" Hey Bilger, why weren't you a senior captain? Hmm, that's because you quit for a year meaning you had the senority of a junior. Why were you the dive coach? Earl was never a diver! He tried as much as he could to help me, and he did it by being less of an a*s than you! Oh and he turned me from a diver to a swimmer, a transition that I am thankful for everyday I swim! Thank you Coach Earl for everything you have given us. Weedsport has changed over the past few years, and I asure you it's not been better. "

" Hi horseradish clearly you're under a misconception. You must think that we're kids and we dont understand anything. really? have you met my class? we get more done than almost every other class despite having the "worst class in 29 years" this come straight from the weedsport staff and faculty. We have proven time and again that if we feel something is unjust, wrong, or disagreeable in an unreasonable manner, we fix it. Earl was nothing to anyone except those too new to varsity to understand how horrible we were truly treated. Dont you dare tell us "kids" we dont know how the world works because we actually fight for what we believe in. sorry that you're going to just deal with whatever comes your way. congrats on being one of the people that just passes through life, thanks i'd like to think i'll be the person that makes an impact somewhere. be it in one person's life, be it on an entire nation matters not, so long as i know who i am and fight for what i believe in. I wish i could really say what i'd like and not have to follow auburnpub's rules, to say the least it wouldn't be so clean. "

" The comments by all the children who have decided to come on here are hilarious. Too bad they don't realize how the world really works yet. "

" Excuse me? I was treated no different? Was I ever once "selected" as one of the senior team captains? I get punished for missing practice by giving up being able to participate in a meet and swimming extra, where as when others are to miss practice the team gets lectured and thats it. I was treated no different? Adam you're flat out insane to back Earl, he's never been a coach, just an irritance at best. Heh, so much you're not informed of either, complaining about how I'm misinformed? Take a stab as to why I was the dive coach this year. "

" Oh and another note, the reason Nate has won so many MVP awards is because he is the best swimmer in Weedsport. Nobody was even close. "

" First off Bilger was not treated any different than any other person on the team was. There are some hidden facts missing here though. Our swim team had noticed a decline in talent dude to a lack of work. When the team complained about wanting to compete with schools like Mexico the work was stepped up. The sets were made to be harder but even still we weren't even close to doing the work other schools were pulling off. Coach Earl was nowhere as harsh as Griffin was he won so many championships and didn't get fired. The most important thing missing was the team complained behind the back of coach, and when he found out he had numerous "team therapy sessions" as they were later called. Not one person said anything like coach, we're wiped out we need a break or things are changing for the worse and they need to go back. All they complained about was we needed to lift weights more. swimming well doesn't come without hard work. All they did was complain (they meaning the group that had coach fired). I have been involved with Weedsport Swimming and Diving for four years so far and I have grow to like Coach Earl which is why I have quit the team this year. "

" I would enjoy to add in my two cents.

First off, if you didn't have Earl as a coach, your opinion really shouldn't be posted here seeing as how all you know is what you hear. There was no secret meeting to get Earl fired, thats for sure because the whole school knows my feelings and I would have been placed in the lead to see him removed from his position. He would put us down every time we lost a meet no matter what happened, we could have every individual place new personal bests and still lose but if we gave that "extra effort" we might have won. Or if we knew we wouldnt win, this meet turned more into an additional practice. In fact, he turned my meet into a practice. Nfa, for those of you who dont know thats 3 sets of 10 100's. Thats 30 100's. Thats down and back 60 times. I was to do this in 1:45 cycles for every 100. For those of you who are under the impression, I'm not a swimmer. I'm a diver. Because I wanted to spend time with my family during CHRISTMAS VACATION, one day, i was removed from a meet, forced to swim as make up practice, then we returned to the pool for aditional practice, 50 50's on 55. down and back 50 more times in 55 seconds. I'm sorry but as a diver I dont think I needed to swim half the yards I swam this year.

In response to the "three slacking seniors" Hey thanks I'm a senior. I surely didnt slack maintaining the status of a diver, ranked 3'rd in b's. Swimming in sectionals as a swimmer in the 100 back placing first in my heat and being the REAL dive coach seeing as how Earl thought he could learn to be a coach in a matter of days. Clearly since I was still coaching at the end of the season, he wasn't up to the task like he claimed to be.

Personally after reading most of this, most everyone has no idea why those who are in support of his removal are in support. Yes, the board gave legitiment reasoning to remove him BASED ON YOUR POLITICS. The real reason he is removed is because information travels. When a student talks to a teacher about unprofessional actions as a coach and a suppsoed mentor taken by Earl they might after time say something. Eventually when it travels back and from personal experience the board witnesses such events, they may need legitiment reason to not reinstate a coach, but that doesn't always intail the full reasoning for ones' dismissal. So for all of us "lazy seniors" I say why don't all of you contact us and ask us why we want to see him removed. Why did HALF of our seniors not return? Because of how they we're treated. Why did I stay? The ONLY reason I stayed that year at all was to dive. I love diving, so I dealt with his CRAP. He ruined it enough that if I had been the only diver, I would have quit. But I stayed to coach my other two divers, and then gladly taught modified as well. You know you're a bad coach when a student quits your team one week before sectionals after missing states by less than 11 points, which in diving for those who dont know, is hardly half a dive, with two more chances to make it to states, and doesnt come back the following year then after witnessing what he missed STILL wants to quit again, then you should not be a coach.

Sorry for being so late to join the discussion seeing as how no one informed me. "

" Also, I find it funny that I have to repeat myself on this subject. Neither Mike, Sean nor I was at the first "secret" board meeting. Get your facts straight. You seem as though you hear alot from people that don't know what they are talking about. And my phone still never rings. Obviously people only want to believe what they have heard/read over the truth. I spent 6 years with Gary Earl as a coach, and I think I have the right to say that I saw a change in him, and it wasn't for the good of the team. "

" I couldn't help but not read this. Sir anonymous...The fact of the matter is that we didn't "give up" on Gary Earl UNTIL he didn't taper us at sectionals. Yeah sure, we fell short of his expectations during the season but I know for a fact that there were some of us that worked our tails off to meet those expectations. But I also remember two previous years that we worked hard all season barely making expectations, had a good taper then performed well at sectionals. Our junior year consisted of swimming the most yards out of any season I swam through, and the other swimmers and I didn't mind that. We were willing to do the work, we just wanted to be able to enjoy swimming itself. When your coach tells you to be "soldiers" at meets(which meant no talking, fooling around, enjoying the meet) we as Weedsport would walk into every meet with a "stone face" and just run through the meet, AND LOSE. Where is the enjoyment in a sport if your not improving because your being worked so hard, and told to act as soldiers? Basically our junior year came down to sectionals. That was the make-or-break point for most of us. And we broke, because he DIDN'T taper us. As a coach, there is NO excuse not to taper your team. I talked to swimmers from all of the most successful teams and they all tapered for around 2-3 weeks. And we tapered for 2-3 DAYS. At sectionals that year, I specifically remember going into the meet with NO motivation from coach. Just like the rest of the team I was extremely tired, and I was STILL sore. Still being sore means that my muscles had not had time to recover. In other words, WE NEEDED MORE TAPER. THAT is when I lost respect for coach Gary Earl. Any coach that denies his swimmers a chance to excel at sectionals is not fitting to remain a coach. "

" suomynona in response to your comment:
how can you assume that no one who has written these comments has ever been on one of griffen's teams?
and what about the kids that went off to college to be on a swim team?
do you really still want to say that they couldn't have handled the work load?
think again. "

" I don't understand how the Coach Griffin era can be compared to the Coach Earl era when they don't even swim against the same teams anymore. Maybe at Class B Sectionals they do, but not during the entire season. I think that the OHSL is much more difficult now than the Fingerlakes League ever was, but that's just my opinion. The schools that Coach Griffin went against were much like the size of WCS. The OHSL has much larger schools where the athletes are able to focus on just one sport all year round, making it much more difficult for Weedsport when they go up against these larger schools. Which is perhaps why Coach Earl opens the pool and weightroom up in the summer. I'm not sure how the board and administration put the students first in this situation either. There were a lot of current and up and coming swimmers at the meeting that were in support of Coach Earl, but from what it sounds like, only those that have already graduated from WCS this year and are going on to college (or their parents) were at the secret meeting against Coach Earl... After all that has been said by Matt, KANE and guy, I'm not sure if they would have been able to handle the Coach Griffin era anyways, but we will never know. But I guess if you love the sport then you can get through it, right? That love is what is going to pull you through, not the hard work. Just because you love something doesn't mean it will come easy, you still have to work at it, even when you think you've done your best. Do you think that after your sophomore year and your performances at sectionals that Coach Earl had high expectations for all of you going into your junior year? I think that he did, but when the results weren't there your junior year he tried working you harder, but instead of doing the work you began to complain and give up thinking that it will come easy. This is where the doubt and negative feelings towards Coach Earl started up, and I think he might have been let down by you guys, perhaps that's why you didn't get that precious taper before sectionals. These doubts led many of your friends (Nick and Kyle and maybe a few others) to quit going into your senior year because they knew the workload that Coach Earl was going to give you guys this year. Looking back, maybe he set the bar too high for you guys after that sophomore year, but that still doesn't mean that if your coach pushes you that you should just disrespect him and give up. I give the three seniors credit for sticking with it because they did not give up like the others, but when you're a senior you should be a leader, you have the whole rest of the team behind you, and from what it sounds like you guys were anything but that... This whole situation still seems fishy to me, why would "young adults" that have already graduated get precedent over the current swimmers who were in the pool doing work this summer? why did this secret meeting just happened to take place when Mr. Chirco was out of town? I realize that the man I mentioned previously who was not at the Monday meeting was out of town for business, but still I think that if he had been there to see all the support that maybe he would have changed his views about Coach Earl, but then again we will never know... "

" Re: johndoe's 3rd exact same comment:
You seem to be saying that the most important thing is to win, some would argue that it is the journey, the challenge, the person of character that develops under a valuable coach. Is it well-rounded centered citizens we strive to be, or is champion the most important title we aspire to? "

" it is sad to see the weedsport swimming dynasty that coach griffin built for so many years crumble away to nothing due to one individual. Gary Earl took over this team and the program dropped away to almost nothing. What other reason do you need to fire a coach? (even though there are plenty more reasons) This program needs some serious rebuilding and he simply cannot handle that task. "

" Rallied his family???? His wife IS ASSISTANT COACH, his daughters swam on his team, and his son swims for his team. I believe they are considered interested parties. Same with modified coaches and family- colleagues, former swim team members...what rally was required to get these first hand folks to voice their support? And what IS the "proper" way to respond to the shock of, "you're done, not in the fall or next week, but today, right now? " Was Mr. Earl told, you are not permitted to appeal to the board, and must not "bypass the super", c'mon, really? "

" I really do not want to prolong this discussion any longer

Former swimmer dad: your last post I followed and was okay with all that you said up until the second to last paragraph......YOU have no idea how those Mr Earl felt walking into that board meeting only to find the newspaper there....how well do you know him? I can say I do very very well. All this chit chat and bantering is the last thing he wants. We need to make sure we have the facts before we post things...that second to last paragraph of yours was totally uncalled for!!!!!! "

" I hate to prolong the discussions here but to:
pickleshop - We did indeed swim against larger schools during the season - Auburn, Oswego, West Genesee and who do you think we were competing against at sectionals? A and B schools. So, I believe we are talking oranges to oranges.

fragonby - As I said in the earlier post - perhaps there is more than we will ever know about the situation and why the decision was made - the board and administrators are privy to much more information than will ever be printed in the newspaper or posted here. Did you know that discussion of specific personnel can only be held during executive session? And that no voting can occur during that time?

Weedsport Athlete03 - Did you know that the board removed three coaching positions(one being the assist. field hockey) from the current budget among other cost saving items in order to lessen the tax burden to the local taxpapers - so how could they add it back in now? Perhaps you haven't heard but the country is suffering thru an economic downturn?

To all - the Board and adiministration always put the students first in any decision they make- as difficult as it may be at times.

One final thought - do you think Mr. Earl followed the proper chain of command by bypassing the Superintendent before he rallied his family, the modified coach's family among others, as well as the newspaper to appeal to the Board?

Let's get past this, let the people who know do their jobs and support the excellent school system that we are fortunate to have at Weedsport. "

" To the people who are writing negatively about Mr Earl....the three reasons that he was given for his dismissal were: Not Encouraging Enough, Low Enrollment, Scholarships not given out this year. That was all that was mentioned. No one said anything about poor records, or constant complaints from swimmers or parents. All that is coming out AFTER the fact. Come on people. YOU have a complaint or problem with someone you tell them when it is happening....not WAY after the fact. This whole blogging has gotten way out of hand. Stick to the three reasons for dismissal. "

" it is sad to see the weedsport swimming dynasty that coach griffin built for so many years crumble away to nothing due to one individual. Gary Earl took over this team and the program dropped away to almost nothing. What other reason do you need to fire a coach? (even though there are plenty more reasons) This program needs some serious rebuilding and he simply cannot handle that task. "

" it is sad to see the weedsport swimming dynasty that coach griffin built for so many years crumble away to nothing due to one individual. Gary Earl took over this team and the program dropped away to almost nothing. What other reason do you need to fire a coach? (even though there are plenty more reasons) This program needs some serious rebuilding and he simply cannot handle that task. "

" Matt and guy, I realize that your own intentions were not to get Coach Earl terminated, but it happened... Obviously, guy, it seems like you could care less (and if you were an honor roll student why can't you spell because it sure isn't helping your cause coming on here with what you're posting). The thing that has got me going is that this is a man that helped you guys during modified and up through the varsity level, a man that has taught you a lot about swimming and hopefully life in general. Did things really change that much during the past two seasons for you to go against this man who has helped you along the way? It would be nice if there were some really good reasons known for why you and essentially your parents decided to turn on him because it seems as though you are in the minority with this whole ordeal based on the showing at the meeting the other night. I know that it is your right for those things to be kept in private, but so far the reasons that have been mentioned are amusing and just go with what many of your former teammates were saying about you seniors. And Matt, I'm not going to call you to find out the reasons, it would just be interesting to hear the true other side of the story (although you might take a few hits with what you post because you are viewed as the "bad guy"[the coach got let go because of you/ your parents what do you honestly expect from everyone], I'm sure that you could handle it though because it seems like you have a lot to get off your chest regarding this.) As I said before everyone keep throwing their support towards Mr. Earl and the current swimmers, and in the end I hope that the board and the superintendent will do the right thing. "

" " I am amazed at the ignorance displayed by some here. We hire Administrators to make difficult, and sometimes unpopular, decisions. I might be wrong, but as far as I know, the Board does NOT make these decisions. They may be consulted on it, but don't lay the blame in their lap."

reread that. the board does not make the decisions. it is ultimately up to the administrators. lay off of the board members. "

" as a former athlete of gary earl i have had an inside perspective of how thing have really happened in the past six years, that being the time period that he has been the head coach. i do agree with the boards decision, as i know many examples that he has conducted himself in a way that a coach should not.

for example:
at one point during my time on the weedsport varsity swimming and diving team one of my fellow teammates went on vacation during a break and while this person was gone he had made a very rude comment about the person saying that of all people to leave and go on a cruise with all you can eat buffets, it did not need to be this person. insinuating that this person already had their fair share of extra weight and did not need to gain anymore.
i find this to be a very inappropriate comment to make about one of your athletes no matter what their physical situation may be.

i also remember a specific incident after our team had just completed our last meet of the year, section III championships. we returned to the pool for the last time that season to turn in all of our gear and for a final team meeting. a brief synopsis of this meeting would be coach gary earl telling us that we failed. he just said it in a few more words. i remember everyone leaving absolutely astounded that a coach would say that to his athletes after a long season of hard work.

i specifically know of multiple people who did not return the following year because of the fact that gary earl was the coach, so for that fact i disagree with the statement claiming that fewer people are coming out for the team because enrollment is down. although that may be a contributing factor, that is not the sole factor. the way that gary earl treats his athletes is talked about in the school, which contributes to the size of the team.

dab spoke of favoritism. i think that you may not be as informed as you think you are. there was an event that took place while i still closely followed the program involving an earl benefiting from favoritism. there was a relay that had made it to the state championships. earl being a family man kindly brought his family with him. for some reason this happened to come in handy because his daughter some how ended up in a relay that she did not qualify for in sectionals. a young man who worked very hard and was much faster than his daughter was wrongly removed from the relay so that he could place his daughter on the relay. how convenient that they came.

this was not the only instance the the earl family received special treatment because dad was coach. coach's son nate actually swam varsity practices in 7th grade even though that might technically be against the rules because he was not a member of the varsity swim team, seeing as he did not pass the physical fitness test to move up early that year.

favoritism works differently with the earl family. family comes first, but it shouldn't be that way when you're the coach.

i know for a fact that of these seniors that were spoken of, at least one of them is a very hard worker. i know because i saw him come up through the program. he has put forth a lot of effort to making himself a better swimmer, a better breaststroker. yet, he is undeserving of a scholarship.

this article also fails to mention that at the previous board meeting there were many people who came to speak AGAINST coach gary earl, meaning that no, mommy and daddy are not on the school board. there are many people who have had enough of earl, but this was a gathering of his supporters, not the people that do not agree with him being the head coach.

i know the history of the weedsport swimming and diving program to be one of prestige and honor. if you step inside the pool and look up on the wall, you will see all of the titles that we have won as a team. these titles which only continue until around the time that gary earl became the head coach. i think that they may have won one title with earl. in griffins 35 or so years he made a killing and won 40+ titles. i have to point out the fact the gary earl has not helped the program what so ever. the record of the team has steadily declined since he was granted the position as head coach. for the first time weedsport has had a losing record, this being with gary earl as head coach. maybe i'm wrong but i don't think that the first losing record was the accomplishment that weedsport athletics was shooting for when they hired him..?

no matter how unhappy people become with the school boards decision, it is ultimately their decision. the people of the district elect them. meaning it is the people's choice. you must live with your actions, as they must as well.

although earl cannot make up for the many mistakes that he has made as a coach, there are people that can prevent him from making more mistakes.

i have shared with you a few of the MANY stories i have of coach gary earl not living up to the title of coach. hopefully now that you have the point of view of one of his former athletes, it will make you realize that he is not at all fit for the position of varsity swimming and diving head coach.


ON A SIDE NOTE: DPW, you must not follow weedsport athletics very well because after the last football season coach trousedale was fired as the head coach of the football team because he did not handle himself as a coach should. that is not favoritism what so ever. "

" I am not going to look at this blog anymore as of tonight.

If anyone cares to hear the other side of the story, then please contact me via e-mail or phone. If I have the time I will meet with anyone that wants to talk about this.

The last thing I would like to ask, is for people to consider that as a student athlete I have other things on my agenda besides swimming. Despite my other obligations and medical conditions I still put aside family vacations and other personal time to swim year round with Coach Gary Earl(with the exception of this past summer because the pool was closed for most of that summer.) There was a strong group of swimmers in my grade that also sacrificed this time but all quit the team junior year and there was alot of unrest amongst the team. No one seems to look into that, they just label the people who quit as people who couldn't handle swimming(which is far from the truth) and the few that stayed were "lazy." Consider this thought, if we few seniors that stuck out our senior year are so lazy, why did we bother coming back? I myself considered joining the Auburn Stingrays because I do have a strong passion for swimming. The only true reason I stayed is because I didn't want to betray my team, and I didn't want Weedsport Swimming and Diving to take a fall.

Also if you would like to learn something about the "absenteeism" then I could fill you in on anything you would like to know.

If you all are going to call me lazy, look farther than what you hear in a newspaper. Ask questions, call me or the other seniors. I can guarantee you will hear things that you haven't read in a newspaper.

If anyone is to contact me, I won't slander your name or talk badly about you. I've realized more than ever that after this mess that it only makes things worse. I just want people to hear both sides of the story before they go blogging anonymously about something I feel the don't know the full extent of.

Sincerely,
A Swimmer/Student/Person,
Matt Crowley "

" suomynona cudos to you!!! I agree with all that you said. In short this is just a sad situation....The parents and students should have spoke to Mr Earl first if there were concerns ect. The board should have never made this decision without the president there and yes that is very suspicious since the second in command "had" a daughter that was on the swim team and was also not awarded a scholarship. Perhaps a silent grudge there? "

" I have to say, this is a very disappointing circumstance that the Weedsport Athletics are going through. As an alumni of Weedsport, and have played for several different teams I found that you valued the opinion of a coach, and respected this person. These people are putting thier time & effort into our "children". I may not have always liked what my coach had to say, but I had ALWAYS respected thier decisions. There was not a single time that they rewarded any athlete unless it was rightfully appropriate. Simply if you did not deserve good praise, in any form, you did not receive it. What do we tell our children if they receive awards just because they need to be given out? Does this mean they should not work harder, overcome obstacles, and succeed to be a better person? These are core values that are suppose to drilled into our children at this level of learning. After speaking to many teachers and/or coaches since I have graduated, a common theme has come up in conversation, "disrespect". I was appalled after hearing how some of the younger athletes have spoken to and treated some of the same coaches I once was coached by. I may not have swam for Mr. Earl but I have a feeling this situation is far more complex than what meets the eye. Something smells a little fishy about the board, who meets & votes without all members being present? Is the vote bias because of members of the board having children who swam? Especially when those children were reprimanded for misbehaving? Hmm... I think so. What was done here, is unfair, and maybe I should have made a second thought about who I had voted for school board. I am also extremely disappointed when a coach who sustains a major injury is told they are not allowed to have any help to coach an approaching season. Also that if they can not handle it on thier own, they may give up the position. I know for a fact the heart & dedication that this person holds, and if were backed into a wall, would never give up her postion, and work through the injury. Politics, politics, politics, this is rediculous. "

" oh and another thng foolish. Because i just read the entirity of your post. Wanna know something cool..Gary Earl Your Hero said i was "His Man" when everyone else was making excuses or bailing i was there. Until I lost respect fo Gary which makes your statement true. Respect isnt a birthright its earned and it cand lost just the same. Gary respected me more than anyone. Until I lost respect for him which made me not enjoy my time in the pool. Then things changed. Really though dont challenge my love for swimming. And stop saying things when you dont know. "

" Okay foolish. Fits knida doesnt it? since you are actuall a swimmer how effective would a two day taper be for a two day champiioship meet? thanks. And oh yeah Gary Earl put in all this time for no reward. He got paid for all that off season training. And once agian the core of the team was there every day in season and out for years without any incentive. So thanks Again.
Also to all of you, how can you be mad at the kids for feeling wronged about how they were treated when you're still complaining about ON A CITIZEN BLOG. The truth is he's gone. he isnt coming back. the school has already started the search. Get over it. "

" former swim dad
When Gary Griffen coached WCS swam agaianst schools our own size. Since Gary Earl has been coaching WCS has had to swim against A and B schools. Lets compare oranges to oranges "

" As the father of WCS Swim alumnae, I must respond to all of the comments in regards to the article about Gary Earl.

1. If the coach has team members who are missing practices, etc. the coach should addresss that with the swimmers - why would you keep them on the team?

2. Gary Earl has only been varisty coach since 2004. How many of his swimmers have made it to the seecond day of sectionals other than the Baker twins? How many league or sectional titles has he won? How many records have been put on the board? How many swimmers have improved their strokes, starts, turns, pick ups and/or times? Coach Griffin started with the same freshman talent as Gary Earl, but look what he ended up with by their Senior year. How many kids has Gary Earl sent to college to swim and actually earn ponts other than the Baker twins?

3. As far as taper - that is important to help the body recover after a season of hard work and many yards, to be able to improve your time.

4. There are no members of the school board who are parents of swimmers.

5. Perhaps the non awarding of scholarships was just the straw that broke the camel's back! What has really been happening or not been happening since 2004? Perhaps there is more than meets the eye. "

" another thing guy:
how much of his own time did this coach put in outside of the high school season? How much was he reimbursed for all of his blood, sweat, and tears? You know how he was reimbursed...with a group of lazy, ungrateful and petulant athletes (as well as the good experiences working with deserving kids I would assume - which hopefully can in the long run be overriding good memories).
The funny thing is you all already know this because you and your friend Matt already explained yourself away in your posts...YOU provided the stats, the when and why you did not improve. You see; RESPECT is earned, not a birth right just deserved for putting in 3/4 of a great effort and then cruising to the finish. It is you that knows little about the sport of swimming or the mantras that the sport is built upon. I would strongly suspect that all the "others" with problems suffer from the same apathy and miseducation of "life" as you. Maybe a look in the mirror and some deep introspection will help you mature from this situation and realize where things could have been made better. "

" Apparently no one got the point I was trying to make...I didn't ask for this to happen. I didn't go crying to mommy when I didn't get money. The money meant nothing to me, and if I really wanted more money I would work a third job. And I do disagree with the fact that Coach Gary Earl was not given a chance to defend himself before a decision was made. If one side of a story is presented, then a decision should not be made until the other side is presented as well.

But what I am trying to get you people to see, is that you're like wolves right now just picking away at 3 guys that swam simply because we love the sport. So we didn't always agree with our coach's methods, but that gives you people no right to sit here and sling mud at us. I didn't bring this on Coach Gary Earl, I told my parents I am done with Weedsport Swimming and Diving, so just let it be.

However the matter with the scholarships was that money was raised by the Swim Booster Club to be handed out to qualified seniors. What exactly is a scholarship? It is assistance with a graduates future. 2 graduates who were well deserving of the awards were denied due to absences. I can guarentee that if you cut out all of my absences those guys would have recieved the scholarships without hesitation.

To put a long story short, I am the bad guy in this. OK? Is that what everyone wants to hear? I'll take the blame for whatever it is that needs someone to blame. Ill wear a sign around my neck that says:
"LAZY" "UNWORTHY" "SPOILED" "SELFISH"

If that's what it takes to make people open their eyes and realize that you're accusing 3 boys with no political power in Weedsport of firing a coach...Then so be it. "

" Take it from experience, Matt, cuz I've been there. You can be a perfect student, model citizen, and all round good guy. All you need is a chip on your shoulder senior year and things can be lost and not granted to you. Obvisouly, because of what and who you think you were, you felt you deserved more. Not so, sorry....
It's not just the coaching that makes a program work. It's mostly the students that try and participate. I've got a son that plays a sport. His coach is great. Kids don't wanna play because of the "better than you" captains, seniors, and better players of the club, none of which received awards like the former Mayor's Award. Why??? Because they were not role models for the rest of the team!
I think, no matter who says what, everyone will feel they know the truth.
For these seniors and there parents, thinking absences are no big deal... Think again. It obviously is a VERY BIG DEAL. duh! "

" actually a taper does not build speed or strength. It is a timeframe that allows your body to recover from work. The work put in is what allows the body to perform at a certain level when ultimately rested. There is no magical formula for a taper (or gaurantees). It could be 4+ weeks it could be 2 days. The amount of work put in and each individuals makeup determines the optimal taper period. Honestly with the level that you are at, all it would take was to believe in yourself and you would probably do well - regardless of what you or the coach did. It sounds like you need to take responsibility for yourself and your lack of talent and or mental fortitude. Afterall, this is not olympic level training or anything. Don't get me wrong - coaches do play a role in success and failures to a certain degree but like they say, you can't make chicken salad out of chicken 'you know what' (just a statement, I am not pointing that directly at anyone) "

" I'd like to start off by saying that I am not a swimmer and never have been a swimmer, but I was a three-sport athlete at WCS not too long ago. The problem I have with this whole situation involving Mr. Earl is that these parents, who are / were good friends with the Earl Family, went behind Mr. Earl's back directly to the school board without confronting Mr. Earl beforehand. I mean seriously? Who does that especially to their friends? If you or your "young adult athletes" have a problem with Mr. Earl then why didn't you confront him in the first place, Mr. Earl, along with the rest of the current team was left out in the dark on this issue until he was told that he would not be returning just last week. Secondly, these "young adults" have graduated from WCS already, and to ruin the coaching career of Mr. Earl, and to ruin this year/ summer for your former TEAMMATES. I again ask, seriously? Third, I'd like to say that as an athlete, I know that if I am a senior and getting out-performed by a sophomore then I think that would give me more motivation to do better, being shown up by someone two years younger than you. It's not the fact that he's the coach's son, maybe he just works harder. The fact that these seniors didn't improve or didn't have "guidance" is a bunch of crap. As seniors you should be guiding the rest of the team, not having to look up to Coach Earl for "guidance". To blame Mr. Earl for not "reaching your full potential" is also a bunch of crap because you, as an athlete, have to have the mentality to push yourself and work harder every day. As for the school board, don't pin this on Mr. Chirco, he happened to be in France while this first meeting took place, which seems a little fishy to me that he wasn't there to hear these parents and their reasoning, so obviously some of the other members of the school board must have had a gripe with Coach Earl, and saw this as a great opportunity to get back at him. It's funny how without the school board president at this meeting that a decision like this could be made, it's also strange that another member of the board was noticeably absent from the meeting the other night... If these honor roll students were such good at school then why didn't they take that hard work and dedication from the classroom to the pool? It's funny how you can have a coach for six years, but not until after you've already graduated you complain just because no scholarships were handed out to your "young adult". Maybe the parents should have been at every practice, it's weird how there was so many swimmers, the "young adults" that are in the pool with them all the time, at the meeting the other night discussing how these seniors acted, yet if three sets of parents go and complain when they weren't there that an action such as drastic as this happens. Taper? Are you serious? You're complaining that you didn't get enough time to rest? That's crazy, as an athlete you should be fit when it comes to sectionals... Lastly, I heard that the seniors complained that they were not having enough "fun" at practices this year or the previous year. So I ask you, Do you think Mr. Griffin's practices were "fun"? Do you think Mr. Guzewicz became a state champion by having "fun"? Do you think Mexico and Auburn became good by having "fun"? I don't know about that, if you want to win I think hard work and dedication are much better than by having "fun" at practice. Although the results may not always show it, the fact that you worked hard and tried your best should make you feel good, not the fact that you were lazy and having "fun" and expected to get rewards in the end. By the sounds of it, these seniors would have most likely not made it through Mr. Griffin's "regime" (lol) so to stab your former coach who was 10 times nicer in the back after graduating, you must be proud, although I understand that it was not so much their own doing but their parents as well once again wow... All I can say is that I'm glad that there is so much support for Mr. Earl, and if you could see the look on the swimmers' faces as well as his at the meeting then it shows that he truly loves WCS and WCS Swimming and really wants to be the Coach. The only problem now lies in the fact that the superintendent has to choose between the disgruntled school board members and few parents, or the many parents and people in the public who have now all read about this. This will not be an easy decision because he'll have to go back on the lack of knowledge decision that he's already made, but in the end we can only hope that he makes the right one for the sake of WCS Swimming and the CURRENT swimmers. As for the seniors, good luck at college with whatever career you are pursuing, just remember the great impact that you had on WCS swimming and what you left your former TEAMMATES to deal with after you've already gone. As for the parents, I don't know, maybe you should just look long and hard in the mirror, and think about what you've just done to Mr. Earl and his family, just for a few bucks to help pay for your "young adult's" college tuition, I don’t know if it was really worth it. I don't know, I think that you should give him a call, one that should have been done before all this, but who knows he might not want to talk to you now. One thing is for sure though; you're going to need a lot of strength to pull that knife out of his back if you do ever talk to him again... "

" Yes Famrmers Gal. Taper. Its a a part of swimming where the athletes decline in workout to build speed and strength.Thank you for proving my point that almost no one on this thing even knows swimming let alone what happened between the team and Mr earl. "

" Taper? "

" 2809 in response to your comment.

I'm sure that those children will do just fine in the real world "cuz" they learned how to type "because" in school.

Twigles13 in response to your comment.

the three seniors that were on the team this year were...
Matt Crowley
Mike Reese
Sean Wignall

Excuse me, but I do not think that there are any WIgnalls, Crowleys, or Reeses in the Board of Education.

Cconroy in response to your comment:
The only reason that you support Earl is because your nephews are Josh, Alex, Luke and Seth Baker and they have always been treated with favoritism by Earl. Maybe you would understand had your nephew been someone with a name other than Baker or Earl.

Tim5150 in response to your comment:
Agreed. Everyone should be mature enough to not go after a board member's family. Lay off the Chircos. They are nice people. Don't judge by what other people tell you, grow up and find out for yourself.

Also, a good idea is to ask the former coach. He could tell you where the program is at and where it really should be. "

" Hi, I am Matt Crowley one of the 3 seniors denied the scholarships. I would like to make it clear right now, that I didn't know about the board meeting that took place concerning the scholarships until THAT day. I was attending my college orientation at SUNY Brockport on that day and learned about it from my mother. Also, I would like to inform you all that money is not the issue in this matter. The issue is that 3 boys who put their blood, sweat and tears into something they love were told that they weren't deserving of a simple "good job." If you all would like some more facts, please feel free to give me a call and let me know your real name. I honestly would rather talk to people about the matter than be labeled by people who probably weren't even around.

Also, the scholarships were not only based on the actions of your senior year. If you all would like to know, I swam through summers, breaks, and holidays since my 8th grade swim season. I probably contributed the most absences to my "slacking" senior comrades. I would please like for all of you to look into one minor detail though. I am a human being. Maybe I am not "deserving" of a scholarship by the standards of some people, but to sit online and post blogs about how much of "slackers" my friends are is ridiculous. Sean and Mike are both honor-roll students, both on National Honor Society, graduated with honors, Mike was an Eagle Scout and both are possibly my best friends that I may ever know. So basically, the fact that us 3 seniors had a bunch of absences makes us slackers? Seriously? I'll take the rap for it then, honestly. Call me lazy, call me whatever it is that you really desire. But to tell Sean and Mike that they aren't deserving of a simple award is beyond reason.

Just take this in and think about it. We are people too, and we didn't ask for Coach Gary Earl to be fired. "

" I wonder what Ol' Mr. Griffin would have to say. Maybe he should attend the next board meeting, god willing he is in good health. He made the Weedsport Swim Team what it is. Let us get his input on his successor, and by all means, leave the Chirco name out of all the hostility, they are a great family with alot to give to the community, very nice upstanding family. "

" I am amazed at the ignorance displayed by some here. We hire Administrators to make difficult, and sometimes unpopular, decisions. I might be wrong, but as far as I know, the Board does NOT make these decisions. They may be consulted on it, but don't lay the blame in their lap.

For those of you who are singling out a particular Board Member and calling into question his children is offensive to say the least. You should be adult enough to say it directly to him or her, and leave the kids out of it.

If you attended last night's Board Meeting, you were able to voice your opinions, and I am sure the Board and Administration will take that into account as they review the situation. But to stoop as low as to attack a Board Member's children is pathetic. "

" This is a sad day for Weedsport Athletics. As a long time resident of Weedsport, and having four children who have attended and are attending Weedsport Schools, I am disappointed in the recent events. A coach puts his heart and soul into his team and town, and this is what he gets? He should hold his athletes accountable for their actions because as adults mom and dad are not going to be there to bail them out. Everyone forgets that a former football coach who was recently fired had an affair with a STUDENT, while her father was on the same school board. He was kept in his position because he brought home trophies. He was a pedophile with a degree and trophies. When he stopped bring home trophies, he was fired and now coaches for our rival. I think as a community who prides itself on acamedic and athletic excellence, we need to support Mr. Earl for what he has shown our students and that is accountability, hard work and preparing them for the future. Instead, we have shown the younger generations that it is permissable for their parents to fight their battles and strip a man of his livelihood. I am no longer pround of the "Warrior Pride" "

" So yeah. Im a baby and so were the other five guys and th three remianing seniors. All of us. We were basically a daycare. It wasnt that he worked us. We handled the work fine. I mean we complained like any ohter team but Griffin Worked his teams 10x harder but no mass quits occurred or firings. See we worked ot no result. Ill give Mr earl this he can take a nobody and make them into an adequate swimmer. But taking that and making something great he never mastered. Take for example Justin Friesen who went 21 in a relay his junior year but couldnt ever get there again or matt crowley goes 59 junior year but doesnt even get that again. Or mike reese who went from 630's in the five hundred to 539 to 525 to 525. None of these kids reached their max potential and there was more. And by the way i only used the word regime as a word to descibe his tenyor at the helm of weedsport swimming. Not some reference to his emperor like power. becasue i do know what im talking about. Mr. Earl lost our respect because we stopped seeing reults. And he was just not what you wnat in a coach. He used to tell us to only do swimming because its beter to do one thing and be good at it than a bunch of things and be okay. He gave the MVP award to his son over Kate Scarbough when she won the section and nate dint even get second. there is so much more that you would judt not understand because you werent there. And if you were it was only the holidays and that would also mean that you were there when the teams were good. And things were good then becuase the team took care of itself. Our team was average at best and needed guidance, which was never there or at least minimal. And also MR fireguy i was there everyday in season and out for FOUR years. I loved swimming more than any sport i had ever played and it was destroyed. So thanks fireguy. Thanks for once again having no clue. Since you're so knowledgable about swimming let me tell you the final straw. Our taper my final year was supposed to be two weeks/a week and half. thats average for high school i think. and you should also know there is nothing more precious to a swimmer than taper. Three days. Catch that? three days til sectionals and we do a 5000 yard practice and 15 one hundreds on an interval of 130 with 120 125 103 sets. Three days. after only doing about 200 yard days of race pace. That completey ruined sectionals. Two people minus kate even showed improvement worth noting and one of course was Nate. So seriously unless you know everything about what happened, just stop. Unless you did graduate this year and was on the team for the pat foir years. than please be my guest fireguy "

" I will never understand the parent who feels there children can do no wrong. The parent that argues with the teacher when the poor grades come in, only to find that student never did the work....then the parent calls the teacher poor at there job.
Being a coach is being a teacher not just of the sport but of respect, self worth, dignity the list goes on and on. You are doing an injustice to kids by letting them slide by.
I am a WCS graduate, was an athlete there...funny how times have changed....Mrs Jewel, Mr Griffin or Mr Lidster would have never put up with kids who did not show up for practice. I learned a lot from those three. Lessons that have carried over into my adult life. Most importantly I respected them as my coaches!!!! I knew if I did not get something it was because I did not work hard enough to get it, or someone else was better than me. I never cried at home for my parents to make it better....I worked harder. This is just HS sports people. Mr Earl is doing his job and a very good one!
It is a sad sad day when you see someone doing good in the community being stripped of there passion for no real cause.
For you board "member" or members who are using there power to get rid of Mr Earl, shame on you. Politics gone wrong is nothing but evil. To the parents.... to help take someones job away from them when they did no wrong other then not give your child a scholarship! Your children will have a tough life ahead of them. "

" as a mother of weedsport students, it happens even in the elem age. the same ones are always given the mvp awards. you are right the parents of these seniors are on the school board! "

" GUY,
although everyone has the right to his or her own opinion, you have got to be kidding me "the regime" if you had any clue. you may have come up with that name for his way of coaching because he was tough, however that is what makes champions and not only that it also makes athletes realize that they are capable of so much more and make them actually want to push themselves farther. Gary Earl is an upstanding person as well a a coach he may have been tough on people but he always cared for everyone on his team. He did not have this comming to him. If anyone had a problem with gary they should have told him, and not stabbed him in the back. As for the board, or who ever let gary go they should have at least given him the courtesy to explain himself. as for you GUY you, yourself have no clue what you are talking about other than being a huge baby you crying about "the regime" tells everyone that you are affraid of hard work yourself. so how about you SHUT IT "

" Hmm, sounds like a coach who actually expected his swimmers to WORK. I always preferred to be pushed to do my personal best at any sport I took seriously. I remember how unpopular my gym teacher/asst coach was -- kids hated to take gym with him because he put up with no bull and expected the students to actually put some effort into gym class.

I still don't think that's a bad thing.

As I said before, I don't have any first-hand knowledge of this particular situation, but I do know swimming and team dynamics (when they work and when they don't) and the difference between a good coach, a so-so coach and a really lousy coach (like my football coaches). My comments are general or speculative and I state up-front that I can't judge on this case in particular. "

" I am happy to see the outpouring of support for the Earls. I have seen both the good and bad of small town living this week. The bad being those parents who felt it was ok to take away a man's passion and punish an entire team just because their child was denied an award they didnt deserve. The good being how people came together and stuck by a coach they respect. The good will be remembered and the bad will eventually will get their just dues. What goes around comes around. Good luck to those kids in the real world when mommy and daddy cant punish their professors and bosses cuz they dont live in weedsport. "

" Do any of you people actually understand swimming? OR pay attention to Weedsport Swimming? HAve any of you ever been on the Weedsport swim team? NO. I was and the thre seniors in question all had good grades and were HUGE [arts of the team four the four years they were on it. Yeah so they got senioritis or whatever until this year on of them was cosidered our captain as an underclassmen, one was the most talented kid Weedsport had seen since the Baker twins and one was the hardest working kid on the team. And can you jump to the conclusion that they have parents on the board. Talk to thier parent s or the parents of the SIX kids who quit after the 2008 seasons parents. They'll tell you what its like to be under the Gary Earl Regime. He had this coming after his very evident lack of respect for the oldest members of his team and his even more evident preferential treamtment of his own son. So all of you that have no idea what went on in the William F lampman Pool for the last four years, SHUT IT. "

" Someone should gather all the comments attached to this article and mail them to the School Board -- let them know what the public thinks of them. "

" As a former teacher at Weedsport, paying citizen of taxes in the District, and graduate of Weedsport, I am absolutely appauled by the Administration and Board of Education's decision to remove Mr. Earl from his coaching position based on those lame excuses. We need, even more today, an individual whom teaches and instills responsibility, respect, confidence, devotion, loyalty into individuals of our district. As a former coach, it takes alot of time, energy and love for the sport, as well as desire to pass on lessons and skill to our upcoming children. Knowing Mr. Earl, having been his classmate, vouch for his dedication to our District. Slamming the door on him after all he has shared and developed in Weedsport, is a clear indicator of what type of people are in the Administration and serving on the Board. These individuals want the district winning and demonstrating stellar examples of academics and abilities, but they offer no tools or support to do this.

I am ashamed of our Superintendent and Board. Biting your nose to spite your face will only leave your children without opportunities we all experienced at Weedsport.

Money and Politics will be the death of us all.

Here is to a successful year at WCS. "

" This favoitism is common practice in Weedsport. My children graduated from this school and now my grandchildren attend Weedsport schools, but the school
system is not the only place that this
behavior is displayed. It is also common practice in the community backed sports programs, including basketball, baseball and soccer. It is not only the Chirco children, but the children of at least five or six other families that receive special treatment that is not earned or deserved.

Maybe coach Earl should change his last name and if he makes a wise choice, performance will no longer matter, he could have a job in the WCS district for life. "

" How sad it is how far Weedsport athletics has fallen. The district should be thrilled they have a swim program at all after Coach Griffin retired. Coach Earl stepped up and has done a commendable job given the circumstances. It is so true that decisions there are strictly driven by politics and money. Given the reasons they stated for not wanting Coach Earl they could let several coaches go there. But you aren't going to hear anything about the baseball coach or football from Mr. Chirco because his son is involved in those sports and there has been signs of favoritism there. Athletics are a big part of the educational process with a lot of valuable life lessons to be learned. What have they been teaching in Weedsport the last few years? If they are going to let Coach Earl go for the reasons they've stated they better take a good long look at all the coaches they have there and hold them to the same standards. You might not have any coaches left. "

" I have 3 Nephews who swam for Weedsport and one on the way. Over the years I have seen them all grow in to confident, repsonsibel, reliable men. I recall over the years watching them work so hard during swim season making sure to be at practice daily yet at the same time, maintaining respectable grades.They made practice daily because they were learning about comittment, perserversance and loyalty to something greater than themselves, a team. I can not help but think that carrying any one of those attributes into today's world will serve to improve society not to mention what great husbands and fathers they will be. I continually am baffled when I hear of people that honestly believe that it benefits anyone to reward slacker behaviour simply because "all children are winners." What incentive is there to work harder if in the end the prize is the same for everyone? Thanks Gary for investing so much of your life into a huge part of my family. We all benefit from it. "

" I don't know this coach or this particular situation, but I have learned some of the most important life lessons about character, courage, ethics and more from some of my athletic coaches in high school.

I ran track with a young woman who was very talented. She won nearly every race she entered. But she was a prima donna who often skipped practice and never put much effort in when she did show up. She was good, but she was not performing up to her potential because she didn't work at it -- she could have been much better. My coach valued the effort we each put into our work far more than winning. Sure, he wanted us to win, but he had his values on straight, so to speak. This young woman frustrated, annoyed and deeply disappointed him.

One time she and I were both running in the half mile at an away meet. I was a miler, and she was mostly a long sprinter -- 220 and 440, but that day, we were both in the 880. I was having a great day; I just felt good and was running very well. As we rounded the second turn in the first loop, I passed her. She turned to me as I was passing and said WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING?!?!??? I was breathing too hard for a sustained conversation, so I just answered "I'm running a race!" and kept going. The other team had a girl who was State quality who won the race, but their number 2 girl and I were neck-and-neck down the last stretch. I put my whole heart into it and beat her by the smallest nose for second place. I was heavily winded and it took me a bit before I could go over and ask the time keeper for my time. She asked my name, and I gave it, and she said, I don't have that name here. I was puzzled, and said, But I just came in second place! She looked at me and said, Yes, I recognize you but it says here Maria O'Connell came in second. I said, that's not my name -- that's my teammate who also ran. The time keeper and I just looked at each other and we knew what had happened, and she corrected the name. My teammate was so full of herself that she couldn't handle not beating me, not even once, her own teammate, and had given her name so I wouldn't get credit for having come in ahead of her. I never told my coach about it -- but he had her number. At the end of the year, she didn't get any of the awards, despite having won so many races -- because I had a coach who wasn't going to reward bad behavior.

I have many stories of coaches from whom I learned similar important lessons -- my swim coach, my soccer coach and others. The story here really resonates for me and my first thought was -- what influential person's privileged slacker son didn't get the award he thought he should get even though he was always blowing off practice? "

" Stick,
You really have no clue what you're talking about. Are you in or around Weedsport? Do you know what Coach Earl has done for that team and school?
This whole thing is simply political. Seniors did not get what they wanted, so they complained and complained and complained. It's body politics and money talking over there, plain and simple. I'm a father, tax payer, and a coach. If my son was a senior and skipping events and practices, I'd make darn sure he doesn't get what he doesn't deserve.
As a senior, you are a natural leader for your time. What kind of leadership are you providing or example are you setting by thinking you can do what you want and pick what you go to or not go to? This ain't the NFL you know!
Looking at this whole thing, I'm sure there's info the public doesn't have. The board is stating their reasons based on the account of a few. It's no shock to me at all that Mr. Chirco is supporting a decions against allowing Coach to do his job.... as I said, it's money and politics.
I think they need to pull each and every swimmer that was coached or influenced by Coach Earl. Then, and only then, will the school have evidence and proof on the three little pigs reasons for firing him!
Coach, good luck. You've done more for WSC as a swimming coach than most anyone there in 13 years. "

" After twelve years as coach, Mr.Earl isn't encourging enough? I wonder if the three seniors have a father, mother or other relatives on the school board? Maybe its just, were seniors and we deserve a scholarship even though we will miss practices and not put 100% effort in to this, because we know sombody in high places and my mother and father will get this for me. Congradulations Mr. Earl, make them earn it. Stick, I don't think Mr. Earl thinks he s indispensible, I think he is a very honest person, who has more values than the three seniors and their parents. "

" It's the board decision on who they hire. If the coach isn't doing a good job, get rid of them and get someone else who might do a better job. These coaches think they are indispensible. They are not. "

" Kudos to Mr. Earl for denying the three slackers the scholarship. They shouldn't get it just because they were seniors. As an employer, we deal with absenteeism all the time. Rewards should not be given to people who can't show up when they are supposed to. What these kids are taught carries over into the workplace... bad habits don't go away unless the correct message is sent early on. If you have an attendance problem at work, you get fired... if you have an attendance problem in school, you don't get a scholarship. Many of the young people entering the job market these days have poor work ethics. They don't have a real understanding of consequences. "