I will show you someone whose career is stalled due to non-performance.

[amkirby10]

I'd rather have someone with goals and ambitions. If you are a climber, you have to succeed in your present job to get the next job (Blake James aside). Maine is low enough on the college sports totem pole that if we want success and results, we are going to need to hire people who will move on eventually.

Show me someone in the 2020's who will stay at Maine for decades and I will show you someone whose career is stalled due to non-performance.

For a school like Maine, my guess would be the only competent person who would ever even consider staying in a role like AD here in the long term and do well at it is either an alumnus of the school or a native of the state, or both. And even then, they will probably still choose to move on to something bigger and better once they have a few successful years here, so that may as well be chasing a unicorn. It's just the natural status of a school like Maine, and everyone knows it.

[umhockey91]

It's not the total length of tenure at Miami but the number of different jobs. He's still young and is a climber - not that there's anything wrong with that as many of us are looking for the next step up. It's simply that UM AD is not the pinnacle position in his profession. As AD, there's no room for a promotion like he had at Miami, so the next logical step up is to step out. Five years max. The only way he becomes a lifer, IMO, is if he tanks and can't get another job. And we definitely don't want that.

On the other hand, his name brings up memories of one of my sports heroes: Jean-Claude Killy, who didn't simply win 3 gold medals in skiing at the 1968 Olympics - he won all of the skiing events for men.

Disagree on a couple of your points....14 years at Miami of Ohio doesn't matter??? I would hope that he had a number of different jobs there because staying in one position from age 36 to age 50 would be career and financial suicide. He's still "young"? Age 50 is not "young". In college athletics 50 is mid-career and on the downside. And it's worth noting.....Killy will be getting $250K.....a $35K raise from the $215K that Ken Ralph was making.

Yeah I don’t think it’s fair to assume this guy is going to jump at the first opportunity.

Personally, I think the athletics department is in the best shape it’s been in 15 years. We have a ton of young, ambitious coaches. Ken Ralph left this thing in pretty good shape. I still wonder why he left, I hope it wasn’t over disagreements with higher ups and their view of athletics.

The lack of progress on the alfond donation and facilities master plan is a bit concerning. Granted I haven’t been on campus since summer 2021 but last I heard the softball field is the only thing that’s really made progress. I just hope they don’t run out of money before they get to the hockey Renovations since it seemed like they were later down the line.

I agree that the athletic department is in better shape now than it has been in quite a while. Regarding facilities....the updated master plan makes a lot of sense....there is a series of phases that are taking advantage of location to save money on construction. If you look at the maps in this thread: https://umainesports.freeforums.net/...facilities-nov

You'll notice the projects moving in a counter clockwise completion timeline. Hockey projects are due to be completed before the basketball arena which I think guarantees that they will happen sooner rather than later. It also should be noted that raw material costs should be (are?) coming down which will positively impact many of these facility construction budgets.

The current planned timeline for construction projects:

1. Softball/Field Hockey/Alfond Scoreboards

2. Soccer/Track/Shawn Walsh Center Addition

3. Parking/Access Road/New Dome

4. Morse Arena(Basketball)/Parking/Morse Stadium Improvements

5. Mahoney Diamond Improvements

6. Memorial Gym Addition

7. Auxiliary Team Facilities

[Snively65]

It's not the total length of tenure at Miami but the number of different jobs. He's still young and is a climber - not that there's anything wrong with that as many of us are looking for the next step up. It's simply that UM AD is not the pinnacle position in his profession. As AD, there's no room for a promotion like he had at Miami, so the next logical step up is to step out. Five years max. The only way he becomes a lifer, IMO, is if he tanks and can't get another job. And we definitely don't want that.

On the other hand, his name brings up memories of one of my sports heroes: Jean-Claude Killy, who didn't simply win 3 gold medals in skiing at the 1968 Olympics - he won all of the skiing events for men.

Jean Claude Killy was my sports hero, too. In March 1967, my parents let me play hooky from school so that I could see JCK win the DH at Cannon Mountain as part of the North American Alpine Championships. The DH course had to be lengthened across the flat swamp at the base to meet the FIS requirements at the time, which were soon thereafter changed so that DH courses could no longer qualify for FIS events in the East. JCK clocked 75+ mph on the big turn above the Avalanche trail where we were stationed, and finished in 1 min 31 sec. Whoosh! March 1967 was also when the French ski team introduced the maroon Rossignol Strato skis to North America, and by the next winter it seemed like every kid in New England except for me had them (I continued to race on my Kneissel Red Stars).

[Drew S.]

I just don’t see how Jude gains much traction with the various stakeholders. I would go a different direction and hire someone with local ties to be the face of the athletic department. If you did that and then have deputies handle compliance and things like that the department would be much better off.

[umhockey91]

How did Ken Ralph gain traction with stakeholders?

[UncleRay]

Disagree on a couple of your points....14 years at Miami of Ohio doesn't matter??? I would hope that he had a number of different jobs there because staying in one position from age 36 to age 50 would be career and financial suicide. He's still "young"? Age 50 is not "young". In college athletics 50 is mid-career and on the downside.

The difference between 36 and 50 is the same as 50 to retirement. If he was looking to climb for the past 15, he'll be looking to climb for the next 15. Advancement within a department can be easier - and smarter - than looking elsewhere sometimes. As I already pointed out, as UM AD, there's no room for internal advancement, so if he is successful at Maine - and we all want him to be - it is not where he will retire from.

[UncleRay]

Jean Claude Killy was my sports hero, too...

Thanks for the memories, snives. After high school I was an exchange student in the Swiss alps for a year. I skied a few World Cup courses and every one of them was terrifying! A conversation starter I regularly employ is, "if you could have been a world class athlete, what would your sport/discipline have been?" For me, it would have been downhill ski racer. Point 'em and go, none of that sissy turning stuff!

[Snively65]

Thanks for the memories, snives. After high school I was an exchange student in the Swiss alps for a year. I skied a few World Cup courses and every one of them was terrifying! A conversation starter I regularly employ is, "if you could have been a world class athlete, what would your sport/discipline have been?" For me, it would have been downhill ski racer. Point 'em and go, none of that sissy turning stuff!

Me too! Favorite ski film from that time frame was “Downhill Racer” starring Robert Redford. :-)

[walrus]

How did Ken Ralph gain traction with stakeholders?

He left for other stake holders

[umhockey91]

The difference between 36 and 50 is the same as 50 to retirement. If he was looking to climb for the past 15, he'll be looking to climb for the next 15. Advancement within a department can be easier - and smarter - than looking elsewhere sometimes. As I already pointed out, as UM AD, there's no room for internal advancement, so if he is successful at Maine - and we all want him to be - it is not where he will retire from.

If you think that 36 to 50 is mentally and physically the same as 50 to 65.....I've got some oceanfront property to sell you in Arizona. I just don't see someone who is obsessed with "moving up" staying at Miami of Ohio for 15 years through his 30s and 40s. And at 50 he is taking a position in Orono, Maine that only pays $250K??? He will pocket $1.25 million if he stays for 5 years....I'm OK with that. That sees us through a good chunk of new facility development. Maybe once his daughters graduate he will want to take a position where he wants to retire....wherever that may be.

[umhockey91]

He left for other stake holders

That's nice....but you didn't answer my question.

[umhockey91]

So many UMaine fans remind me of today's weather.....a bunch of snowflakes.

[Drew S.]

How did Ken Ralph gain traction with stakeholders?

Did he?

[BlackBearFan19]

It’s hard to argue against Ralph as a successful AD. I don’t know how instrumental he was in landing the Alfond donation but it happened on his watch so he deserves some credit.

He hired some really bright young coaches and the master plan was developed under his leadership. I have no problems with that guy and if the new guy is like him, I’d be pretty pleased.