"Had a very poor experience playing for coach Corbett at Penn. Team culture was miserable; she doesn't regularly talk to half the team. If you aren't a top recruit or in her 14 girl rotation, you really don't exist to her. (Keep in mind, I was a starter since sophomore year).
Honestly, I don't think she is inherently a mean or bad person. I just think that she has very poor social skills and self-awareness. Exactly she says is very matter of fact. It was until I transferred for my 5th year that I understand how a coach could actually care about all of her players.
Not mean per say. This was a big shock to some girls (especially the one of MA and MD private schools) who had been coddled and told how great they were for most of their club career. Public school girls, especially from Long Island and Upstate, who had dealt with tougher coaching tended to deal with her better.
She has had some great assistance who often tried to be the bridge between the players and coach. But assistants churn almost every year (likely because of her attitude) making some girls have to start over every year.There is also very uneven discipline between starters and non-starters, especially around off-campus activities.
In terms of coaching, she is very detailed around game planning, however, either can't or won't make in-game adjustments. "
"Colin is not only a fantastic technical coach, but also one of the most genuinely caring people I’ve ever known. I watched several people struggle with various problems throughout my time at Penn, myself included, and Colin was always there for every single person ensuring that they not only make the most of themselves as rowers, but also as people. He really wants everyone to be their best selves and he provides the necessary guidance and support to help people get there.
Colin is a serious person. He’s direct, he’s honest, and he doesn’t mess around. This leads to a rather intense culture. The culture is definitely one of high-performance. Fitness and hard work rank above all else. Colin believes that we practice to a winning standard, meaning we do what is necessary to win. This often means practicing more than other teams do, and more intensely than other teams do. Extra workouts are not technically necessary but are heavily encouraged, with everyone across the top 2 boats partaking frequently.
These two sides of Colin balance each other out perfectly. He will expect a lot from you, but he’ll support you along the way and enable you in every way possible to meet your goals. If you don’t care much for winning races and just want to be on a more social team, Colin’s programs are not for you. But if you want to work hard, reach your potential, and do everything possible to win races, Colin is one of the best out there and by far the best coach I’ve ever had. I can definitely say that without Colin, my life would be in a much worse place than it is today. "
"One of the worst coaches in the NCAA. Every single player has deteriorated under her coaching and parents and athletes make a game of guessing what uniquely terrible coaching decision she will make next. Would be tolerable if she was a good person, but she's racist (referred to a player of Mexican descent as a "beaner" and has made several black players very uncomfortable) and mentally abusive. Avoid like the plague."
"Plays head games and is dishonest. She is cold, distanced, and manipulative. I didn't know better as a young teen but I am so happy to be away from her. Had I realized the negative mental health impact she was having on me and my teammate I would have walked away or transferred."
"Kirsten Becker is not only a horrible coach, but she is also a horrible person. She picks her favorites and then singles out athletes that she doesn't like and decides to humiliate them and pick on them in front of the entire team. She ruined my experience at Penn. She takes away the athletes love for the sport of gymnastics. Not only is she the absolute worst at communicating, but she also has zero respect for your time. She wants complete control of everything and everyone and doesn't let the athletes have any say. If one athlete tries to help another, she gets mad at them and says that it is the coaches job only. She doesn't care to ask how you are feeling or listen when you try to tell her. Athletes are scared to say that they don't feel well, or are in pain, or are extremely stressed. She expects gymnastics to be your number one priority at all times and should be more important than your academics...we are at an ivy league school for goodness sake! Her and the assistant coaches talk about athletes behind their backs with the other athletes. They live for drama. She creates a divided team culture of people who are her favorites and want to be friends with her and suck up to her vs. the people she hates and picks on and who aren't afraid to stand up to her. She only cares about winning and doesn't care what the cost of it is....if it costs you your happiness and your joy and your mental and physical health then so be it in her eyes. If you do Penn gymnastics you will become a powerless pawn in her vicious chess game. "
"Sorry, no helpful tags here. When my daughter first came to UPenn, John Ceralde was head coach and Kirsten was assistant. When he left and Kirsten was hired within for head coach, things were good: girls went on to win Ivy's and GEC Championships, but then, everything changed. Somehow, winning took precedence over their gymnasts' mental and physical health and she and her assistants seemed to disconnect, for whatever reasons, from the needs of the team. Many girls are injured with their doctor's and p/t's orders being ignored, she doesn't ask how the girls are feeling mentally, physically, emotionally, and seem to be in some bizarro world where the gymnast only matters for their skills and ability to perform for lineup at meets. The gymnast and her whole persona is expendable as long as the team wins. My daughter is in tears at practice from pain, and she is looked straight in the face and ignored. Not my first rodeo here, this coach and her assistant have a total disregard for the ladies on this team. This is not club gymnastics, and these adult, responsible and strong women should be treated with respect.
At present, they are not, making for a miserable collegiate athletic experience for quite a few ladies, unfortunately. I feel terrible for them and would not have the fortitude to endure what they are going through. Props to the gymnasts for all their strength-inside and out. No props to this coach and her female assistant coach and athletic trainer.
Go to Brown or Yale for gymnastics, or wait until the coaches change."
"obvious favoritism. if you kiss up to her she'll love you. or you can talk about boys with her, that usually will put you on her good side. once you have a problem with her or try to have a genuine conversation about concerns, good luck. she talks behind gymnasts' back to the other coaches in front of us gymnasts. she also allows the other assistant coaches to talk crap about gymnasts to other gymnasts on the team during practice. she makes you push through injuries and gaslights you into believing you should be fine to do certain things even though its painful. gymnasts will be limping down the vault runway and she says nothing. or they'll be on the verge of tears (or have tears falling down their face) and no coach will talk to them or stop them from practicing. ridiculous"
"She is a terrible communicator. She either is not transparent with you or just blatantly ignores you-- especially if you are injured or she does not like you. Always claims to know what is best for you and can never admit when she is wrong. Does not care about academics. She has held mandatory four hour practices during finals week, where you can not come late or leave early... at an ivy league school. Overall, she is controlling, insecure, and unprofessional. "
"I was a player during his 2013 Community College run at Harford Community.
At our first team meeting, he said: “I don’t care about any of you guys. I’m using this as an opportunity to get back to coaching D1”—from that meeting several players left.
During his time coaching he is very good at X’s and O’s, but his self-aggrandizing story telling of himself and deifying every HS, College, and Pro player that is better than your play, was a constant mental game. He would single guys out who would work hard, and then pick on guys that were injured or hurt—always finding fault. He would say things like “are you hurt, or are you injured”. The feeling of never being good enough was always a looming feeling.
Every player on the team only stayed because they were looking to play at the next level, and because we only carried a roster of 15 guys (when we could have easily carried 20+) due to his treatment of players; meant you would play in each game.
Several of our All-American players quit multiple times that year, prior to and during the season.
The word “shithead” was used to describe guys a lot.
It was a known secret that several of the guys on the team had substance use issues. Nothing was done to curb the behavior. Until ultimately he kicked one guy off from the team. Still don’t know if that particular guy ever got help.
Than you have the fact that Donovan was constantly looking around to poach guys from other teams right before the season started (Jan/Feb) was another great feature. It wasn’t that we didn’t want to have a larger team, it was that your place on the team always felt in contention with Donovan. Everyone was replaceable.
Did we win? Sure? But when you’re on a team where your getting screamed at constantly when you’re trying to be the best, never congratulated, never hyped up or praised; why would anyone want that? To the point that one of our guys was so messed up mentally, he started a fight with a Canadian team by slashing one of the players on the ground in the back, ultimately getting suspended. One would think there would be some indicators for players that are off, and neither he nor the school did anything to protect their guys.
He’s smart and intense, but with so many places to play these days, and value of college degrees going down—I would steer clear. Unless you’re a 80+ Point per year player; or a defensemen that’s having 25 takeaways a game; there are other places.
He only wants you, so that he can further himself. It’s not about creating a winning culture or team atmosphere. It’s about him. Go somewhere, where you can gel with guys that are like you and have common goals and values. Life is longer than just lacrosse."
"Thus far coach P has been extremely understanding and demonstrates he cares for his players and wants the best for each player as well as the program as a whole. "
"When our daughter was actively being recruited by Penn, Nicole set up several calls with my daughter where she never answered her phone. We found this to be extremely unprofessional & a turn off on the women's soccer program at Penn. she was being told by the assistant coaches how serious they were about her & then Nicole never showed up for any scheduled calls."
"Mike is well intentioned, he wants the best for his swimmers and his team. Once you’re on his team, he may not be the best at communicating but he sure does tell a good story."
"Great campus for the kids but the area just outside of the campus is not good. Facilities are well maintained, clean, and have everything the girls need."
"Old school coach who is very likeable and great with the kids. She also understands and values academics and places a priority on her girls success in the classroom."
"I like that the soccer fields are covered by a bubble in the winter and that the fields are nice. The complex is convenient and easy enough to get to. However, the locker rooms are old and need an update."
"Jason Calhoun is one of the best college golf coaches in the US. He is a great leader, teacher and motivator and cares about his players. Jason has been the Penn Men’s coach for four years and has already developed a strong team culture for the program. For any high school player seeking an Ivy League golf experience Jason is the person to reach out to. "
"Mike is a great coach but he also values his swimmers as people and understands what kind of support it takes for his athletes to be successful students and athletes at a unique school such as Penn."
"While her communication is a bit lacking, she is very up front with you in where you stand on the team. Many people who have had issues with her in the past did not see a lot of playing time. "
"Great motivator, great guy, great recruiter/leader of the program. Lacks an understanding of offensive tactics and general possession (building out of the back). "
"By far the best coach I've had in the sport of running. Knows how to train distance runners & build a great team environment. One of the most direct/honest people I have met, especially during the recruiting process. Not in your face intense, but very passionate about his athletes and team. Wants every athlete to have fun chasing their potential. "
"Played favorites. Awesome practices and extremely technically aware but too young to successfully coach during games. Evident in current record. Immature in dealing with adversity. Removed returning players who expressed concern with bullying etc. instead of listening/working with them. "
"I enjoyed playing for Leslie my 4 years at Penn despite not being a starting player. I was injured early in my college career and Leslie was extremely accommodating and gave me every chance she could. She is very knowledgeable about the game and fair with playing time. Leslie could work on her communication skills, but she is very open to discussing any problems a player or the team may have."
"Coach Dolan is a fantastic coach. He is extremely knowledgeable. His approach has worked for many athletes and has taken UPenn from a bottom tier Ivy League running school to one of the best in the nation."
"Coach P brings great energy to every day of Penn FB. He's done an excellent job recruiting strong student athletes and hiring an extremely knowledgable and high caliber coaching staff. Coach P is someone you can go to for anything and believes in building great people, not just players. Having played for multiple coaches I am extremely grateful to be under coach Priore's leadership and staff and would recommend anybody who meets him to buy into his sincerity and experience."
"Steve Dolan is an exceptional track & field coach. As a multi-event track & field competitor himself, he has a deep understanding of each event type, allowing him to be a well-rounded head coach. Coach Dolan does an excellent job at being personable to the athlete while simultaneously maintaining a professional relationship. He excels at his job, always uplifting his athletes each and every day."
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