College Kentucky Cheer Dismisses 4 Coaches Following Hazing Investigation

[Kentucky Girl]

I wonder what the reactions of other college cheerleading coaches regarding the Kentucky scandal?

 

[oncecoolcoachnowmom]

$29,400

When @quitthedrama said low I did not see that coming.

That's an "I need 2 jobs" type situation.

Is that on par with other SEC spirit coaches? well, They could make more at Target.

 

[cac4life]

YES, GREAT NEWS. the person who started the petition to ban UK from competing next year closed the petition!!!! This is good news. Said because of the backlash from cheerleaders on twitter
Petition Varsity Spirit Corporation: Ban the University of Kentucky cheerleading squad from next year's competitions Change.org

 

[oncecoolcoachnowmom]

YES, GREAT NEWS. the person who started the petition to ban UK from competing next year closed the petition!!!! This is good news. Said because of the backlash from cheerleaders on twitter
Petition Varsity Spirit Corporation: Ban the University of Kentucky cheerleading squad from next year's competitions Change.org

Only the university can prevent a university athletic team from the competing. Not Varsity (as far as I know.)

 

[coachrah]

Am I the only one who thinks the only way to break the traditions is to bring in a non-UK graduate as a coach?

Someone who sees these things going on and appropriately gives it the “hairy eyeball” look?

No you aren’t wrong. Logical.

 

[quitthedrama]

When @quitthedrama said low I did not see that coming.

That's an "I need 2 jobs" type situation.

Is that on par with other SEC spirit coaches? well, They could make more at Target.

The amount listed in the document I saw was $32,390 and listed the coach as a Full Time faculty member.
That.is.shameful
I'm sure given it is full time there are medical/retirement benefits but I'm not sure that there is much else. And that means the assistants likely make less than half that amount.
I don't know details of SEC spirit coaches - I tried to do some research. I know of one that is in the +/- $50k range.

 

[ImAChauffeuse]

The amount listed in the document I saw was $32,390 and listed the coach as a Full Time faculty member.
That.is.shameful
I'm sure given it is full time there are medical/retirement benefits but I'm not sure that there is much else. And that means the assistants likely make less than half that amount.
I don't know details of SEC spirit coaches - I tried to do some research. I know of one that is in the +/- $50k range.

I forgot to mention the number I posted was listed as the 2017 salary, it was the most recent one that I found.

In most if not all states the salaries of state employees (which includes public universities) are publicly listed, it’s just a matter of searching.

 

[cheerKT]

Can I ask a silly question? Is a college head coach a full time position? I'm sure it depends heavily on the school and Kentucky would almost certainly be one. What about other school? Many probably supplement with some allstar coaching too.

 

[Ems]

I wonder what the reactions of other college cheerleading coaches regarding the Kentucky scandal?

Publicly? None. It's not very common in any sport when some scandal around a team/athlete comes to light for a competing team to comment on it. They don't want to potentially piss off their school by publicly supporting the coaches but they also don't want to face the wrath of the cheerleading internet by supporting their termination. It makes the most sense for them to stay quiet.
Privately? I bet if any similar shenanigans were happening on other college teams, they won't be anymore.

 

[cheerbowgirl101]

Can I ask a silly question? Is a college head coach a full time position? I'm sure it depends heavily on the school and Kentucky would almost certainly be one. What about other school? Many probably supplement with some allstar coaching too.

Don’t quote me, but I believe being a coach of any college sports team is a full time job. They spend a lot of time practicing and many already work at the college/unversity.

 

[cac4life]

Only the university can prevent a university athletic team from the competing. Not Varsity (as far as I know.)

that's good! UK has been my dream college for years, so I really hope they get back on their feet and quick. I do have to say, I never saw this coming. I have met the coaches and multiple of the athletes, and they even came to my gym this year. They were all so kind, nice, welcoming, and amazing. The coaches were very good. I guess you never know though :(

 

[Eyes On The Prize]

Can I ask a silly question? Is a college head coach a full time position? I'm sure it depends heavily on the school and Kentucky would almost certainly be one. What about other school? Many probably supplement with some allstar coaching too.

I was interested in this as well. The UK job posting (here) lists it as full-time and says you must be available for nights, weekends, and days. The salary is 00/ungraded/has no pay band so I don't think they classify it as a regular staff position. I didn't see any actual numbers on the job posting. I highly doubt it's as low as what has been listed here. I think the unbanded position allows for flexibility in pay. For example, UK men's basketball head coach and the UK men's soccer head coach are going to make wildly different salaries even if they're at the same "level" within their specific department.

Not sure how universities pay these positions, what other compensation they're eligible for, etc. Not really even sure what benefits they are entitled to.

UK's website also says it's taking a hiring freeze because of COVID so I'm not sure what time lines are for this position.

ETA: Found a page that lists all the current coaching contracts at UK (here). Lists out bonuses, salaries, benefits, etc. I realize these are all NCAA teams, I'm not sure how non-NCAA positions are handled. I'm not sure if NCAA mandates this info to be transparent or not. But some of these people are making bank. Even the Men's Rifle team head coach is making $110K-$130K a year. Not saying cheer coaches are making that much, or even close, but it's possible that its more than $30k. Especially for a team with such a legacy.

Worth a look.

 

[CheerBank]

I think ultimately, that’s all understood. Nobody is condoning the oversight of the coaches. Wrongdoing occurred and it need to be addressed.

I think we’re all miffed at the circumstances of a pushy parent getting their way and a legacy cut short because some awful mother couldn’t handle the reality that maybe her kid isn’t as good as she thinks she is. She didn’t report this because she cared about the kids’ well-being — she waited until well after the season was over to say anything — she just wanted to throw her weight around because her daughter had a tantrum. And it worked.

That stings. I know we’ve all been in this situation to some degree. You’re coaching your team, doing your best, and then some bully parent comes along and tries to undercut you while you’re doing your job. It’s awful. And it’s happening to coaches we all admire on a national stage. I can’t imagine how the coaches are feeling right now. They obviously love cheer and are good at it. And while I’m sure they’re going to be just fine career-wise, this is not a note anyone wants to go out on.

So while I think everyone agrees the coaches erred and needed to have been disciplined, the circumstances of it coming at the hand of a duplicitous, entitled, egomaniac parent are what we all are chafing at.

As a coach, you are not doing your best if something like this occurs while on your watch at a school sponsored cheer retreat. It is that simple. No one is trying to undercut you while you're doing your job, because at that moment you are 100% not doing your job. Regardless of the motivation for Karen's whistleblowing, they pissed off the wrong crazy mom.

 

[Sterling von Shimmer]

As a coach, you are not doing your best if something like this occurs while on your watch at a school sponsored cheer retreat. It is that simple. No one is trying to undercut you while you're doing your job, because at that moment you are 100% not doing your job. Regardless of the motivation for Karen's whistleblowing, they pissed off the wrong crazy mom.

By the looks of it, I’d say the mom pissed off the wrong crazy cheer kids.

 

[quitthedrama]

Don’t quote me, but I believe being a coach of any college sports team is a full time job. They spend a lot of time practicing and many already work at the college/unversity.

For a big D1 school this is likely true, but most colleges in my area it would be a part time position and most are not staff at the university