"Coach Putyrae has increasingly gotten more desperate in his coaching routines as performance at regattas has declined. The more the team loses, the worse his behavior gets. He stretches the weekly time limits set by the NCAA by making rowers start earlier in the morning but keeping them longer than allowed. He recently started saying that the time getting boats on and off the water also doesn't count, thus adding even more cumulative hours a week to practices. They also have "Noptional" practices on flex days, where rowers are forced to practice without the benefit of safety launches and athletic trainers, leaving girls vulnerable if a medical emergency happened. There is no real warming up or stretching before practice, and A LOT of rowers are getting hurt - with many needing surgery that ultimately ends their rowing careers. There are injuries like fractured vertebrae, bulging discs, torn hip and shoulder labrums, tendinitis, and rib pain and fractures. Coxes, who do not need to lose weight, are being told to lose 20 pounds by an assistant coach. Once injured, he and his staff treat the injured rowers poorly, creating a very toxic culture between the active rowers and the injured rowers. He made one injured rower who refused to leave the team to workout in a room by herself. He uses head games to get injured girls to quietly leave the team, and doesn't allow them to say goodbye in the group chat. His whole staff tries coerce the injured rowers with scholarships to leave the team and give up their scholarships. This is so he can use that money on the recruitment of new, strong, uninjured rowers. Coach Putyrae has used the rowing coach who was fired from the Ohio team for abuse to help coach the Alabama team via video meetings with the staff and team captains. He's not an effective coach, and the team's performance has really suffered when one of the assistant coaches transfered to Miami for a head coach position. It's best to look elsewhere if you are looking for a supportive rowing coach who looks out for the health and well-being of the rowers. "

"Coach Putyrae has increasingly gotten more desperate in his coaching routines as performance at regattas has declined. The more we lose, the worse his behavior gets. He stretches the weekly time limits set by the NCAA by making rowers start earlier in the morning but keeping them longer than allowed. He recently started saying that the time getting boats on and off the water also doesn't count, thus adding even more cumulative hours a week to practices. They also have "Noptional" practices on flex days, where rowers are forced to practice without the benefit of safety launches and athletic trainers, leaving girls vulnerable if a medical emergency happened. There is no real warming up or stretching before practice, and A LOT of rowers are getting hurt - with many needing surgery that ultimately ends their rowing careers. There are injuries like fractured vertebrae, bulging discs, torn hip and shoulder labrums, tendinitis, and rib pain and fractures. Coxes, who do not need to lose weight, are being told to lose 20 pounds by a small assistant coach. Once injured, he and his staff treat the injured rowers poorly, creating a very toxic culture between the active rowers and the injured rowers. He made one injured rower who refused to leave the team to workout in a room by herself. He uses head games to get injured girls to quietly leave the team, and doesn't allow them to say goodbye in the group chat. His whole staff tries coerce the injured rowers with scholarships to leave the team and give up their scholarships. This is so he can use that money on the recruitment of new, strong, uninjured rowers. Coach Putyrae has used the rowing coach who was fired from the Ohio team for abuse to help coach the Alabama team via video meetings with the staff and team captains. He's not an effective coach, and the team's performance has really suffered when one of the assistant coaches transfered to Miami for a head coach position. It's best to look elsewhere if you are looking for a supportive rowing coach who looks out for the health and well-being of the rowers. "