WAG Georgia- what's going on there?

[Flyaway]

Does anyone keep up with NCAA? I just read that 3 gymnasts were "dismissed" from the team on Friday and then today confirmed that their head coach was fired. I know they haven't been the same powerhouse lately... seems like a lot of drama. Anyone know what's going on?

 

[HoldThePhone]

No idea what's going on, but her being fired doesn't really surprise me. Georgia is not the powerhouse school they once were!

 

[3rd_time_around]

They haven't done well lately. 2 of the dismissed were walk-ons, so maybe they haven't proved themselves. No one knows.

 

[my4buffaloes]

It doesn't make sense to me that they were dismissed but yet did nothing wrong.

 

[amiandjim]

Some rumors popping up that they will be reinstated but no proof yet.

 

[3rd_time_around]

Some rumors popping up that they will be reinstated but no proof yet.

From what I read, that will depend on the new coach, when they find one.

 

[bookworm]

They haven't done well lately. 2 of the dismissed were walk-ons, so maybe they haven't proved themselves. No one knows.

Well "haven't done well lately" is UGA speak for "hasn't won the National championship again"....Durante was there 5 years, made NCAAS all 5 and Super 6 in 3 out of 5 years and this year finished her worst at (horrors!) 12th...and was dismissed. Plenty of schools would like those results but when you operate in the shadow of Suzanne Yoculan , AND Suzanne wields a lot of influence with the program, AND you don't win it all like she did 10 times (even though your roster is nothing like hers was), you are doomed....

I don't see how anyone other that Suzanne herself or another high profile alum (Kupets, Keenan, McCool) even touches that job with the expectations as is.....Kupets is pregnant so she may not even be interested, Suzanne "says" she has retired so would she want to even return officially, McCool sided with Jay Clark when he was fired so that supposedly is a mark against her candidacy and who knows if Heenan would even want it. I saw a discussion on another forum that the AD at Georgia plans to offer KJ Kindler at Oklahoma the most money ever for a gymnastics coach for her to come to UGA but if I'm her, I stay at Oklahoma because I'm the Yoculan there and my dynasty is growing...

It'll be interesting in the next few weeks to see how this all shakes out as the AD at Penn St , Sandy Barbour, was the AD at Cal when Durante was there so could she land there? And her daughter who was set to join her mom's team at UGA, what happens with her? I'd take a gap year if I had to on that...

 

[gasrgoose]

Well "haven't done well lately" is UGA speak for "hasn't won the National championship again"....Durante was there 5 years, made NCAAS all 5 and Super 6 in 3 out of 5 years and this year finished her worst at (horrors!) 12th...and was dismissed. Plenty of schools would like those results but when you operate in the shadow of Suzanne Yoculan , AND Suzanne wields a lot of influence with the program, AND you don't win it all like she did 10 times (even though your roster is nothing like hers was), you are doomed....

I don't see how anyone other that Suzanne herself or another high profile alum (Kupets, Keenan, McCool) even touches that job with the expectations as is.....Kupets is pregnant so she may not even be interested, Suzanne "says" she has retired so would she want to even return officially, McCool sided with Jay Clark when he was fired so that supposedly is a mark against her candidacy and who knows if Heenan would even want it. I saw a discussion on another forum that the AD at Georgia plans to offer KJ Kindler at Oklahoma the most money ever for a gymnastics coach for her to come to UGA but if I'm her, I stay at Oklahoma because I'm the Yoculan there and my dynasty is growing...

It'll be interesting in the next few weeks to see how this all shakes out as the AD at Penn St , Sandy Barbour, was the AD at Cal when Durante was there so could she land there? And her daughter who was set to join her mom's team at UGA, what happens with her? I'd take a gap year if I had to on that...

Well said! I'd like to add emphasis to the Yoculan presence, it is a huge negative on the program. If she wanted to retire she should have truly stepped away, but instead she has muddied the waters. And her continued interference is making the UGA gymnastics coach an undesirable position. Her husband is a huge financial supporter so the school's hands are tied. My opinion, she's an ego looking for a place to be queen, but she comes across as crazy! Read some of her posts on the other forum (why would SHE even be posting), she's wacko. I kinda wonder if she doesn't want UGA to succeed without her because that makes what she did seem even greater (that's how crazy I think she is). As for the KJ Kindler & Rhonda Faehn rumors, it would be foolish for them to go to UGA with Yoculan hanging around to ruin whatever success they could generate.

 

[ladybird]

Well said! I'd like to add emphasis to the Yoculan presence, it is a huge negative on the program. If she wanted to retire she should have truly stepped away, but instead she has muddied the waters. And her continued interference is making the UGA gymnastics coach an undesirable position. Her husband is a huge financial supporter so the school's hands are tied. My opinion, she's an ego looking for a place to be queen, but she comes across as crazy! Read some of her posts on the other forum (why would SHE even be posting), she's wacko. I kinda wonder if she doesn't want UGA to succeed without her because that makes what she did seem even greater (that's how crazy I think she is). As for the KJ Kindler & Rhonda Faehn rumors, it would be foolish for them to go to UGA with Yoculan hanging around to ruin whatever success they could generate.

Which forum is she posting on? I would like to follow this.

 

[HoldThePhone]

Did anyone ever watch the 30 for 30 about the UGA/Alabama rivalry? It was very good......but I can't imagine having to work with someone like her aroumd!

 

[gasrgoose]

College gymnastics board is the forum, though it has very few posters and is nothing like chalkbucket it terms of quality, layout etc.. If you google that it should come up. She posts under Jersey Paige. Find the thread where she brought the former Penn State coach to the UGA meet this season.

 

[bookworm]

College gymnastics board is the forum, though it has very few posters and is nothing like chalkbucket it terms of quality, layout etc.. If you google that it should come up. She posts under Jersey Paige. Find the thread where she brought the former Penn State coach to the UGA meet this season.

I was surprised when I originally saw her posting there but it is definitely her...and I agree, her presence is a HUGE negative to taking that job. If I were being interviewed by UGA and seriously considered, my conditions would be that it's my team and not Yoculan's because if you want to keep listening to her , then hire her back. The AD there has zero backbone when it comes to Yoculan.....he did her bidding on Clark and now Durante...and those are big red flags to me.

Durante has nothing to hang her head over, although I do agree that she needed someone else for beam besides herself...but she finished no lower that 12th and made NCAAAs every year. Hopefully she moves on successfully like Jay Clark did. As they say, success is the best revenge.

I do feel bad for her daughter though..she must be in total freak out mode but hey, if I'm a program with a scholarship open,. I give her a call because her mother is now unemployed and she's a good gymnast!

 

[ladybird]

Did anyone ever watch the 30 for 30 about the UGA/Alabama rivalry? It was very good......but I can't imagine having to work with someone like her aroumd!

Yes! I loved it.

 

[txgymfan]

I haven't been on that one recently.

I agree about Durante's daughter, April of her senior year and this happens.

It will be interesting to see what happens. I had a boss that was fired from her job as an Executive Director of a nonprofit and hung around visibly during the therms of the next two EDs. The group went in a steep decline and lots of people were let go before she finally really left and it rebounded somewhat.

Durante did a good job and could be paid well if they have to buy out her contract.

 

[bookworm]

I just saw on another forum that Durante's buyout was $540,000 to NOT coach the team....I'd like a deal like that to sit home

 

[coachmolly]

I think Durante would be a good asset to the Penn State team should she decide to head there- she would also likely bring the added bonus of her daughter in a time when PSU has already seen kids back out of verbals and really needs depth. She could keep current PSU assistant Josh Nilson who is a great spotter and bring in a beam coach.

 

[txgymfan]

I just saw on another forum that Durante's buyout was $540,000 to NOT coach the team....I'd like a deal like that to sit home

I agree, I'd take that. Espically for results many colleges would be thrilled to get.
I wonder if there are conditions like no coaching in the SEC.
I don't understand why the three athletes were asked to leave. That still seems strange.

 

[bookworm]

I agree, I'd take that. Espically for results many colleges would be thrilled to get.
I wonder if there are conditions like no coaching in the SEC.
I don't understand why the three athletes were asked to leave. That still seems strange.

I doubt she'd get an SEC job but if you "fire" me, I would seek work where I could get it. So UGA basically paid Durante for the next 4 years, but not to coach. I think UGA will have a hard time filling the position with the expectations so unrealistic but if you get a golden parachute like this, it could make you consider it...

Penn St could be an option for Durante as Barbour was the AD at Cal when Durante was there...Barbour is a horror show in her own right but Durante could be a good hire for that team. A coach that Barbour made an offer to declined and Penn St can thank their lucky stars because she was as abusive as the Thompsons...so I don't know where Barbour's head is at if she would even consider replacing the nightmare that was the Thompsons with similar ilk of coach....

I don't know why those 3 were dismissed either but it seems like she was purging the roster of folks that didn't compete...and when she dumped Vaculik, who had been injured (but competed regularly the 2 years before) , she hit a nerve....and seemed to rally the Suzanne brigade to call for her head....and it was delivered...rumor is that they may be able to come back with a changing of the guard. A scholarship athlete like Vaculik has a right to appeal losing her scholarship so I imagine, heading into her Senior year, she'd do that if they don't reinstate her on the team...Georgia could still be on the hook to pay her scholarship, if she wins her appeal, even if they still don't want her as a gymnast so at least her school monies would be paid.

Dismissing kids isn't unheard of ...like Jenny Rowland at UF released Ernst last year ( and that led to Bailey Key deciding to go to Alabama over UF) then Dagen and Hiller (so far) this year...and that seems strange because one of the kids listed as "coming to Florida a year early" is Nicole Webb of NC and her results are quite moderate for a would be Gator so she has to be a walk on and would be unlikely to compete as well, so why would she do that versus keeping kids that were already there?

There are some things in NCAA that I'll never understand...

 

[3rd_time_around]

I read an article that said her daughter was going to be a walk-on at UGA. Pretty sure that is incorrect, as she's listed as a scholarship recipient on her gym's website.

 

[amiandjim]

I don't think her daughter needed a scholarship bc of her job as head coach. I am adjunct faculty at a University and my children can go to school tuition free. As for what will happen now, I highly doubt she goes to UGA.