"I was never an athlete under Coach Steinman, but I had been interested in running for SC and was able to observe her coaching style and recruiting approach based on the few times I spoke to her. During our conversations, I asked for a very simple and reasonable accommodation. One that every other coach I spoke with during my transfer process was willing to make no problem, and I spoke to a lot of coaches. I explained that I could not do certain activities and would need to skip one track season to avoid injury, as I’ve had multiple injuries in the past from that specific activity. I also shared how those injuries had negatively affected my running career and love for the sport. I also explained how hard I worked to get back and the amount of heartbreak I experienced being injured from that track season that I should have skipped.
Instead of acknowledging these concerns, Coach Steinman focused almost entirely on how my request might “damage” the team concept because I should be training and racing with them all three seasons. That was the main point she repeated throughout the call over and over “the team” this, “the team” that. While teamwork is important in sports, it is not the sole definition of running at a collegiate level. Prioritizing my physical health should not be viewed as harming the team, if anything, a healthy athlete is far more beneficial to team performance. I’m sure my potential teammates would prefer I stay healthy so I can contribute my best.
During our second conversation, she seemed slightly more flexible, saying, “I’ll have to think about it, nobody has ever asked me this before,” despite the fact that many runners take seasons off to stay healthy. She suggested I cross-train sometimes and still race the season I wanted to skip, which dismissed the health concerns I clearly communicated. That should be a no-brainer. An athlete’s well-being comes first!
Her responses came across as dry and dismissive to me, and made me cross SC right of my list of potential schools. In my opinion, someone who is dismissive in this way is not demonstrating the qualities of a good coach. At the Division III level, coaches should be flexible, supportive, and understanding of athlete’s needs. I’m sure Coach Steinman is a great coach for runners who are at cross country and track just to make connections. She seems to care a lot about the team concept and for a lot of runners, that is definitely the selling point. "
"She has connected incredibly well with young women throughout her career at Springfield College. This is evident through the group of alumni who chose to stay involved and invested in the program. She constantly teaches life lessons through the game of volleyball and cares deeply about those within her program. She will advocate for and defend her players like they are her own children. "
"Coach Crabill offers a good incentive during the recruiting process. Once you are on the team it’s a different story. You can see by the stats he has not done well with the program. He tells players to be meaner on the freshman, plays his favorite players and punishes those he doesn’t like. He will most likely tell will play two positions but I have never seen that happen. He puts players against each other and has killed any moral the team had. Even though his seniors have given bad feedback he still manages to keep his job. Go to Springfield for the academics. Don’t go if soccer is your passion. There are much better coaches out there. "
"Tommy Crabill coaches through fear, intimidation and punishment. He is emotionally abusive in both comments and tactics. He has created a toxic environment in which players have lost morale, motivation, and confidence. His punishment of mistakes stifles creativity, growth and enjoyment of the sport. Punishing athletes for errors can lead to anxiety and discourages them from taking necessary risks for development. "
"When I was looking at different colleges through my recruiting process Springfield was in my top 3 mostly because of my visit with the coach. She was so understanding and made me feel like she genuinely cared about me even though I was not committed there. I highly recommend this coach the only reason I did not attend was because my major was not available."
"When I was coming back from a dislocated knee she helped me make a full recovery even though the doctors said I’ll never be 100% again and will probably have to quit football. "
"A lot for sports. Nice gym. Did not like how busy the road was in between gym and school. How small dorms were and how unsafe It felt. Very busy downtown area and dorm doors right there."
"He is amazing. I loved playing for him. He cares about his players more than winning. He building relationships with his players and their families easily. Very reasonable."
"There is a reason he has had as much long-term success as he has. A great coach and an even better man, that built a solid culture that has spanned almost four decades!"
"The pride that Melissa takes in her programs rubs off on her players. She cares about how we represent ourselves both on and off the field. Her love for the game of field hockey is incredible."
Fill out the form below and we’ll try to help you out as best as we can. More details of contact info below.
Report Abuse
Fill out the form below and we’ll try to help you out as best as we can. More details of contact info below.
Are you sure?
You are about to remove Springfield College from your saved schools.
Subscribe to unlock this feature.
Level up to make the right college athletic decision. Become a 2aDays member for as low as $5 a month.
Gain access to tools that take your college search and recruiting process to the next level.
Create an account to use this feature
Create a 2aDays account or subscribe for as low as $5 a month.
Subscribe to power up your recruiting and college sports experience.
Select Your Sport
Select a gender then a sport to get additional details about the team.
Sport
Select Your Sport
Select a gender then a sport to get additional details about the team.
Sport
Select Your Sport
Select a gender then a sport to get additional details about the team.