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Shannon Miller out at UMD?

Re: Shannon Miller out at UMD?

I have no opinion on whether she should stay or leave. But comparing the difficulty to winning at a division 2 state school versus a Big Ten university is pretty funny. Winning at Minnesota or Wisconsin is far less impressive than winning at UMD. You could argue coaches at the state schools should get more given the disadvantages.

You on to something there. Minnesota could probably get a cardboard cutout for a coach and spit out 30+ win seasons and even an occasional 41-0 season. It's like pressing one of those Staples "That was easy buttons."

Who could argue with such logic?
 
Re: Shannon Miller out at UMD?

Not only that, but she has to talk players into spending winters (and spring, and fall) in Duluth!

Have you ever been to Duluth? You couldn't talk me into spending that much time there (particularly when the alternatives are Boston, or Madison, or the Twin Cities, or...)

:-)

Grand Forks? :eek:
 
Re: Shannon Miller out at UMD?

I have no opinion on whether she should stay or leave. But comparing the difficulty to winning at a division 2 state school versus a Big Ten university is pretty funny. Winning at Minnesota or Wisconsin is far less impressive than winning at UMD. You could argue coaches at the state schools should get more given the disadvantages.

She did it by leveraging her contacts in international hockey. Miller got the best of Europe and many from Canada. What has changed is that she no longer gets all of them, a few go to BSU, NDU, OSU (a couple even went to UM!). Her fall from the top tier maps nicely to that inability to get all of them & I know it was her personality that foiled her on more than one prospect. Yeah, its a tougher sell but if a coacj can convince a walk across the parking lot to get from the locker room to the ice is OK Duluth should be able to do OK.
 
Re: Shannon Miller out at UMD?

I have no opinion on whether she should stay or leave. But comparing the difficulty to winning at a division 2 state school versus a Big Ten university is pretty funny. Winning at Minnesota or Wisconsin is far less impressive than winning at UMD. You could argue coaches at the state schools should get more given the disadvantages.

Right it's not like they are Clarkson or something
 
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Re: Shannon Miller out at UMD?

Not only that, but she has to talk players into spending winters (and spring, and fall) in Duluth!

Have you ever been to Duluth? You couldn't talk me into spending that much time there (particularly when the alternatives are Boston, or Madison, or the Twin Cities, or...)

:-)

But, some coach at UMD managed, in the past, to win there, so we know it can be done.
 
Re: Shannon Miller out at UMD?

Short interview with Miller.

One of the things that I find interesting, (maybe unfortunate is a better word), in these articles is that the majority of these "journalists", (maybe cub reporters would be more accurate), after explaining that Miller is being let go by not having her contract renewed, because UMD has claimed that it can't afford to continue to pay her what it presently does, also point out the fact that UMD's Mens' coach gets paid more than Miller but they conveniently forget or neglect to mention that his contract is not yet up for renewal. That's an important fact if you're going to bring him into the picture. Seems to me that these people are either incompetent or dishonest.

Are they knowingly just trying to stir the pot and add an element of sensationalism to increase readership? If so, it's just another example of the rampant lack of honesty that pervades western society nowadays. As the saying goes, a truth untold is a lie and a fact hidden is censorship. Incompetence is bad enough but conscious dishonesty should come home to roost for these people. Journalism is supposed to clarify issues not add to any misunderstanding or confusion that may already exist in the reader's mind with respect to the issue at hand.


http://www.curvemag.com/Lifestyle/Iced-Out-378/
 
Re: Shannon Miller out at UMD?

And Black's response to the politicians...Notice the category tag above the photo says "Politics" as opposed to "Sports".

http://www.mprnews.org/story/2015/02/24/coach-firing


And this interesting article linked in the story linked above...the plot thickens some more...

http://blogs.mprnews.org/newscut/2015/02/umd-chancellor-says-coachs-termination-unfairly-portrayed/

And the author of the last article claims in a comment below his article that the UMD newspaper is apparently now refusing to cover the story. I believe I read an article that they did on this topic early on showing that they were willing or able to do it then.
 
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Re: Shannon Miller out at UMD?

Two good articles.

The second one is hilarious...it's a leaked UMD Women's Head Coach Job Posting.



The Secret’s Out

16 February 2015


Friday I asked a commenter to show me anywhere that I have said Coach Miller should be reinstated or should have had her contract renewed. She won’t find a single instance and hasn’t bothered to respond.

I want tUMD’s teams to win every game. I want what’s best for the team. In women’s hockey, I want to return to beating the Gophers and Wisconsin like rented mules.

If, after the season, tUMD had chosen to part ways with Coach Miller and had gone out and found a new coach with experience, recruiting connections, and a fresh take on the program, I would have supported it.

That’s not what happened. I cannot support the way UMD has handled this situation. The ends do not justify the means. And we don’t know what the ends are. We don’t know who the next coach will be. We don’t know if any players will leave. I don’t want a single one of them to go. I don’t even want the seniors to leave, and they have to.

I can’t support “saving money” as a criterion for replacing a coach, or for hiring a new one.

I can’t support double standards in how men are perceived vs. how women are perceived. I don’t need to hear anyone clutching their pearls over how Coach Miller comports herself on the bench, while ignoring or even applauding men who behave similarly.

I can’t support “non-revenue sport” as a justification for inequity in pay between two Division One coaches of the same sport. Title IX doesn’t support that, either.

I can’t support the sexist, homophobic things people have said about Coach Miller and about the women’s hockey program over the years. She may be abrasive, she may be blunt, but that’s no reason to attack her looks, her sexuality, or her gender; that applies to the players, too. I can’t support the blatant lies about the quality of women’s hockey as a whole that are spouted by neanderthals everywhere and accepted as fact.

I can’t support criticisms of cronyism lobbied at the former Chancellor over her choice to pay Miller based on her success and her experience, when no one blinks an eye at the rampant cronyism in men’s sports.

I can’t support those who tell Coach Miller to shut up and go quietly. If there are Title IX violations at UMD, the very last thing she should do is shut up and go quietly.

I can’t support people who never gave a single line of print to women’s hockey charging in to find all manner of reasons to justify UMD’s decision, then receding into the background and ignoring the game again. I also can’t support people who never gave a single line of print to women’s hockey giving a single article questioning the school’s decision and then disappearing. Women’s hockey will never grow without continued media interest, covering the good and the bad, not just the ugly.

I can’t support people who think not only should Coach Miller have been gone years ago, but so should the program. (Folding the program without replacing it with another Division 1 sport would be a Title IX violation, idiots.)

I can’t support people who argue Coach Miller is paid too little compared to her peers without stopping to consider her peers are paid too little in comparison to her.

Somehow I get painted as an unequivocal Coach Miller supporter simply because I don’t like how this was handled and I don’t like the message being sent about women’s hockey. I don’t like the message being sent to student-athletes, interrupting their final exams week to face a media storm and uncertainty about their future. I don’t like the message being sent to past, present, and future women’s hockey players, coaches, and fans: you cost too much money, your sport is not worth it, this is a second-class sport. I don’t like when people act as though there’s a zero-sum game being played between men’s and women’s hockey, that men’s hockey suffers because of women’s hockey. I don’t like the double standard applied to Coach Miller vs. her male counterparts. I don’t like to read comment after comment on news stories about Coach Miller’s looks or appearance. She looks professional; nothing else matters. I don’t like that people cannot separate if this should have happened from how it happened; I don’t like that there are people who don’t care, who think this is what Coach Miller deserves and it doesn’t matter how it happened. I don’t like that there are people who can’t see that while it might be time to move on, there might also be Title IX violations or discriminatory actions happening concurrently. I don’t like that even reporting legitimate Title IX violations is career suicide for a coach.

I am okay with a coaching change, but there’s so much about how this coaching change is transpiring that troubles me, and that’s what I have chosen to discuss. It might be hard for some people to grasp this concept, but that’s of no concern to me.
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from → Eleventh Season

******************

Leaked! UMD Women’s Head Coach Job Posting

10 February 2015


tags: Bulldog Hockey, college hockey, Hockey, Title IX, UMD Bulldogs, UMD Hockey, Women's Hockey


Comrades, I know the season isn’t over yet, and I know the search for the next head coach of UMD women’s hockey hasn’t officially begun, but I have found a preliminary posting for the position.

Job Code and Title (0000) Head Coach, Women’s Hockey
Position Title Head Coach, Women’s Hockey
Job Code 0000
Requisition Number 123456
Position Category Faculty and Instructional
Appointment Term A = 12 months
Appointment Type Multi-year Contract
Work Hours 40
Work Days M-S
Total Hours or % Appointment 100%
Full/Part-time Full-Time
Starting Rate 70 cents on the dollar of what an average men’s coach makes
Department Name UMD Department of Athletics
College or Admin Unit N/A
Campus Location Duluth
Job Open Date 06-01-2015
Job Close Date Open Until Filled
Internal Promotional Consideration ABSOLUTELY NOT
Required/Preferred Qualifications

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
Heterosexual.
Conventionally attractive (if female. If male, who cares?)
Nice.
Meek.
Soft-spoken. If female, speak only when spoken to. Do not engage in any civil rights campaigns. Do not swear. Do not mention inequity in resources.
Head up national task force to repeal Title IX, because don’t you women already have everything you want?

Recruit English Speaking American, no, Minnesotan players exclusively.

Fill stands for all home games in order to justify the existence of the program. No freebies allowed.

Personally apologize to season ticket holders, boosters, and taxpayers of the state of Minnesota for any loss to Minnesota or Wisconsin.

Accept significantly less pay than men’s hockey counterparts of similar background, and feel that is justified because their job and their team are more important.

Lobby for rule changes to allow checking in women’s hockey.

Alternatively, lobby for name change of sport because it isn’t really hockey.

Curtsy or bow before and after addressing any on- or off-ice official, Athletic Department staff member, booster, or men’s hockey fan. Keep eyes downcast in deference during conversation.

Turn profit in first season of coaching, else fold the program.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
Have watched at least one live hockey game, or completed one season in NHL ’15.

Application Instructions The University of Minnesota requires that you apply online for this position. For a complete position description and information on how to apply online, visit https://employment.umn.edu/applicants/Central?quickFind=123456

A complete application includes a cover letter, resume/CV, current contact information for three references, and coaching philosophy statement (Additional Doc 1).

Complete applications will be reviewed beginning June 1, 2015 and continue until the position is filled. Questions should be addressed to Josh Berlo at [redacted] or 218-[redacted].

Any offer of employment is contingent upon the successful completion of a background check. Our presumption is that prospective employees are eligible to work here. Criminal convictions do not automatically disqualify finalists from employment. Having once had a Russian player whose former coach lied about compensating her does disqualify candidates, as does any mention of Title IX, equal pay, women’s rights, marriage equality, sequinned blazers, or Kathryn Martin.

If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please contact the University of Minnesota Disability Specialist at [redacted].

Smoking is prohibited on all UMD property. The smoking ban includes indoor facilities and the campus grounds, as well as all University vehicles. We will let you chew tobacco wherever you want.

Individuals from underrepresented groups are discouraged from applying.

The University of Minnesota is an equal opportunity educator and employer.
.


28 Comments
 
Re: Shannon Miller out at UMD?

Honestly, you can't make this stuff up...So now Miller was telling UMD they needed do more to keep up with the big bad WCHA teams. All the while having minuscule revenue and a large deficit of expenses. So where was the money going to come from for adding the full time director of hockey operations, or the scholarships for summer classes or a 5th year?

Oh that's right, that could have been added to the funding that was already coming from the profits of the men's program because, yes, money really does grow on trees. Or at least on the back of the men's program which of course will have to be vilified later on for inequity in head coaching salaries.
 
Re: Shannon Miller out at UMD?

I can’t support those who tell Coach Miller to shut up and go quietly.

Somehow I get painted as an unequivocal Coach Miller supporter simply because I don’t like how this was handled
10 February 2015

Wow talk about getting sloppy drunk on the cool aid!

What I can’t support is someone who cannot consider (even for a moment) that the administration may have been the only ones putting the student athlete’s interest at the forefront... most specifically ahead of their own.

I can’t support someone who fails to accept the premise that perhaps that they have been trying all along to take the high road in terms of communicating their primary position… thus avoiding an even uglier situation for the players.

I can’t support someone who (with all the information out there) can’t even consider that just possibly it’s been the coach’s unacceptable behavior (not her gender, sexual orientation, performance, compensation, etc.) to which has made it necessary for the institution to move in a different direction.

And…yes, for the sake of the program and the PLAYERS I do feel she should just shut up and go quietly.
 
Wow talk about getting sloppy drunk on the cool aid!

What I can’t support is someone who cannot consider (even for a moment) that the administration may have been the only ones putting the student athlete’s interest at the forefront... most specifically ahead of their own.

I can’t support someone who fails to accept the premise that perhaps that they have been trying all along to take the high road in terms of communicating their primary position… thus avoiding an even uglier situation for the players.

I can’t support someone who (with all the information out there) can’t even consider that just possibly it’s been the coach’s unacceptable behavior (not her gender, sexual orientation, performance, compensation, etc.) to which has made it necessary for the institution to move in a different direction.

And…yes, for the sake of the program and the PLAYERS I do feel she should just shut up and go quietly.
New Post of the Year. Right there.
 
Re: Shannon Miller out at UMD?

Wow talk about getting sloppy drunk on the cool aid!

What I can’t support is someone who cannot consider (even for a moment) that the administration may have been the only ones putting the student athlete’s interest at the forefront... most specifically ahead of their own.

I can’t support someone who fails to accept the premise that perhaps that they have been trying all along to take the high road in terms of communicating their primary position… thus avoiding an even uglier situation for the players.

I can’t support someone who (with all the information out there) can’t even consider that just possibly it’s been the coach’s unacceptable behavior (not her gender, sexual orientation, performance, compensation, etc.) to which has made it necessary for the institution to move in a different direction.

And…yes, for the sake of the program and the PLAYERS I do feel she should just shut up and go quietly.

Agree with Brookyone...Excellent post, frozenfeet.
 
Re: Shannon Miller out at UMD?

Maybe I can save some time for these senators and help them "understand" the situation better.

Comparing placement and records of UMD and their main competition for the last 4 years, UMD has finished 4th each of the last 4 years in the WCHA behind UND, Wisconsin, and Minnesota.

overall records for the last 4 years listed by wins, losses, and ties:

UM - 142 - 9 - 7
WIS - 108 - 29 - 10
UND - 88 - 47 - 11
UMD - 69 - 55 - 16

Those numbers don't lie and if I were the highest paid coach with those numbers, I would be thinking my days are numbered when it comes to contract renewal.

Capisce?

It appears Gov. Goofy may have actually taken his medicine today.

I have been told that he has done a 180 and removed his support for the aforementioned letter and has told the 13 Senators to back off.
 
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Re: Shannon Miller out at UMD?

And…yes, for the sake of the program and the PLAYERS I do feel she should just shut up and go quietly.

Sometimes a leader has to do what's best for those they are leading, though it may not be in their best interest personally. I don't think she gives a crap about the players, she has made this all about her, setting a bad example for her players. I wonder how many will bolt from the program due to their misguided loyalty to Miller and her cause.
 
Re: Shannon Miller out at UMD?

I have been told that he has done a 180 and removed his support for the aforementioned letter and has told the 13 Senators to back off.
Hmmm...if true I wonder what new information came to light that would have led to the sudden reversal. :confused:

Moral of the story, again assuming it's true: Know all the facts before signing a petition and encouraging others to do the same, especially if you're the elected leader of a State! :rolleyes:
 
Re: Shannon Miller out at UMD?

when somebody mentioned the number of players who she cut from UMD before this year, they forgot to mention the Canadian that transferred from Maine (I believe, could be wrong about the school) came to Duluth, took a look around, and continued back home to Canada (Manitoba I believe).
Smart girl.
 
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