Florida State University

"body shames, targets players against each other, uses players mental health against them, violates NCAA guidelines multiple times. These are just a few reasons on why tisdale is so awful. the thought of her makes me want to throw up. i am so sorry to those who decide they are gonna play for her. you will regret it."

"I don’t think there are words to describe all of the horrible things Tisdale did in her two years I spent at EMU. Please do not be fooled by the facade she puts on during the recruiting process, she is a truly horrible person. To list a few things, Tisdale violated NCAA hour limits, forced us to do military training, had unrealistic run tests, enforced a pregame curfew, and constantly belittled teammates during film and meetings. She encouraged people to talk trash others in 1 on 1 meetings and created a tattle tale culture within the team, breaking trust between teammates. She also wanted you to directly rank yourself compared to teammates, which creates an absolutely horrible atmosphere. She is very power hungry and loves putting people down to instill fear and make herself feel superior. I found myself in a constant state of anxiety throughout my two years, making me dread going to any lacrosse event. During breaks I spent at home, I would be absolutely miserable even thinking about having to go back to school. On the field, she had obvious favorites that she made sure everyone knew, creating a strict favorite/non favorite divide. Days following games, “high mileage” players would talk and roll out and watch everyone else did a full conditioning, further adding to this divide. When you were a favorite, you were brainwashed to thinking she was a good coach/person, almost feeling like things were getting better. Suddenly, she would drop you and go back to the constant verbal slander. She told me I was going to start and get good playtime for the season and then proceeded to play me a total of 10 minutes in the first two preseason games without explanation, even when I directly asked for clarity. She still purposely found your weaknesses and dug into them, making you feel like you have no worth. Meetings I scheduled to try to find what I needed to improve turned into her picking apart every negative thing about me and repeatedly saying that I will never be as good as my teammates. She constantly told me that I did not deserve to be a division one athlete and would make fun of my weaknesses. She once screamed in my face on the sideline after a mistake I made and said that I was so f-ing awful at catching, throwing, and cutting that if the other team scored it would be all of my f-ing fault (We were up by 10 goals at this point). One of Tisdale's worst qualities are her CONSTANT lies. She once told us that people with the best stats after a week of practice would play in the next game. When the time came around, she disregarded this statement and resorted to only playing her typical lineup, with people who preformed well in practice not even touching the field. When asked about it, she gaslight you into thinking that she never said that and blamed you for not being good enough. At the end of my second year, I knew I had no other option for my mental health but to leave. She claims that if you decide transfer, she will always help you and "be in your corner". In reality, she talks negatively about you to any coach that reaches out to her in order to decrease your chances actually getting somewhere else. She specifically told me she would assist me in my transfer process, but immediately said she did not want to help when I asked her one week later. I do not regret spending two years at EMU because of the wonderful people I met, but I still am recovering from Tisdale to this day. I constantly find her voice still in my head during practice and have had to relearn to love myself as a lacrosse player. I never realized how truly awful she was as a person/coach until I shared my experiences with others and they did not believe me. All I have to say is I pray for anyone who plays under Tisdale in the future and I advise you to get a therapist. Trust me, you’ll need it. "

"Coach Tisdale is a coach who knows very little ab out playing the sport of lacrosse and coaches through fear. She wants her players to be afraid of her and is a bully on the field to players and officials. She also lies to and manipulates players in order to get them to do what she wants. She talks about player's private information to the team and pulls people into her office and asks them to gossip to her about teammates. She also encourages professionals to violate HIPPA in order to have power over her players and use personal medical information against them. She also treats injured people like their only purpose is to serve her every want and need during practice. Outside of practice, they are non existent and do not matter. She is very unfriendly to parents and family and will often allow very little time for team to see family members after games. She also picks special players who can do no wrong and have power over their teammates. If you aren't in her special group would will not play, you will not matter, and you will be forgotten. She also uses conditioning as a punishment and often overworks her players, giving them very little time to recover. In addition to this, she consistently violates the NCAA 20 hour per week rule. Although Tisdale says school and family come before lacrosse, that is not true. She wants to have control of her players lives on and off the field and will throw a rage tantrum if she is not able to do this. Overall, Tisdale creates a tea, culture where no one can trust each other, her team is miserable, and everyone is just praying for the season to end. The amount of players that graduate early or are on the track to do so just to get away from her should speak volumes. Not to mention she forced her team to fight a 300 pound marine at 4 in the morning while sounds of gunshots, women screaming, and babies crying played on the speaker (this was called the house of pain, one player fought the marine while others on the outside of the circle did grueling exercises). While one group was fighting him, the other was doing 100 yard bear crawls. For 3 hours. All after the night before the team was forced to do marine training for four hours (army crawling with chains, ropes, etc) until it got so dark out they could not continue. Fighting the marine was so intense, one player suffered a concussion and was out for 6 weeks. All while we were doing this, she sat back and laughed at her players who were visibly in pain. All in all, she was toxic at Central Michigan, toxic at Eastern Michigan, and will probably continue to be at Florida State. Good luck to anyone who plays for her in the future! "

" The guy is a terrible coach. Had a GREAT team last year that anybody could have been successful with. (Billy Napier) comes to mind. Now that he actually has to show what he's got its just a nightmare. "

"A coach who utilizes fear as a method of control and chips away at player’s confidence. This is a coach who will make you lose the love of a sport you have dedicated your entire life to. She is manipulative and attempts to turn teammates against one another. She attempts to establish weird dynamics of “control” and “leaders” between friends but in reality she puts one or a few on a pedestal in order to get them to talk about other players and learn things about their personal life that they did not share with her. During meetings with players, she will often ask about other players, which essentially creates a gossiping culture on the team. To my knowledge there have been meetings with people who are not captains specifically to talk about other players and situations. In her two years at this school, she created an extremely negative culture so much so that it was not even fun to be apart of a team. On the field, she will randomly ice players out, taking them out of the game completely with little to no explanation. As mentioned before, she wanted everyone to be afraid of her, but unfortunately that mentality off the field transpired directly on to the field and she had almost an entire team that was afraid of making her angry and played timid. The mind games she plays with her team cause many of her players to lose their love for the sport and become a shell of the player they once were. One last comment about Tisdale is that she consistently finds creative ways to violate the 20hour rule by labeling many things as “optional” even though girls would get in a lot of trouble for not attending. This got to the point to where even when things were truly optional, girls were scared to leave the field because they were afraid of getting benched or in trouble. There is a difference between tough love and just being downright awful and many times this experience with her was just downright awful. "

"You will need loads of therapy after you are done playing for Tisdale. She is a manipulator to say the least. Her coaching tactics are based on fear. She could care less about the mental wellbeing of her team. It shows when players are not ok and she doesn’t reach out or help. If anything you will get a text that says “how are you” and that’s it. The only good thing about her is that she loves food. On away trips she splurges and gets the team good meals but that’s if you are allowed to travel. She leaves behind her injured players even after saying that they are just apart of the team as the people who play. Once you are on injury good luck because she forgot about you. You are just there to make sure her practice runs smoothly. And if it doesn’t she will yell at you in front of the team and make fun of you. Awful coach who only has a decent track record because of her assistant coaches. Not to mention that her and her staff are mean girls who always want to hear the gossip. She talks about other players in your one on one meetings. This provides a lack of team culture because teammates can’t trust each other. She has no empathy yet she gives this speech at the beginning of the year about how “your daughters are apart of my family now and I will hold their hand and help them with anything.” That’s all a lie. Your dreams of playing lacrosse will go down the drain after playing for her. She talks about a standard and how the team has it yet she can’t uphold the standard on her part. Tisdale runs late to meetings that I have set up to have and just laughs it off. She is constantly yelling at the refs making a fool of herself. I didn’t realize how bad she was until I heard my friends stories about how great their coaches were. When I asked my friends if they had a curfew or a diet that they had to stick by, they laughed at me because they thought I was joking. Nope… that’s right she body shames and brainwashes her players into thinking this is ok. Tisdale only gets her jobs because she knows the people hiring. When she went to Eastern, only one CMU player followed her. This shows the lack of respect she has from her past players. This also speaks volumes about her. She tells the team that she can’t wait to get an invite from us for our weddings and then proceeds to look at me and say well that’s if you can ever find someone. She humiliates people if front of the team. When I heard she was leaving Eastern I was so thankful because I knew I could stay and be happy. If she didn’t leave I would have left after fall. If I were you I would save your mental health and stay far away from the woman. "

"If you are injured, you are forgotten and taken advantage of. When injured your job is to run practice with the clock and set up drills. But if you didn’t set up a drill quick enough (because you are injured) she will yell at you in front of the team. She asked someone who was on crutches to crutch all the way to the other end and bring her a full ball bucket. 1) how is that ok and 2) how are they going to carry it with crutches. That is a prime example on how little she cares about the well being of her team. She does not hesitate to belittle players in front of team and to make it worse she laughs because she thinks it’s funny. If you love the sport you won’t after she coaches you, I promise you that. I shows in the amount of players who try to graduate early, quit, entered the transfer portal, decided they were done with lacrosse or left mid season. She doesn’t take injured players on away trips but makes them lift with the strength coach instead. Not to mention even if you are injured and you are playing in your hometown she won’t take them. It sadly happened to two teammates this year. I used to like her but then realized she brain washes her players. She loves the people who kiss up to her and she pins her own players against each other. This started a lot of problems within the team. She has a set core players that play and then makes the bench players feel awful because she could care less about them. Tisdale doesn’t sub and if she does the bench player has one chance to impress her and if not they are pulled right away. She plays mind games with players and ruins their confidence. The culture that she creates is back stabbing and then wonders why there is lack of team chemistry. The freshman feel out of place and feel isolated within their own team. She mentally drains you and makes fun of players in front of the team. Tisdale goes over cara hours and then claims that it was optional. She puts restrictions on what you eat and body shames us. And she would make us run as punishment at practice even though that is against NCAA guidelines. She uses fear so that it wouldn’t get out. People aka “high mileage players” would not want to speak up because they liked the idea of playing. I would consider the habits from Tisdale to be abusive. I want to say good luck to those who try to stick it out under her dictatorship. If I were you, I would stay far away from her and never recommend anyone playing for her. "

"Great coach, especially when it comes to technical performance. I’ve learned so much from Neal. My technique has improved year over year. I appreciate that he really cares. "

""Coach" Tisdale is a complete fraud. She has little to no lacrosse knowledge and was a failed athlete who somehow got into coaching, with no relatability to her players. As a player for her, she was a bully. I watched her belittle and degrade everyone around her which made me question my love for the game. She creates a negative environment where punishes players if they do not meet a certain standard in an inhumane way. I never felt seen as a person while playing for her, and I was a big contributor. She takes credit for her assistant coaches knowledge and work when she is clueless. How do these things add up to being a D1 head coach? Let her players speak up on their experience as a testament to who this person really is."

"Beleive the bad reviews. There is a reason that so many of her Eastern Michigan players went into the transfer portal or graduated early. It also says a lot that only one of her CMU players followed her from Central Michigan to Eastern Michigan. Favors specific players and does not substitute them even when they are not performing well, exhausted, or hurt (or all of the above). Does not develop players. You will not improve if you play for her but instead you will question your every decision. Throws things. Yells. Makes fun of players. Is unkind. Sows fear. Says inappropriate things. Yells at the refs. None of this comes across when she is recruiting you because she can be extremely charming. Unbelievable that Florida State hired her. There is likely nothing I can say to convince you not to play for her but I wish someone had given my daughter some insight before she went to EMU."

"Coach gets it. The attention, love and respect he gave my family truly touched me."

"Coach Tisdale is a terrible coach who says one thing and does another. She has no empathy and her knowledge of how to actually coach is weak. "

"Tisdale is a terrible coach. Beyond being charming during the recruiting process she has absolutely no knowledge about how to build and retain a successful team culture. She explicitly told me I “shouldn’t let things happening off the field affect me on the field” after I was SAd. I will never forget that, and I will never forget what a horrible person she is. "

"Talked to him for an hour and a half. Asked me about everything in my life. Genuinely wanted to know about me."

"She promises things she doesn’t have any intentions of fulfilling. "

"Awesome coach and truly cares about his team and players individually. Motivated to win with hard work and compassion!"

"Jen Hyde is an outstanding human being. She is not just a coach and motivational leader but she is also very empathetic and stands by her players. I am now a coach but as an athlete playing for her, I got injured and she showed patience and belief in me even when I didn’t have belief in myself. If you want a coach that supports their players no matter what, this is the best coach for you. She has the winningest record at Florida State not just because she is an amazing coach and knows the game but because she is just an exemplary individual. She always tried to create a positive team environment on and off the court and she made our college experience the best it could be. "

"Neal is easy going and does not too intense. He unfortunately only focuses on his top swimmers, which the majority are international. The efforts of the slower swimmers in the pool, academically, and community involvement is not recognized nor appreciated. He gives too much power to a very judgmental assistant coach, Athena. But if you want to swim but not live and die by swimming like other D1 programs and want to have fun with great teammates FSU is your place. "

"Great year this year. The new coaches that Neal brought in also made a huge difference. "

"With all of the drama around terrible coaches in D1 sports it has been such a blessing to swim for Neal. He has been such a wonderful mentor and coach to me over the years. He and the other coaches care about us more than just as athletes. I’ve improved so much as an athlete and individual just by his example. Neal has been wonderful to swim for! Thank you so much Coach!"

"She is a great person that made my experience fun! "

"Blatant NCAA violator and creative in her coverup, Tisdale is where college lacrosse dreams go to die. "

"Thanks for a great year! Appreciate everything you’ve done for our team and me personally. "

"Created a winning culture in Florida State."

"I had such a good experience being coached by Neal. Neal made a lot of changes this year, he brought in new coaches (positive people) and held all of the negative and lazy athletes accountable (no more missing practices). The team is so much better for these changes. Last year we had a couple of negative coaches and negative athletes. They've thankfully moved on and the team is SO much better off. "

"much better vibe than past couple of years. The new coaches are so much more positive. Along with Coach Studd they have made this year so much better. My teammates are also no longer allowed to float. "

"Thank you for giving me a chance this year. You believed in me and I'm so thankful to you and the team. ACCs was amazing!"

"Thank you for everything that you did for us this year. This ACC experience was amazing and I've learned so much. I appreciate this team and these coaches."

"This coach goes out of his way to communicate with each of us on the team and he created an amazing environment at ACCs. I’ve never been part of a team that is so tight. It’s because of Coach Studd’s leadership and example. Negativity comes only from those who are not in it to win. We have no room for that on this team."

"Best ACC experience yet! Thank you Coach for everything!!"

"Thank you Coach Studd for everything this year! You’ve made the team stronger by cutting out the part that was dragging all of us down. We appreciate you and had a fantastic year! Thank you for pushing us to be better! "

"Couldn’t be happier swimming for FSU. This program surpassed all of my expectations. Coach has done a fantastic job of making the team swim fast and holding everyone to a high standard. Go Noles! "

"He's always there for the athlete and always there to listen if we need help or experiencing something due to injury or illness. "

"Thank you Coach! I appreciate everything you’ve done for me! Go Noles!"

"I appreciate that you always take the time to meet. Even if you don’t always agree with what we have to say you are open to chatting through any situation and are honest and down to earth. Thank you"

"Love swimming for this program and for Neal. Especially now that some of the negative coaches and teammates have gone! So much better to swim for and around positive people! "

"I am grateful to have been a part of and contribute to the team. Neal was always accomodating with class schedules, and pushes us to take school and practice seriously.. I attribute a lot of my successes these past few years to him pushing me to be better. Never settle. "

"He is very motivating and believes in the program which makes for a great practice environment. He invests in his athletes and takes the time to meet with us one on one. He’s honest and sometimes that can be tough to hear, but he is also easy to meet with and truly cares about us and our success in life."

"Motivates us to do our best every practice. "

"Love swimming for Neal! Thank you for always going above and beyond coach! "

"Fantastic coach. He puts time into the season plan and has a specific program just designed for me. Communicates with us and cares a lot about us. "

"He will push you to be better than you ever thought possible! You will work very hard, and your times will drop. "

"The head coach Neal and the rest of the staff are amazing. He’s passionate about coaching and holds us to a high standard. This is D1 after all! The only reason to be mad is if you don’t travel or don’t work hard and show up to practice. That would be on the you, not coach. Our team works hard, there are a couple that don’t and they are no long part of our team or they are on the way out. The rest of us are killing it and having fun.. FSU is for hardworking serious swimmers that also have fun."

"Thank you Coach! Keep on swimming. We appreciate everything you do for us. "

"You fail to show up to practice because you were out partying and he holds you accountable and you don’t travel.. sounds like you just came on here to retaliate by trashing him… Come onnn grow up! yeah he does have favs… people that show up to practice and work hard! Coach doesn’t deserve this! "

"not a good person and only cares about his favorites. "

"Thank you for pushing to keep the team positive and holding everyone to a high standard. We are all so much happier!"

"Neal Studd is a knowledgeable coach that definitely cares about the whole team. He has helped me surpass my goals every season. Thank you for believing in me and always pushing me to be better. "

"What you see is what you get with Coach Studd. He’s fair and honest and expects a lot out of us. He cares about us as individuals as well as an athlete. Work hard and communicate with coach you will have an awesome experience at FSU, don’t and you’ll probably just blame him and post ugly comments. "

"FSU swimming is a fantastic program. I have had nothing but positive experiences with the team and the staff. Some of us on the team have read these ongoing comments and have said nothing. This is going to stop. Coach asked us what we wanted this year more than anything and it was for people to be held accountable. This season so far has been fantastic. The coaches are holding us accountable for missing practice and everyone is working hard. The team loves FSU, we love the staff and we love swimming. "

"Very poor communication skills, plays favorites, unorganized, HORRIBLE TIME MANAGEMENT SKILLS, does not listen to players' wants and needs, basically runs the team as a business rather than focusing on the athletes as people. I have had many friends leave the team and/or quit the sport of swimming as a whole because of how the team was run. "

"Neal Studd is a coach who only cares about his own self image and not the swimmers. He will move swimmers into his group to claim their success at the expense of the swimmers training. He is barely ever on poolside, leaving the other coaches to take a lot of responsibility. He is hard to work under as a coach hence why three have left this year. He also averages around 7 transfers a year as people begin to realise as a coach he doesn’t have their best intentions at heart."

"Mike is simple at the top as far as goalie and defensive coach. He is direct and honest, matter of fact but you will get better under his tutoring. Air and will do what he can to advance your career. If you get the chance to be coached by him take it. Well worth every minute. "

"Disrespectful to swimmers. He bullies kids and makes fun of them. He never coaches, he stands on the side of the pool and complains about people and his health issues. This team is going down hill. He needs to be replaced to save the talent of the swimmers. "

"Unavailable and unapproachable. The team is too big to pay attention to everyone and he doesn’t seem to care. Bad communication between coaches that starts from him."

"Neal is a dishonest person. He will promise scholarships and will say you do not need it in writing. He is not a man of his words. He also is not involved and carries an energy of not caring. The makes the team culture not good. The team does not care and it shows. "

"I’m not sure what he needs to lose first, his weight or his job. "

"If I could give 0/5 stars I would "