Collegiate Times

Silva obviously has failed the leadership test of a coach and needs to go. This is a shameful reflection on Tech's sports program.

Someone explain this, coaches are kicking kids off the team due to issues about BRUNCH? I mean if the kids were getting the recruits drunk I could see why the coach would get mad, but what actually happened?

Athletes, D1,2,3/full-ride or no, for all sports, men's and women's, are removed from rosters for less than what these bad-attitude senior "leaders" did. If you don't let the coach pick his or her team, then who's in charge? Who's responsible for the team? The players? This isn't a democracy, it's a team. Teams, just like companies in the "real world", have leaders at the top who make the tough calls. Insubordination in any organization (colleges and universities train students for the real world, right?) is grounds for termination/firing in the real world. Lesson learned for these students, they should thank Silva for teaching them this now, hopefully they don't repeat their mistake in the real world, when it really counts. Now, over to the athletic department to make their call on their employee, but if they're influenced by the obvious bias in this article and have a knee-jerk reaction to fire her to win a popularity contest, shame on them.

This situation has really gone overboard. 25 players on the team and two will be seniors, two will be juniors this year. Silva has effectively rid the program of upperclassmen. It's no wonder the lacrosse program has been producing the worst teams at Tech.

Kicking athletes off the team for brunch issues sounds perfectly reasonable. Let's just can the whole program before someone reschedules *dinner*. Yeesh. Who cares? It's *girls lacrosse*.

"If you don't let the coach pick his or her team, then who's in charge? Who's responsible for the team? " 0-10 ACC, some coach she is. "Now, over to the athletic department to make their call on their employee, but if they're influenced by the obvious bias in this article and have a knee-jerk reaction to fire her to win a popularity contest, shame on them."-What if they fire her to start winning games, I think that's what the AD goes for. Clearly the coach has lost the locker room (if she ever had it), time for her to leave.

Silva clearly can't control a simple miscommunication that could have been handled with a slap on the wrist. What is the crime here?? The numbers in this situation speak for themself. Her record directly reflects the type of coach she is. Look at how successful other programs at Tech have been! Are these girls really deserving of this punishment?? She reflects poorly on the school as a whole. I can't beleive all of this has just been thrown under the rug-- is the athletic dept. trying to hide it? I hope they fire her!

Coach Silva has not demonstrated the Hokie Spirit in her coaching style and it is negatively impacting the team. Silva bullies and intimidates and has a need for total power and control. The team needs a spirit of cooperation and cohesiveness to be Hokies.

The only reason Katrina Silva is still working in this athletic department is purely do to the AD above her supporting her "decisions" for whatever reason that is. I think the athletic department needs to seriously assess this situation, and this head coach needs to go. This is NOT the definition of what it means to play a sport at Virginia Tech and Jim Weaver knows it so I do not see what is stopping him from solving the problem of Katrina Silva, and all of the other assistant coaches for that matter. These girls put 3 years of injuries, and their hearts into this team and getting dismissed for a "brunch" miscommunication is preposterous. Oh and I like the "anonymous" blog, you might as well have written the title as KS.

and by anonymous i meant the 12:05 blog by a suspicious point of view

Where is the rest of the story? Four of the best players are just gone because there was some miscommunication? This sounds like a coach that has some personal issues to deal with. What happened to the other players involved in the situation? Why are they still able to play?

In regards to the "insubordination and inconsistencies" causing these 4 girls to be dismissed, it is never stated as to how they were insubordinate or inconsistent. Was there drinking or drugs at the tailgate in which the recruits were exposed to? I just don't really understand why changing the time of a tailgate results in dismissal of 4 key senior leaders and players. I think Ms. Silva is the one who is inconsistent. I know in past years, there have been players who played under her who have been arrested for drinking and using fake id's and taken to the hospital to get their stomach pumped, but still remained on the team with little or no punishment (under Ms. Silva!). To me, these seem like insubordination's that would more likely result in dismissal. What I don't understand is why Ms. Silva is so "inconsistent" with her punishment and decisions.

Is their favoritism occurring on this team? I think that Ms. Silva has obvious favorites and unfortunately, these 4 girls were not one of them. For example, last year there were numerous articles written (in the CT) about a stand out freshmen player, whom was highly recruited by Ms. Silva and given preferential treatment. In these articles Ms. Silva practically worshiped her, saying numerous and positive things about what a great leader, player, and person she is. As heard from the team, during the season this player got hurt and was allowed to sit out of practice to "rest" but yet come game time, started and played every game. This practice is extremely inconsistent with the actions Ms. Silva took in the fall (2007), when players had asked to miss fall ball practice to attend job interviews the day before a fall ball game. Upon return, these players (who had been starters) not only did not start, but had minimal playing time. This is yet another example of Ms. Silva's inconsistencies and favoritism. If there is not preferential treatment and favoritism occurring on this team, then why did the 2 remaining seniors, as well as the entire team get to stay?

Didn't coach Silva say that this is a team, and everyone is in it together? Why did these 4 girls get singled out when the other 2 seniors were equally as involved? I think that this is unfair and deserves a proper explanation from Ms Silva. Wouldn't you think that if there was true insubordination in that someone in the athletic department would care to comment? To me, it looks as if something suspicious is occurring within the athletic department.

In response to Anonymous comment stating its the "athletic department to make their call on their employee, but if they're influenced by the obvious bias in this article and have a knee-jerk reaction to fire her to win a popularity contest, shame on them" I couldn't agree more. The athletic department should not get rid of Ms. Silva, but the lacrosse program as a whole. They obviously can not pick a successful coach and consistently pick women who have their own agenda, are manipulative, and detrimental to their staff as a whole. I am not sure how this can happen when the athletic department has successfully picked good coaches in basketball, softball, soccer, and track and field, all teams who have made appearances, if not won the ACC Championships upon entering the ACC. So yes, Anonymous, Ms. Silva should not be fired, but the entire lacrosse program should be eliminated. Obviously the athletic department does not care about lacrosse and this issue is only making it more of a nuisance.

As a VT student, I am very upset that the Athletic Department would allow someone to tarnish their name. What Coach Silva is doing is ridiculous and the athletic department should be embarrassed to have someone like her representing VT.

thomas vagabond emerick is the man!

"Not Casey Warner, who says she had a cardiac ablation -- heart surgery to rectify irregular contractions -- during her sophomore year to keep playing." Right, get heart surgery "to keep playing", not for one's health and/or to abate the danger of heart disease/attack, but to keep playing university lacrosse. Not melodramatic at all, Author.

Excuse me, "anonymous". I happen to be a close friend of Casey Warner so how dare you call out her devotion to the program "Anonymously". If you are going say something malicious at least don't mask your identity. Casey Warner could have sat out the Spring season, but instead opted to get the surgery that she should have had earlier. Actually Katrina asked Casey to NOT get the surgery so she could play in a FALL BALL game that does not even count. That shows what kind of character Silva has when she overlooks a players health condition to play in a meaningless competition. It is all about Silva when you play on her team, and not what is best for the players, but what is best for her. So before you make a comment to the about being melodramatic, learn the full story.

I don't even follow lacrosse, but I do know that the Maryland and Northern VA areas have some of the best lacrosse teams around for both guys and girls. So the fact that the womens team is terrible but mean the coach just can't recruit good players, because there are obviously really talented high school players in Maryland and to a lesser extent VA.

Although you dont follow lacrosse, just a quick look at the rooster, you would realize that almost every player on the team is from MD particularly Baltimore, the lacrosse hub. SO saying that she does not recruit good players is not true. The fact of the matter is she had some of the most talented girls in the area, and chose not to use them for whatever reason. There were at least 4 girls from Mt. Hebron, who up until a 2/3 years ago was the best high school team in the nation. Obviously it says a lot for players from that school to be recruited by Tech and then get here and either get cut or be forced to quit. Great coaching Katrina.

The coach would not have made this decision with out including the AD and receiving permission to go forward. The article is biased and because of privacy constraints does not give the readers the whole picture. These players had to go. A new coach has ever right to make the team her own. If the players do not buy in to the coaches message - goodbye.

"Ex hokie-laxer" (a title which clearly identifies-not that I care to know-who you are...well argued), if what you say is in fact (and as a friend of Warner's, I'm certain it is and is without bias) the full context of Warner's surgery decision, maybe the Author should also "learn the full story" and include said "full story" in his article, before he takes Warner's surgery decision piece out of context with melodramatic writing in a public forum to slander another. Thank you for including your missing piece.

Chill, whoever posted about Casey. It is the TRUTH. No drama involved. You obviously have no idea what the situation is so you should probably go talking trash on a different article. To all the non-supporters of the players (whoever you are at the bottom, I'm pretty sure we all know who you are anyway), go talk to Joe Paterno, Pat Summit, Vince Lombardi, or Kelly Amonte Hiller and tell me if they've ever made a move like Katrina Silva did a few months ago. Probably not. Enough said.

"The coach would not have made this decision with out including the AD and receiving permission to go forward". If this is the case then why not comment. Katrina and the Atheltic department choose not to be included in the article. Why wouldnt they have something to say about this if they are 100% in the right here?? Its a sign of cowardice. If they stand by their decision, then say so. Of course this article is percieved as biased. The other side chose not to tell their side. That in itself speaks volumes to me. Ignoring the issue of these 4 girls is the athletic departments style. Ignoring the lacrosse program in general is their style, why should this be any different. The writer didnt give the readers the full picture? Well he asked for interviews and got no response or had resistance from Katrinia herself...so if the whole story isnt displayed in the article, then whose fault is that?

In response to Coach Silva not being able to recruit good players... Coach Silva's only two recruiting classes that she has had a hand in are currently the freshmen and sophomore players on the team. These two classes hands down have better talent then any class that the previous coach Tami Riley had. Succeeding as a new program in the ACC, arguably the best lacrosse conference in the country, is a challenge. Each year, starting with her first Coach Silva is bringing in better and better talent in order to meet that challenge. Dismissing the four seniors on the team as punishment did not fit the crime they committed. They should by all means still be on the team. However, they certainly were not the best players on the team. The fact of the matter is that the reason so many of the other girls left the team was simply because they would not be able to compete with the higher level of competition that Coach Silva was bringing in. This is essentially what may have caused a a lot of the dissent towards Coach Silva. Upperclassmen were angry that underclassmen were beating them out. This situation happens all the time in sports teams of every kind. This rebuilding, especially as a new program in the ACC takes time.

To respond to Coach Silva or her representative's comment that 'Insubordination' in the real world is cause for termination/firing, CS (Coach Silva) is correct. But in the 'real world' true insubordination is clearly defined. To quote, Mary Helen Gillespie, President of Gillespie Interactive, "Insubordination is classically defined as an employee's willful disregard for a manager's direct orders....There are times when the incident can be nipped in the bud with a brief word or corrective coaching." What happened to these 4 seniors (with 2 other seniors still on the team who were present during the meetings) was not clearly defined, with no clear reason given for the dismissal. It was not insubordination but the coach's desire to purge the team of players not recruited by her, except for the ones who 'kissed up'to the coach and were willing to throw the other seniors 'under the bus'. The Coach Silva or her representative Anonymous' reference to the "bad-attitude senior 'leaders'" obviously reflects her true disregard for hardworking, dedicated team-oriented girls. It reveals her favoritism for her 'peeps'. Her obvious desire to "pick her own team" was the true purpose for dismissing these girls.

For those of you saying she recruits good players, I agree. The team has had some of the most elite players, but what do they have to show for it? A record of 4-12 and 5-12. There WERE good players on the team, and there still are, but obviously this just proves the point of how bad of a coach Silva is if she can't produce wins with a good team. Good players can only take the team so far, coaching has a lot to do with the losing record. When you lose multiple games by one goal (which occurs often to this team), that is bad coaching in my opinion.

--- we will see if the soph and fresh are better players, just wait for their record. I assure you it will be just as laughably terrible as the previous seasons

First of all, "anonymous"- identify yourself if you are so in support of the whole situation. "..the reason so many of the other girls left the team was simply because they would not be able to compete with the higher level of competition that Coach Silva was bringing in.." Oh really?? I was a former player of Katrina's, and am now a captain at Rutgers University. My teammates here obviously believe in me, as a player and teammate that can compete at high level DI, and that is something Katrina pushed away, along with all the other GREAT players I played with at Tech. I'd love to hear more from you regarding higher level playing ability. Would you like to bring up Griel's ground ball or caused turnover stats or ability to lead the team? If so... please do..

I for one will stop giving donations to the athletic department until this issue is resolved... Mr. Weaver if you want my money at least issue a statement on this matter...

This situation is absolutley ridiculous. First of all who is supposedly someones best friends and goes to their coach and rats them out to kick them off the team. Obviously there is something going on between those two. glad ur not going to have friends ever again..and wouldnt u want to have 4 of ur best players on the team playing with u to try to have a winning season. what you think that you can take this team to an acc championship on your own...obviously not bc u havent done it in the past 3 years. There is no way that these 4 girls should be kicked off the team for changing a tailgate time, if this coach was smart and wanted to potentially have a winning season then he/she should have kpet them on the team. there is no question that these werent some of the hardest working players on the team and would do anything for the team. it is really sad to end someones career like this especially for this reason. this coach should be fired with no questions asked and she be demanded to have an explanation.

Shouldn't you love and support the team you use to play for...I wish, but this season I cant wait to sit and laugh at their record hahahahaha

Thank god this article came out. Hopefully Weaver will now realize the mistake he made in hiring her.

It's probably too late, but for the players who were kicked off the team and still had eligibility, it would prove a big point if they transferred to a lower division school and led their team to a bunch of wins. Getting kicked off the team senior year is tough because it limits your chances to find another school to play at. Maybe VT should hire a coach from UVA, their program seems to be at another level right now.

I have been waiting 3 years for this article to come out, its about time people saw the truth of what Katrina is doing to this program. I have gotten over what she did to me long ago, but I will never get over what she has done to this program, and the embarrassment she has brought to the VT athletic department. If her record alone isnt enough for them to fire her, I would hope this article would do it. And as for the two seniors left on the team - On Senior day when you are reflecting on what it took to get you there, I hope you cant see past this.

the article needs to go into more of why those two special seniors got to stay

Does anyone really believe that this article is going to make the Athletic Departmemt have a change of heart and fire Katrina? They have been aware of this situation since day 1 and have backed their coach without hearing the players out. They will undoubtedly turn their cheek and continue to allow Katrina to run the program even farther into the ground. Anybody close to the program in the past 6 years knows that the athetic department has a way of ignoring the program and not address the issues. So if you are looking for a response from the department other then "We support our coaching staffs decisions"...you will be waiting forever. Its not going to happen. The best this article will do is follow Katrina for the rest of her career.

A good coach could take the girls Silvia cut and/or forced out and whip her existing team. Let's put that game together so Silvia can go to an impressive 9-27.

Its called the club team - play us.

Alright, I don't know much about lacrosse but if ANY ACC team would struggle to beat a college club team, in any sport, it would show hot pathetic they were. If the 14 players or so that were kicked off the team joined the club team, how close/competitive would this game be? That would be a testament to how bad the coach is if its close.. Legitimately a close game or would the team with scholarship players win in a blow out? Maybe the CT should sponsor the game

The situation is a ridiculous occurrence. It doesn't add up. But, Silva has full ability to make this happen. She wanted her own team, from the start. Some of us might of got screwed in the way, but that's how life is. She has been fully supported in (most of) her decisions by the athletic department. She's not going anywhere, but the lacrosse program, however, has a good chance to cut.

Atleast 11 of the girls from varsity who have quit or been cut joined the women's club lacrosse team. The club team won the regional championship last year and they were ranked 9th in the nation. At the rate katrina is going, we hope to be national champions in the next couple years. Thanks k-tina! Keep up the good work!

To whoever said this statement: "The fact of the matter is that the reason so many of the other girls left the team was simply because they would not be able to compete with the higher level of competition that Coach Silva was bringing in.", don't mistake favoritism for talent. The younger girls on the team have talent, but please don't flatter yourselves. They have no where near the game experience or the leadership that the upper classmen have. Oh wait, there is no upperclassmen/leadership left since Katrina got a hold of the team. Both Katrina and the athletic department had plenty of chances to defend their sides on this matter but didn't. This shows what an unfair and wrong thing they did. This article wasn't biased, it was completely factual. The facts just speak for themselves- aka Katrina has no business (what-so-ever) in coaching. Whoever supports Katrina or the athletic dept is clearly brainwashed. I'd like to hear your opinion when (because I guarantee she will) she turns on the rest of the current players/your kid. I wonder whose side you'll be one then....

I was just made aware of this incident thru a post on Laxpower. Though I have not spoken to any of the parties involved, it is hard for me to believe Kari Morrison would do anything to undermine anyone much less her coach. Kari is a terric young lady. I had the opportunity to spend time with her this summer, as she coached my daughter in lacrosse. She is a terric coach and an even better role model. I am sad that she will not be able to play her senior year for a school and a team that she loved to much. Such a shame.

Stop low balling Culp, as well. I know you all well, and you none of you would ever put yourself in her shoes; see her side of the deal. Your problem is with Katrina, not Culp.

Kari Morrison is still, dreadfully, on the team anonymous.

Having played with and against a lot of the girls who have been dismissed over the years it's about time this issue was brought to light. Cutting phenomenal players for less than appropriate indiscretions is ridiculous. Griel, Ziegler, Beach, Thomas, and Dunleavy are great players and great people. As awful as it is that they cannot finish out their careers at the DI level they are the frontrunners, in my opinion, for the WDIA (club) national championship. fire katrina and good luck to va tech club lacrosse, we'll see you in February. - georgia lacrosse

Silva is a bully--plain and simple. It is about time one of her many unbelievable actions has come to light. She does not deserve the honor of coaching at an amazing institution like Virginia Tech. This article touches superficially on the mistreatment she has caused too many people in the short time she has been at VT. A long list of people have been treated unfairly while others have been given preferential treatment even when serious offenses were involved. Yes, she should be winning more games but there's also that part of coaching that involves the development of these women info self disciplined, committed, confident, altruistic team players who strive for excellence on and off the field. Silva has tried to destroy rather than foster these characteristics in the women she coaches. If your argument is that she wants her own team, then think how you would feel if a new coach came in and treated these current freshmen and sophomores in the same disgusting manner in which previously recruited VT players were treated. She has made me ashamed to be affiliated with the words 'VT Lax.' VT Athletic Administration--when are you going to get off your hands and do the honorable thing? Address the many issues of which you have been made aware concerning Coach Silva and recover some of your credibility lost through inaction.

Wow. I had no idea that this was taking place here at VT - all behind closed doors. I know that when I played lacrosse in high school, it was the best 4 years of my life, and my coach had a tremendous impact on me. Coach Silva doesn't understand that she is not just ruining a program and making an embarrassment out of VT, but also ruining people's time at VT (what she did to those seniors is UNBELIEVABLE). She could either have made it a memorable, amazing experience. But now, people are going to look back in disgust at their time with VT Athletics here @ VT. I can't believe she is completely fine in the ability to damage so many people - actually I am appalled. I really hope that Weaver steps up here - she NEEDS to go - she CAN'T ruin any more people's experiences at VT, for it is the best school in the Country. This just isn't fairr.....

this article is not so much about the "14" that have left or whatever the number is. Although a few of them did deserve to be on the team, the team was much better off without a few of them. Katrina did make some good decisions at one time and I did respect her. This article is about the 4 who were cut for no reason, and we should focus on that.

A coach who ruins a sport for a player at any level should be ashamed of themselves. Clearly this woman's incentive to coach is for her own personal gain and not to benefit her players or to impact them in a positive way. She needs to rethink why she became a coach. As a past member of the Towson Tigers Athletic Community, it is a DISGRACE to say that Silva was once a fellow Tiger.

You lead by empowering, not by fear. Another proof of that right here - imagine if this talented team was one cohesive unit and weren't afraid of being cut - could have been dangerous...top of the acc good.....wow.

Part 1 I have chosen to acknowledge myself in this blog as oppose to remaining anonymous because I am fully prepared to stand by what I am going to say. With the issues regarding the article and the Virginia Tech lacrosse team "re-structuring," I would first like to credit the girls cut in September for their character. I know all of the girls personally and can attest to their love of the game, their respect for Virginia Tech athletics, and their desire to win an ACC game and the program’s growth. These girls were excited about the program and were very excited about Katrina Silva when she first arrived at Virginia Tech. Katrina promised to grow the program in exactly the areas where the previous coach, Tammy Riley, had failed. In fact, the aforementioned athletes relished in the opportunity to work with a coach boasting such success' as Katrina Silva's at Colgate. It wasn’t long however that Katrina began to make drastic changes. Many girls began to quit and at least among the returning players from Riley's regime, vacancies began to crop up. Slowly, over what seemed a two year period, upper classman playing time dropped significantly, benching many long time starters. Along with the playing time drop came players either quitting or getting cut by Silva. One only has to look at the numbers to have a clear example of how this situation is disturbingly out of control.

Part 2 Whether you want to stand by the coach’s prerogative towards their personnel or not, the truth remains that Silva's program is in blatant decline. She continues to lose and has put herself in a position where she has only 4 upper classmen on her squad. As someone who watched the lacrosse team last year, they clearly performed better when Silva played more Juniors and Seniors, rather than Sophomores and Freshman. Red flags should be going up in the athletic department, not only for a lack of leadership, but also because after this article, it has become obvious that many people are unhappy. Uproars don't just happen. So whatever lay at the bottom of this, enough is going on to be alarmed about. Whether Katrina Silva is fired, or remains as coach, is not as important as rectifying the relationship between the Virginia Tech Lacrosse team's ex-players, and alum, and the Athletic Department, as well as Katrina herself. Something must be done to set the record straight and quell the outrage of the parents of these players. Virginia Tech promotes an environment of fair play and integrity, which is now in question.

This situation sounds a tad bit familiar, (think: large school in the northeast). In the last 2 years both programs can make 2 full line ups. It would be comical to see the "exs" play.

That is exactly the point nothing happened! Atleast nothing worth kicking off 4 hard working seniors. Get this one of the seniors wasn't even there when they made the decision to change the brunch time. She still got kicked off the team. I like how Katrina, Culp, and the administration all refused to comment. Thus proving that this whole thing was bologna!

sorry I got confused. I was responding to a blog towards the bottom. Ok I get it, they lied. Then CULP and Carrie lied too. But their still on the team! What do you have to say about that?

Nick, Matt, Shane and others those were perfect statements – something the administration and VT coaching staff has refused to supply us with. Parents, friends, family and supporters have spent years building the character of these great kids and Katrina Silva regretfully you are in no position to take that away. For months now, we have been in anguish dealing with the unknown of this situation but at some point it will be told. The harsh reality is that the “lessons” that have claimed to have been taught will never equal the guilt from the vindictive few. I have had the privilege to coach, meet and converse with many of the girls on the former VT lax teams and there character has been outstanding. For many of them, this is the product of the support system they have created outside of lacrosse. The parents of these true student athletes should be proud that you taught your daughters honesty, courage, dignity and loyalty. On a personal basis, these girls have all become and will remain role models for my entire program. This summer at our camp the VT girls again are invited to teach our kids about hard work, discipline, and what it takes to be a college athlete ( they obviously learned that from there high school coaches) and we are going to have a brunch and they can come whatever time they want .

I used to play and was actually recuited by Silva. She is a liar and a fake in her recruiting process. She emphashized team unity and togetherness and being proud of being a hokie laxer and then makes you embarrased to play for her. She is not only a horrible coach (like this article illustrates) but also a horrible person. She could care less about her players. A program that treats their players this way does not reflect well on Virginia Tech. The girls who were cut were the girls I looked up to when I played and I support them 100%. I hope that Katrina finally gets what she has coming to her.

I have been around lacrosse since 1968 as a player,coach and fan.I have witnessed the damage that Silva has done to her players and the program but have refrained from making any comments out of respect for my favorite Hokie. Well some one else opened up the can of worms... my only comment is this. Collegiatetimes I take umbrage with you basically calling the coach a jerk. Why in gods name would you call that jerk a COACH. Hookies Club Lacrosse rules.

My husband (VT baseball '74-'78) and I both attended VT back in the 70's and our youngest child just completed her senior season of soccer at VT. As this lacrosse situation unfolded in the Fall, my daughter heard step by step what was taking place & described the entire incident to us just as it is reported in this article. I thought perhaps some detail was missing that had not been shared with her and find it interesting that none of the details have changed from the facts she gave us back in September. I personally think student athletes at VT deserve better than this. There are ways to promote the competitive spirit that is expected at the Division 1 level WITHOUT promoting the division that is apparent on this team. Great coaches know how to balance this while promoting integrity & accountability to their team. Someone in a leadership role at VT needs to do the right thing and address this coach & her lack of integrity.

Coaches have a role in developing a person. Schools have a role in choosing the right coach. A Coach should create a team and atmosphere where players can grow as individuals and as a unit. A REAL Coach can do this! Everyone wants to win and any University can get the right talent to play for them. This “team” had consisted of Women who were the best at their game, recruited by the top programs. Why is this team so dysfunctional? Remember the role of the Coach. VT doesn’t have a REAL Coach. These players have now moved to the Club team. Ironically this team Coaches themselves. It’s amazing but this team went to the National Tournament all by themselves! Could you imagine how well these Athletes could perform with a REAL Coach? Please consider the ramifications of the abusive treatment Katrina inflicted on these Women. Each one now has to go through a learning process and self evaluation to overcome this treatment, whether it was mind games or cutting Scholarship players before they put a foot on playing field! The strong will within these Athletes will enable them to succeed, but why do they have to experience this? Combine this with the heartaches all of the Hokies experienced the last two years, we should be asking how we can help these Women. Strong Hokie spirit has kept most of them at Tech, shouldn’t that spirit be strong enough to get rid of a FAKE coach?

....true story. this article has made me very happy. more happy than alot of people know. she deserves everything she has coming to her. i believe that what goes around, comes around and as you can see, she has had this coming to her for a long time. i hope you are reading all of this katrina!!!!! and don't punish your current players for this, just because my grandmother could run a better program than you can. somehow, i am sure you will still find a way, even after this, to rip the team further apart than they already are. save us all the trouble and quit. any QUESTIONS, THOUGHTS, CONCERNS about that??????????? (you guys know what i'm talking about).

Pretty sure this article will make its way around the lacrosse community. With that in mind, what decent player is going to come to Virgina Tech to play lacrosse after reading this article? She will have to do a lot of damage control when parents/players ask her about this stuff.

I just have to write that I am appalled that some of the slander that is taking place about this issue. As someone who has taken over a program that needed to be rebuilt from the ground up, I can certainly understand the challeges it brings and the time it takes. During my first two years at my institution I had 18 players decided not to return. Many who were unhappy with the new philosophy of the program. Many who did not want to do the work to be sucessful. Many who had never been told NO in their lives. Those first few years were really challenging for everyone involved...however despite the fact that 18 kids were no longer playing for me....I did start to recruit players who did buy into my philsophy and in time we started to become very successful. Being a coach in the ACC must be extremely stressful. Building a program in the ACC must be extremely challenging and would take patience. Katrina was very succesfful at Colgate and her players loved her. It took time for her their too to get the right chemistry going. As a coach, we try to make the best decisions. We try to make decisions that benefit the entire program. Not just one person or one season. I think what strikes me most about this is that no one has really addressed what responsibility these players had in this situtation. HERE IN LIES THE PROBLEM...

Problem With Our Society, Learn to spell before you make a post. The ACC sure is different then the Patriot league so just because she was successful THERE doesn't mean she can cut it at Tech.

Problem wiht Problem with our society: Learn how to spell and learn proper grammar: "sure different THEN"? Jeebus! And quit bellyaching down there and move on. Word is from fall ball that the team looked great!!! Go Hokie Lax!!!

Silva has taken 4 hard working dedicated players and destryoed them. For a coach to cut these girls over something so stupid is repulsive. These girls may not have been the "best" players on the team but they brought so much more to the table. I know each of these individuals and am honored to be friends with them. The team not only lost vital players but lost 4 wonderful personalities. These girls were hard working and would do anything for the sake of the team. Silva should have be thrilled to coach girls like this but instead ruined their senior year. If anyone was to speak to previous coaches of these girls i'm sure they would have only positive things to say. I've seen many coaches ruin players and thank goodness these girls have eachother and tons of support from their friends and families. Silva is a in the wrong, she is cold-hearted and I hope the team does not win a single game. It is also very sad that a person would choose lacrosse and Silva over 4 wonderful, good hearted, fun loving friends. On another note I just do not understnad how the athletic department is taking no actions. And for those who believe this article is biased i'm sure many people would love to hear the other side of the story but some people are cowards and do not want to face reality.

I don't know what team you were watching "Anonymous", but I also watched all of the fall ball games and they looked terrible against teams they would actually be competing against. Longwood does not count, although they DID lose to them the second time around I believe? Ouch. Have fun being the grammar police on the post though, stick around you can edit one of my papers.

I think the best thing, about this article, is how details are given in regard to repeated attempts for comments from both Silva and the Athletics Department. Subject matter aside, this is a great piece of student produced journalism!

The saddest part about this article is the lack of support that Hokie fans are showing for the team. Saying things like "their record will never improve" and that you "can't wait to laugh at them when the time comes" makes me feel embarrassed to be a Hokie sports fan. Criticizing specific players on the team, when you obviously do not personally know them, is cold hearted. Clearly, there is more to the story that wasn't told. And personally, I think this article is obnoxious, uncalled for and one sided. If I were apart of the lacrosse team I would only use this for fuel to work hard and prove all of you non believers wrong. And whoever linked this site to lax power, clearly is trying to bring the program down. I am disappointed and ashamed to be a part of a student body who does not fully support their athletic teams. If you have a problem with what Katrina did, thats different. But leave the team out of it.

Ok Rule and Drool, I'll bite, the only game in which they played terribly was the UNC game. What we saw against JMU and George Mason was a young, fast, scrappy team that took JMU to the wire and easily beat George Mason ( a team that demolished the Hokies last spring), The speed, transition, midfield defense, and offensive ball movement looked greatly improved from last season. I admit I don't know what transpired last fall with the four seniors and I am saddened for them and by this contoversy surrounding a sport I love in such a great academic and athletic university. I will say unequivocally that calls to disband this program in comments below are bitter and out of line. I want to support the hard-working student-athletes left on the team too. P.S.: I edit a lot of papers, including PhDs for publication. It could only help.

Anonymous--I can sure tell you that ALOT of these posts are from girls who have/are a part of the VT women's lacrosse team. Myself included. None of us want to see the program to fail--but as long as things remain this way under that coaching staff... it most certainly will. I KNOW for a fact, that the team has plenty to say about this matter, and it sure is not in support of the way she runs things. Unless more and more people are finally made aware of how terrible things are run with this program (and has been for years now), nothing will change. Out of all people, I don't want to see a team that I put my blood, sweat & tears into for four years at Tech go down the drain. But it's going to take something for positive change, and that something is not Katrina Silva.

Would people please stop cutting down the lacrosse team and focus on the what the article is actually about. Please, by all means criticize the coach. This situation and this article has everything to do with her. The team who is still working hard to be as good as they can be, despite having a questionable coach, has absolutely nothing to do with this situation. It is unnecessary, cruel, and just a little but pathetic to bring them down in all of this. Wishing for them not to win a single game or to have a terrible record is an immature effort to get some kind of vindication for being removed from the program. Take it out on the coach, not the team who has no control of this matter. Keep in mind that there still are a lot of people on the team that are still very good friends with the people who are no longer around. It is disgusting to think that some of these people that have friends on this team would post terrible comments wishing for their failure.

PS- Fall Ball means nothing. UNC and all other teams for the most part, with the exception of Longwood maybe, plays their third string against us. You cannot judge how the spring will pan out based on playing against them.

i mean, the gist of what the article is saying, as most clearly wrapped up in its closing, is that while this coach has a great track record with rebuilding, she really gave the prior recruits the shaft on this one, and they have a right to be angry given that they were recruited to be on the Tech roster. silva had a chance to defend herself, but chose not to, so she could only be defended with positive stats and the author's speculation that the team could still be good later on. this whole bit is concentrated at the end in wrapping up this whole complicated mess. disagree with silva, empathize with silva, sympathize with the players, or a combination of all three, the team seems to be in serious disarray during this transition period

Is awesome. VT Women's LAX is too legit...too legit. I've gained a new level of respect for the girls here who play Lax and wish you all nothing but the best. You shouldn't have had to go through this....

You would think that there are important and critical details missing from this article about the reasons for the girls dismissal, but there is not. And this article is obviously bias because the athletic department refused to comment. If they or Katrina are not trying to hide anything, then why not make a simple statement and say so.

I agree that we should stick to reason this article was written. The fact that 4 of the most honest, trustworthy, and overall great people were dismissed from the team. With that being said, their teammates also did not stand up for them when they needed it the most. This was mostly due to fear of what the coach might do or say to them, which is sad that fear of a coach holds back players from defending their friends. It is not that we don’t want to see the girls on the team succeed; it is the fact that along with wins, the coaching staff takes all the glory. Again, people may think there is “more to the story”; I can assure you that there is not. A tailgate time was supposedly “changed” and that resulted in 4 of the 6 players being dismissed. The fact that people think there is more to the story is credible because I agree on how ridiculous it sounds. I promise that there are no little zingers behind the scenes such as drinking or impregnating a recruit. It is a contradictory statement to say you love VT athletics, yet think that this article is obnoxious. Again, you are entitled to your opinion, but if you care so much about VT sports, wouldn’t you want the team to be successful and happy. I will praise Virginia Tech lacrosse loud and proud in my hometown, but only when there is a different coaching staff.

I think that everyone who has ever coached understands that sometimes the right decision is the most difficult one to make. And in this case, I think the coach did the right thing by cutting four dishonest players from her program. I would venture to guess that this wasn't the decision that she wanted to make, and she probably would have preferred that the players didn't lie in the first place. But given the situation she was in, I think you have to have to let the kids go. The article above is completely one-sided and demonstrates that the four players were not accountable for their actions. I would not want those kids to be a part of my program either. A few bad attitudes and dishonest players can serve as a cancer on a team and can undermine everything that the coach and the other players are trying to accomplish. Also, creating a winning program is not something that happens overnight. A coach needs a few years to recruit her own players and to establish a winning tradition. Wouldn't it be great if you could just snap your fingers and have a team full of competitive athletes who could win a ACC Championship? Unfortunately, it doesn't work that way. Having patience is important as is bringing in quality, accomplished, and honest players into your program.

Of course the girls on the team stuck up for the four players that were dismissed. The four that were kicked off were teammates and friends that loved and respected. Unfortunately, the lacrosse team, as well as every other team, only has so much power and control over a situation like this. There really had the power to do nothing to get them back, so it is incredulous to put any kind of blame on them.

Please don’t talk about the Virginia Tech lacrosse team like they’re a bunch of spoiled brats. We knew coming into the program that playing at the DI level wasn’t going to be easy. I had no problem playing for a coach that would make me “f-ing run until I f-ing died” if I ever talked back to a ref or even make us run sprints on the turf during a snow storm until our feet cleared the snow so we could resume practice. The problem was playing for a coach who was manipulative, self –serving, and apparently doesn’t answer to a higher authority. It’s when the favoritism was so disgustingly obvious the coaches didn’t even bother to hide it. It’s when teammates were encouraged to distrust each other. It’s when Katrina, after coaching these seniors for two years, could coldly dismiss them without batting an eye and without giving them a concrete reason. It absolutely kills me how many friendships have been destroyed by this, not to mention an entire program’s reputation tarnished, and 14 girls who can only look back on their college career with sadness and disgust. I wish the girls still on the team the best of luck…my heart goes out to you all. Katrina, get a conscience. We trusted you.

Let me rephraze what I said about the team not defending them. I know that they wanted to, I know that some did, I was not blaming them by any means. My point was that the coach has the team so scared of what she may do, they did not know how to react. They did not want to get thrown into the mix, as I would not either. The girls on the team are great people as well and I do wish them luck in the Spring.

Anonymous 2:31- Those 4 kids are not in any way, shape or form dishonest. Do not question their character. That's the shame in this...people thinking there is more to the story because it's so ridiculous.

My years on the vtlax team were the best four years of my life. I love every girl on that team. Nobody should be bashing them. They are great people and awesome laxers. I respected Katrina and loved what she did to the program up until this incident. It doesn't make sense and I want answers from her.

I'm surprised it took months for this article to come out and gain such momentum. Speaking from ACC lacrosse experience, this is one of the more ridiculous things I've heard. I experienced for three seasons someone I consider to be the worst current D1 coach, but I had no idea similiar atrocities were occuring elsewhere. Sounds like the coach has a lot of questions to answer. This is something the athletic department cannot run and hide from. It is pure ridiculousness that they refuse to comment. My vote- get a new AD when you get the new coach. If there is good enough reason to destroy a senior's last season and last chance at a legacy then quite frankly, let them be heard. To the VTech seniors who were unfairly removed with reason- enjoy your senior year b/c my guess is you gave up the last three for lacrosse. But, don't get brushed under the rug- stand up for yourselves.

You people are unbelievable... You are missing the point… If this was one person you could say it was a disgruntled player. If it was two people maybe it was a “movement” but we are talking 14 players here!! Great, I am glad people are finally noticing this has been going on for 3 years since Katrina stepped on the campus!! This is not about players without talent, we are talking All Americans! This is not players with attitude and discipline problems, we are talking about Academic Honor Students and Community Leaders! This is not about players who don’t want to work hard, now they are running their own team and practicing on their own. This is not about change of philosophy. These are girls who did everything so they could play D1 Lacrosse. Katrina is the issue. All of the ex-Varisty players support (most) of their ex-teammates and want them to succeed. They still go to the games and watch and cheer them on. They don’t support Katrina or an administration that lied, mislead and mistreated them. This is about hardworking, talented, smart student athletes that were ABUSED. If you are the parent of a current player I encourage you to speak to your daughter. It’s too late for the 14, their college athletic career has been ruined! Trust us, once she finds that your daughter is standing in her way she will find a way to cut her too!

Besides the four that were unfairly removed, many of the fourteen players were cut. Cuts happen on every team, in every sport, at every level. Making cuts is part of Katrina's job just as firing people is the job of a boss in the business world. She had every right to cut those players for reasons that were not personal but for the improvement of her team. Every other coach has this right and exercises it in the same way. It is an especially important aspect of competition at the division 1 level. This isn't recreational lacrosse where everyone makes the team and everyone plays. I am not at all referring to the four girls that dismissed unfairly. The ten others, were either cut fairly under the circumstances of a try out, or left on their own accord. I don't know why everyone thinks that these 10 were treated any differently than any other players that were cut from sports teams. Cuts happen... it is inevitably part of competition. So lets please make this issue about the four that were wronged and not so much about the10 that just got cut...

for people who dont know the girls involved, the whole situation, or anything about the coach, no one wants to hear your opinion.

As a coach of a rival team to Coach Silva's for a number of seasons, I have nothing but respect for the way she coaches and the way that she runs her program. Coach Silva looks out for the best interest of her entire team, in all situations. Not knowing of the circumstances of this particular situation, which I do not, I am 100% confident that she made the correct choices for her team and their long-term best interests. She is not a bully or a liar. She is a great lacrosse coach who made the best decision for her team. I am sure of it.

Everyone understands the try out and cut policy. The funny thing is that it is supposed to end at some point and you should be involved with preparing for your season. These players are on constant trial with this coach. How can Katrina's decision making ability be held in a positive light when she has never won an ACC game? What you are not recognizing to see is a pattern of neglect, poor decision making, poor leadership and steps backward every time she makes a player personel move! Things that make you go hmmmmmm......

This only made things negative for the lacrosse team. This article to bash the coach, good or bad, makes everyone look bad. Life isn't fair, move on. Parents, your kids will be in the real world soon and can handle themselves. No one needs to spend all day on a comment board. No matter if you were right in this situation everyone is now looking like whiners. Just like every other message board ever created the people complaining are not part of it anymore. Save yourself the humiliation.

Ok anonymous 7:07 obviously you care about this or you wouldn't be posting on the message board! I bet you have posted more than once too, and I wouldn't be surprised if you were on the coaching staff. These posts in your defense do not make you look any better.

Last year there was a coach issue at Stanford, possibly similar -don't know all the details, a few games into the season the team took stand. They refused to take the field if the coach remained, went to the AD and all. The Stanford coach resigned ASAP. The two assistants took over the program for the remainder of the season.

Since the girls were kicked off the team before fall ball games happened I believe they are eligible to take a red shirt year- that is if they would want to cont. playing somewhere else next year in grad school.

Hahaha the fact that you can write "No one needs to spend all day on a comment board" mid-way through a post on a COMMENT BOARD only says one thing...You're smart enough to be a VT women's lax coach.

To the person who basically said "we should leave the team out of it and how dare everyone not support them": go back and read the blog from top to bottom before you say stuff like that. This article was never about the current players...it was about Katrina...and no one was saying anything negative about the current players until someone made the idiotic comment that the older players were just scared of the younger competition. So you can go and thank your fellow current players/parents for opening that can of worms.

all of these comments are pointless. if anyone knew the true story about coach silva and her "cuts" opinions about this recent situation would be different. my heart goes out to these girls that worked so hard for 4 years. why do you think coach silva AND the athletic department have no comments? because there is HISTORY and this article barely even broke the surface.

I would say the Athletic Department is chosing not to pick a side considering the timing of the event. Coaching dismissals are typically at the end of the season. Regardless, I think the student athletes need some sort of represenation- coaching a D1 ACC lacrosse team does not make you a dictator, as we've seen with a variety of programs. There is a clear lack of a support system for these girls. It is very unfortunate their careers are being cut so close to the end. I have a feeling all the negative attention this article is cultivating is far more dangerous to the program and the team, then keeping the girls on the team. I beg to differ with an Anonymous poster who says they have coached against Katrina and she made a sound decision- Would you want this type of negative forum going on about your team and you?

thanks thomas for looking into this story.

This cannot and should not be about the current players or the life of the vt lax program. Over the past 4 yrs, with the exception of the freshmen, I have had the pleasure of getting know alot of the players, former and current. They are all devoted, hardworking and delightful young ladies who are or will make VT very proud. As a parent I would be very proud of all them. Lax is a great sport that should with out doubt be continued at VT. Based on the reasons the 4 players and parents were given for the dismissal this past Sept it was an unfair, unjust, irrational and cruel decision. None of the following was involved: alcohol, drugs, arrests, fire arms, or illegal activities with recruits. It was not an attempt to undermine the program. With any insight from the coaches or administration this incident should have been taken care of in house and done fairly. However, based on the past and recent decisions of the coaching staff and support of the administration their MO hasn't been in that direction. I am angered and dissappointed. To the VT soccer player and her parents congrats on a great senior year. We followed you all season. You must be very proud. '74 - '78 were memorable years.

This will take a few entries….. please read it all As a fellow coach and colleague, although not in the sport of lacrosse, I am disturbed, disgusted by what I have read in this article/blog regarding not only Silva but her remaining players. As a former athlete at VT, I am embarrassed to be part of a community that will turn on their own publically for the world to see. Silva was hired to change the direction of a program within a very difficult conference. With this task, comes not only a need to change the culture, but also to change or more importantly increase the expectations from players on and off of the field. To do this, difficult decisions need to be made on a daily basis, which in turn does not make you a popular person. I would venture to guess that a majority of these players that have been released did not meet these new expectations. As for the four most recent, I tried to take the bias out of the article and see the root of the original problem. As a coach, my question is - why would any athlete, much less four “dedicated, honest, hard-working, etc.” senior leaders, change the itineraries/plans/schedules a coach made without notifying or asking the staff …… if they weren’t doing anything wrong?

As a coach, I would have also dismissed players who lied as trust is a very important thing within a team. It saddens me to think that people believe that illegal drug use and drinking with recruits should be the only reason for players to lose their privilege of being on a team. In addition, to question why a staff or administration didn’t comment within this article is preposterous. Anything that goes on within a team should be private and confidential. My sense is this whole article and blog whirlwind has been created by four players who lied and got caught, and their parents who still aren’t ready to hold their daughters accountable for their actions. PLEASE SEE ABOVE

To those on this blog who are not coaches, I would challenge any of you to walk a day in our shoes. Try having your career and your livelihood dictated by the decisions of 18 to 22 year old “young” adults. To all parents of student athletes at any level, I am one myself; I would challenge you to relate this to real life. When your child signed a scholarship agreement of any kind, he/she signed a contract, much like he/she will when they get their first job. He/she agreed to a certain amount of rules, guidelines, and conduct. What are you going to do when your son/daughter gets dismissed from their first job for changing their boss’s agenda without approval? Will you send a certified letter to their boss saying it is unfair or that the agenda change was not a big deal? That because they didn’t do drugs, drink, or do anything illegal that they should be reinstated to their job? Or will you just start a witch hunt via a student newspaper and on-line blog to try and ruin their reputation? This was a life lesson, not just a lacrosse lesson PLEASE SEE ABOVE

To all of my fellow coaches in all sports, I would challenge you to think seriously about the affect of this. This article/blog should scare you to death. We could be the focus of bitter players who didn’t get their way on our team or didn’t like a decision that our staff makes. I believe most of us are used to some negativity around decisions we make, but this has taken it to the level of defamation of character and harassment. To the staff of the Collegiate Times, I would challenge you to think about what results that you were looking for when you released this article. I can’t imagine that you would have had any bad intentions in the beginning, but the comments are now taking on a harmful nature to all involved. It has gone beyond the bashing of a coach and has now questioned the characters of current players but also those who were released. I think that all opinions have been voiced; I think that it is time to remove the blog before someone really gets hurt.To those who have been dismissed from the team for any reason, I would challenge you to reflect on what you could have done to possibly change your actions to avoid this. And then, I would challenge you to ask yourself if the demise of this program is really what you want. And finally, I would challenge you to move on.

My comment is composed of the below four entries. Please read the lowest and continue upwards. Most importantly, to the VA TECH LACROSSE TEAM, I would challenge you to come together as a team in the midst of all of this adversity and focus yourself on preparing for your season. You have endured quite a bashing through all of this which should make you want to support each other and your staff to have the best season possible and to be part of the future of a changing program at Tech. Our university is an amazing place and one you should be proud to represent.

Bad news for VT Womens Lax---Good News for Alculpoco(?) Mexico!!!Escape doors are located at the rear and front of the plane.Tequilla!!!I would blame their high school coaches for the injustice these girls are suffering.

Thank you, Concerned Colleague, for a thoughtful and much-needed post.

Dear "A Concerned Colleague/alumnae" aka members of VT Athletic Dept. Thank you for finally issuing your statement "off the record". Its been long awaited. yes this blog has gotten out of hand and has recieved a lot of unforseen atention, but what can you expect when you make a devastating decision that affects not only 4 seemingly dedicated senior leaders, but drastically impacts an entire team and you let it go unnoticed and ignored.

It is foolish to think that the Athletic Department would waste their time on a comment board as pathetic as this one.

Trust is important to have on your team, I can agree with that statement. However, you clearly have not read too far into the story, and as a colleague of Coach Silva I assume you have heard an earful of what she considers to be a reasonable explanation. One of the girls dismissed (Zeigler) was not even aware of this tailgate, or anything having to do with it and was STILL dismissed. She was considered a liar, and inconsistent for not answering questions clearly, but how could she if she did not even know what was going on,??? Zeigler was out of town during this whole situation. And as for the other 3 girls, Griel, Warner, and Coover, they made these “plans” BEFORE the itinerary was sent out. Must we clarify that again?? BEFORE the itinerary. Once it was sent out they held the tailgate at the allotted time, no harm, no foul. There were NO lies involved. Get your stories straight before posting a 4 blog long post. Your entry may seem educated to some, but to me (someone who knows the whole story), it is ridiculous and obviously not coming from someone who truly knows what happened.

I would just like to add that if you would like to relate this to a real world job experience, NO EMPLOYER would fire an employee without cause and not subject himself to repercussions. When an employer experiences problems with an employee, that employee is given notice, the issues are documented and the employee is counseled and given an opportunity to improve their conduct or correct their mistakes. I don't believe the 4 seniors were given any of that due process. THAT I believe is the bottom line....there was no warning, documentation or due process for the 4 seniors.

As an alumni I am sad to see this is where the program and the Collegiate Times has gone. I do not mean the coaches either, the players. I have coached at the High School and College level. I have been down to many alumni games as well as fall ball and regular season games and this article does not paint a very accurate picture of the program or coach. First, any time a new coach comes in, they look to build their team, and establish their goals, plans, etc. When Tami was recruiting she was recruiting Big East players, NOT ACC. The ACC is a totally different ball game with lacrosse powerhouses such as MD (8x national champions), Duke ( Consistant Final Four contender), UNC, and Virginia (National Champs). Being an alum, I hate to admit it but we are the low man on the totum pole for lacrosse in the ACC. Unfortunately the level of player for the ACC is a different caliber athlete than the ones Tami brought in. It is obvious by the team's 0-9 ACC record prior to Katrina taking over that Tami was not taking the team in the proper direction. MORE IN NEXT POST

No employer will be interested in your children when now they can google their name and see this awesome blog. No one from the outside cares. This is what people are not getting. The blog is a bunch of lax people complaining making the program look even worse. And to all the people leading the war path heading to Mexico have fun. Your maturity is really helping.

Second, the article only really takes into consideration the dismissed girls and one side of the story... If you look into the history of the program or any program for that matter, you will find a pile of "quitters" for MANY reasons.. "it was the coach" only being the easiest excuses. Third, I have played for Katrina and coached against Katrina and have the utmost respect for her and the program. Some players and parents these days have NO idea what makes a successful program. Parents supporting and standing behind and excusing players for lying and any wrong doing. Players thinking it is their right to be on a Div 1 team. It is a privelege not a right. The fact that everyday seemed like a tryout...it is. Players don't get to sit back and relax once they make the team or start a game. If they do, they are not the type of player that will make a successful team. Lastly, if readers truly believe it was only about moving the time of the brunch, then I question your ability to see through the BS. Having recruits on campus means being on your best behavior and putting the team before your own personal interests, such as going out to drink. Thomas, you should do some more digging on why the girls wanted to move the time of the brunch, and what their motivation was behind such a change.

You're right, Kari Morrison had a motive for changing the time, she had friends in town and wanted to "show them a good time" and tailgate at her house. This plan NOT including recruits. But wait, is she still on the team? Thats bizarre, what happened to staying consistent. If 6 players were suspended together, all 6 should be dismissed together.

For once in your life, show SOME EMPATHY. Put yourselves in the other person's shoes. How does this make the coach feel? Everyone is about to send her hateful e-mails? Is that pleasurable for her? And for the people hating on the seniors that got dismissed, how do you think they feel? They've put their heart and soul into a program for four years, just to see it all go down the drain. All I ask is that before you post, show some empathy. Also, ask yourself, is this helping? Have a constructive forum with the coach and get the communication settled. Because, if you don't, NOTHING will get accomplished. Get on the same page and show some empathy...or you will get absolutely nowhere in terms of progress.

"And as for the other 3 girls, Griel, Warner, and Coover, they made these “plans” BEFORE the itinerary was sent out. Must we clarify that again?? BEFORE the itinerary." This further proves the point that there is a lack of understanding of Div 1. When recruits are coming into town...plans are simply that plans. You have to be willing to change at a moments notice. I guareentee they knew recruits were coming into town..recruiting weekends are set months in advanced. If these girls are the "team first kind" who give their blood, sweat, and tears...giving up a day/weekend for to improve the program instead of drinking, should be a no problem and this situation should NEVER have occured. Motive - nothing to do with Kari - Keep digging you may actually find it.

what about having some empathy for how this is affecting the girls still on the team? i can not imagine that after reading some of these hateful posts, "i hope they dont win a single game this year" " i cant wait to laugh at their horrendous record", i cant imagine that anyone making these posts is putting themselves in their shoes either. While i do not doubt that these 4 girls who were dismissed were wonderful student athletes who put in 4 years of hard work and commitment to this program, let us not forget that there are still girls remaining on the team and they are the people who are, i'm assuming, very proud to be a part of hokie athletics. the team obviously could not have controlled this so keep your hateful ill-wishing posts to yourself. they're only going to motivate the womens lacrosse team to turn this around on all of you who doubt their ability. this is a hard situation but remember that people are people and for wrong or right, still have feelings just like everyone else. it couldnt hurt to think about what you write before you actually put it out there for all of the world to read. just a thought.

everyone on this blog has so many strong opinions. VT Lax Alum....since you are so proud of how things are being run by Katrina and know what it means to be a true Division 1 athlete and for that matter ACC athetes, why post anonomously?? If you have some insight on what it means to be an ACC competitor and leader, we should be graced by your knowledege. Bottom line is, these 4 girls stood up against what was done to them. Whether they are right or wrong, they didnt sit back and let someone who is clearly on a power trip take away 3 years of work for nothing. One thing the article didnt touch on was how the girls were treated by the coaching staff and Athletic departmnt in the aftermath of their dismissal.

We should "reassign" Bryan Stinespring to coach women's lacrosse and get rid of Katrina. He could bring revolutionary offensive philosophies to a lax program that is lost in the desert...Lead us to water Stiney...it couldn't get much worse.

Success. I Fail that is Why I Succeed. Use all of this as motivation. Lastly, remember that there has never been a statue made of a critic --

Anonymous funny you should ask someone to post their name! I am proud of the direction Katrina wants to take the team, to be able to compete in the ACC. I have always been a supporter of the program and athletic department..have their been mistakes, yes. Find 1 place where there has not been. Interview a few former UMD players to find out what it takes to be not only be an ACC competitor but a National Champion. Lying..didn't get them there. One of the biggest problems in 1) Players think they get a say. It is a job, they are getting paid some got their scholarships increased this year. You don't get to lie to your boss and get away with it. If I lie in my job, I go to jail. 2) Some parents nowadays think they get a say or an opinion. As soon as your daughters enter college and on that team, they are the adult. They deal with their problems.

Lastly accountability.....people are teaching are kids, screw up its ok, we will make an excuse for you and dismiss it. It's not really your fault it is someone elses. When you make your bed you have to lie in it!

I completely agree with VT lax alum. Way to stand up for your school and program. This team has maintained a similar record each of the 3 years - coach is the easy answer for the excuse makers, funding possibly?, or likely these "fabulous leaders and friends" that were part of the program. Without them it can not get any worse than an 0-9 in the ACC it can only get better or stay the same. If it stays the same at least you are 0-9 with character, pride and perhaps "real friendships" not ones that bash a team that they were so "dedicated" to. If they really wantto be friends or support the team they would take their scholarships and leave their "friends" win an ACC game. I hope the team does this you will be better off without these types of friends. To the power of YOUTH do something no other VTlax team has done WIN your 1st ACC game - that is your real challenge not this stuff

How many one goal games did these juniors and so called dedicated leaders pull out for their VT friends and teammates? At the end of the day as an athlete it is my responsibility to make the play not the coachs'. Katrina's mistake was keeping them around for so long and allowing them to believe they are leaders and entitled to bring more of the same to the VT lax community. Leaders win games not undermine when they do not get their way. Leaders think about what is best for the group not themselves. How many can I save not how many can I bring down. My hope is that the menatl toughness needed for a young team to get thru all this public bashing these "leaders" created will make them tough enough to score the winning goal when the game is tied. The ACC will be easy thanks to these "former leaders" putting this team thru such a bashing. If they get tough and decide they want to and can make plays in games to win you may in a backwards way be leaders after all. Throgh adversity comes greatness your adversity will hopefully make this team great! Happy Holidays

As a current member of this VT Lax team, I want to say that I am in no way offended by the posts on this blog. This article needed to be written, as it was completely unfair that these 4 people got cut, and certain people got to stay on the team, because they are the "favorites" of the coach. There is favoritism going on, and I guess that's just life. And, yes, it is a constant tryout, which I am OK with, but there is only so many mind games a person can take from someone who is supposed to be there coach, friend, and mentor, before they break. It needs to stop.

im sure your teammates will be really happy to see that post. trying to come together to get over this will be very difficult when the team realizes that one of their own isnt all for coming together and moving forward as a PROGRAM-coaches included.

I'm sure "current player" speaks for most, if not all of her teammates. So in that regard, you can say they are "coming together". Most people can recognize injustice when they see it. You don't think the current players might be just a bit hesitant to give their heart, soul and time to a program that could dismiss them during their senior year for no cause?!

From the word in Bburg there is only one player that still doesn't get it..the rest are on board and moving forward to win in the ACC!

From the word in Bburg there is only one player that still doesn't get it..the rest are on board and moving forward to win in the ACC!

thats what i like to hear. GO VT WOMENS LAX!!!!

I absolutely say GO VT LAX! This is the year.

I don't think seniors should have any sort of plans with the recruits anyway. They won't be playing with them, the recruits should be getting to know the girls they would potentially play with. This is how almost every other school does it. I still think this whole situation is blown completely out of proportion, GOOD LUCK TO THE 4 DISMISSED SENIORS!!!Bring the national championship home to the club team!

As yet, neither the coach nor athletic department has addressed this article in any way with the women’s lacrosse team as a group. First, they will not answer questions brought up by their firing of the players, now they will not address this article with the players still “allowed” to remain on the team. The team only has their perceptions of this situation to build opinions on. How is the team to come together when they are alone? When they are alone and afraid to even say to each other what they think about this article? There is a solution to this situation, and it does not involve doing nothing. Wanting to see the team winning is a goal we can all get behind. TAKE ACTION VT!

At the end of the practice, game, and season, the coach is equally responsible for the outcome and behavior of every player as the player. The coach has four years to build that player into an adult decision maker and dynamic athlete. Coaches do not have the excuse they seem to love using that the senior players on the team are the reason for any undesired team outcomes. In this situation, the coach had starting on three years to impact her players, but apparently did not change the behavior of the senior players the way she wanted. She finds the fault with the players, but as a former college athlete I find fault with her for not managing and teaching her teenagers. In college athletics, perception is reality. In women’s athletics, multiply that standard by ten and you may be getting close to the detailed analysis women tend to do when dealing with each other and emotional issues. Taking that into account, the team seems mighty divided, with what looks like more than just one player but multiple players expressing their frustration and opinions on this “Anonymous” blog instead of confronting each other with the issues at hand. They may very well be unable to address these issues in front of their teammates, coaches, and members of the athletic department. Look what happens when individuals stands up for what they believe is right, the all powerful coach turns their opinion into a treason charge and lights the sacrificial fires.

Before I state my take on this article and ensuing situation, please let me give you my background. I played competitive Division 1 Women's Lacrosse on an athletic scholarship for all four of my eligibility allowed years. We consistently played for the conference championship, not in the ACC, and competed in the NCAA tournament. In my experience, teenagers do not become adults all by themselves. They have parent’s coaches, friends, employers, and TV to take opportunities, advice, and mandates from. This is an integral part of college coaching. The very best coaches take teenagers starting the day the step on campus and turn them into adults at some point during their four college years. The very worst coaches are not the ones who don’t know the game, but who use children as an excuse for failure. Those coaches who for some reason, put themselves above the collective group and the collective goal. It’s a natural reaction for some coaches to blame players; the players are there for only four years while the coach wants to keep their job until they want to leave.

just because there are team bashing comments being made on this blog does not mean it is coming from the 4 dismissed seniors. Their teammates were their friends. it is unfair to blame the seniors for negative comments made about the team.

From Experience, I want to thank you for your posts. That is exactly how I feel, and you expressed it perfectly. I have always looked up to my coaches, and in my whole Lax career, I have been lucky to have coaches who are tough, but also role models. Unfortunately, this is no longer the case. But, I suck it up every day because I love my team, and I'm doing what I love, and in that regard, I feel lucky.

I would just like to say that this is a terrible situation and was handled badly. I have a friend that is interested in playing lacrosse for Virginia Tech and I'm sure that this will only drive her away. What possible recruit would want to be a part of a team that seems unstable? If that's not enough the teams overall record is very poor. Sure players might consider that an opportunity for them to make the difference in helping the team become better but if the coach dismisses 4 senior players over a scheduling conflict that reflects poorly on the staff. Every action has consequences and Virginia Tech lacrosse might suffer even more because of this.

Having played Div 1 and coached numerous Div 1 teams..I agree it is the job of the coach to develop young ladies. However, the parents that have had them for the 18years prior to entering college are the ones that should be held responsible. Creating young ladies also means teaching them that lying is not the best option, so with From Experience's thought (a coach teaching them) that is exactly what Katrina is doing...holding them accountable. Also keep in mind these players are Tami's players that were in Tami's system and obviously have bucked against a change in system...it caught up with them. The more people make excuses for their wrong doing, article included the less they will learn and will be in a world of hurt when they enter the real working world.

Dear Current Player, if you dont like the vision and want to play for your team and your coaches, hang up your stick. Sounds as if you are the one and only hold out. Your coach is NOT supposed to be your friend at all, possibly that is where you are confused from what Tami brought to the table. If you continue with your attitude, your separation will hurt the team - it is time to move on current player, I hear the club team has openings.

wise up pathetic response! current player is not the only "hold out" on the vt lax team. if we should "hang up our sticks" as you suggest and ABANDON our own teammates who are also frustrated and confused then this team would be left with very few players. you seem to understand a team just as much as I understand your allegations. thank you for your post.

You only need 12 dedicated, "team first", leaders to play. Ones that know the value of team, putting the interest of the team and program before their own. For the comment saying Sr's have nothing to do with recruiting. You could not be more mistaken. If they were valuable members to the program and team they would want to be involved to protect the future of the program. The Sr's give the best insight on the rewards and sacrifices of being a Div 1 athlete. Those that put going out to party before a FB game as a priority don't get it.

This is truly unbelieveable! The 4 seniors did not change ANY itineraries. They did not lie. Any blogs that have been negative about these 4 girls are from individuals that do not know them. Imagine how it feels to have your integrity and honesty questioned when you did nothing wrong? Imagine everyone assuming there must be more when all they did was DISCUSS wanting the brunch earlier--as did the 2 seniors that remain. These were Deans List student-athletes that had made it to their senior years without any disciplinary issues at all at VT - on or off the field. Some of these comments about them make me sick. They were wronged by the coach and athletic department. This made the front page because the research and facts proved that the truth needed to be told. This should not be about getting rid of the lacrosse program. It should be about the AD holding their coaches accountable to living up to the mission statement of VT. The 4 seniors represented VT with pride, dedication and hard work and did so with honor and integrity. Coach Silva could have learned from their values rather than being threatened by their leadership.

This is truly unbelieveable! The 4 seniors did not change ANY itineraries. They did not lie. Any blogs that have been negative about these 4 girls are from individuals that do not know them. Imagine how it feels to have your integrity and honesty questioned when you did nothing wrong? Imagine everyone assuming there must be more when all they did was DISCUSS wanting the brunch earlier--as did the 2 seniors that remain. These were Deans List student-athletes that had made it to their senior years without any disciplinary issues at all at VT - on or off the field. Some of these comments about them make me sick. They were wronged by the coach and athletic department. This made the front page because the research and facts proved that the truth needed to be told. This should not be about getting rid of the lacrosse program. It should be about the AD holding their coaches accountable to living up to the mission statement of VT. The 4 seniors represented VT with pride, dedication and hard work and did so with honor and integrity. Coach Silva could have learned from their values rather than being threatened by their leadership.

Amen to anonymous at 5:52!!! I could not have said it better myself.

"All of us, as seniors, have apologized to her and realized we made a mistake as seniors, and we're understanding that we made a mistake," Griel said. "We did a bad job communicating, and we even said that we could understand how she would think that maybe we were trying to go behind her back and plan this, but we had no intentions of that." They said they made a mistake.....

Feeling more mature now,I believe this is a terrible situation for the girls and VT womens lax program. However, I forsee burritos and chimichangas in the near future for these girls. Possibly a Tito Santana sighting as well. We are now boarding all business and first class passengers.I hear Mtv spring break is in Mexico this year. Remember, don't drink the water and go the all inclusive route girls. Who's got it betta.

Dear Pathetic Response, I would like to answer your comment, "possibly that is where you are confused from what Tami brought to the table," I never played for Tami. And yes, coaches are supposed to be your friend, and more importantly, MENTORS, just as all adults are supposed to be. And yes, the club team does have openings, but unfortunately, they don't pay scholarships.

There is yet another problem with players...Coaches are NOT YOUR FRIENDS. They are your bosses. If you look at them as your friend that is the first problem and probably how some of these girls got in this mess. Are your professors your friends? Are you offended when they give you an F if you plagerize? Or is that the professors fault cause they are your friends? Club teams don't pay scholarships - but don't be fooled those players are not losing their scholarships by being dismissed. Having taken the NCAA coaches test a million times, it takes more than dismissing a player to take away their scholarship.

D1 athletes do not get where they are because coaches were their friends. These girls did not expect friendship from Katrina. Had they plagerized, cheated or lied...this article would not have been written. While coaching these players for 2+ years, Coach Silva thought highly enough of them as players to not only play them in games but to increase scholarships, write a glowing letter in support of one, to give one of them the only coaches award for last season, and to choose them to represent VT Lacrosse to 3 families of players she wanted to recruit...incidentally the same day of that infamous Brunch. Of course they did not lose their scholarships. There were no grounds to do so as there were no grounds for dismissal.

I have not only coached with Katrina, but, I have had the pleasure of being coached by her as well. If anyone wants to hear horror stories about coaching, talk to players who played under coach dipi bhaya at VT. They will laugh at the sprint running in the snow as well as the running until you die. No one ever said in the article these four seniors were dishonest or horrible people. In fact, I'm sure they are quite reputable, fun loving and all around good people. The fact is, they made a mistake in a decision making process. One thing you DON'T want to do, is make a mistake with RECRUITS. It could ruin ALL of VT sports. While perhaps these four girls are great people, it is possible they made a bad decision. While people make bad decisions all the time, you have to be held accountable for these decisions. Katrina is a hard coach, but she is a GOOD coach. I coached with her, I played for her. I'm sorry for these four girls and the decision they made. But, I think its time for everyone to move on, for the team to come together and for everyone to be supportive of the team. Even if you don't like or support coach silva, at least show your hokie pride for the team

Katrina made a bad decision, and SHE needs to be held accountable for it as well. These girls made up for the so called mistake that they made. Actually, amongst other things they gave up 2 of their last home football games as Seniors without so much as a thought of complaining to be at Katrina's beckon call (if you are a hokie fan you KNOW how terrible that is). They did everything that was asked of them, yet get rewarded with the words "You are not welcome to come back to this team." However, the other 2 girls who should be right there with them are getting offered their spots back without any explanation. Talk about inconsistency.

Part of being a D1 athlete means sacrifice. Which means giving up football games, happy hours, and the regular college student lifestyle. If a true hokie and D1, you put the program and your team first. Not boozing. There are a lot of years after college that you can booze and go to football games without obligations to the team. You also find ways to have a normal college life when it does not interfere with the team or program. It is obvious that is not understood by some of the current team members. As a member of the team...they are at the coaches beck and call. That is what they signed up for. About playing for Dipi....I was one of those "lucky" ones. These girls and what they are complaining about would not have lasted a day. Think that giving up a game or 2 is hard...try all of them. As well as timed miles the night after a thurs night Miami game, practicing outside in a blizzard when campus was closed, 4.5 hour practices, than weights, than study hall...yes many broken NCAA rules, which was why she was dismissed. Lying, never would have thought of it, hell you could be cut for as little couldn't walk around bare foot... The reality is a coach makes the decisions, players have to live with their mistakes and the consequences of their actions.

UNDER COACH KATRINA SILVA, THE LACROSSE TEAM HAS LOST MORE PLAYERS (14) IN TWO CLASSES THAN IT HAS EARNED VICTORIES (9). Thomas should look into the history of the program...NOT an anomaly at all! Look into history under Dipi and Tami...they had MUCH bigger numbers of quitters or those being cut. As a matter of fact look into any Div 1 program that has switched coaches. It is part of D1 lacrosse/sports. Kids get to the program realize things are hard and are not handed to them on a silver platter, that they do not get the "normal" college lifestyle and their time revolves around lacrosse. Some can't handle it and quit. Other are cut because that is part of life..not everyone makes the team, not everyone gets to start.

What was their bad decision? THEY TALKED ABOUT CHANGING A BRUNCH TIME??? Come on.....

The article is not the WHOLE story. You really think it is only about talking about changing a brunch time?

Tell us the whole story!

If they are such leaders, why didn't they go into talk to the coaching staff about changing the brunch time? That is what leaders do, they represent the team and the desires of the team.

Obviously the article is not the whole story.....it is one sided. The coaches and athletic department have to protect the university so couldnt speak. Come on, if you are at Tech or graduated from, I hope you would be able to figure that out.

please don't get on a high horse and act like these four girls didnt know and accept the sacrifice of Division I athletes in all aspects. They were seniors. If they didnt accept the sacrifices and abide by the sacrifices, they would have quit long ago. These comments are completely missing the point of the article and helping no one. For those of you who are D1 lax coaches, think back to your time playing college lax and try to rememebr what that was like. And then try to make an exciting, positive experience for the women you coach. If Katrina had done so, perhaps she would not be in the position she is in now.

She is not in any position at all. She will coach those girls that get it to their first win in the ACC. Obviously those girls do not get the sacrifice since missing a tailgate and games "Actually, amongst other things they gave up 2 of their last home football games as Seniors without so much as a thought of complaining to be at Katrina's beckon call (if you are a hokie fan you KNOW how terrible that is). " was more important. Maybe it is just the next generation that does not get it.

The ridiculous thing is that the only "insubordination" that the girls were guilty of was changing the brunch time. That's the whole story. It's obvious Katrina wanted them off the team for her own reasons, but used the brunch as an excuse. What is sketchy is why the remaining two seniors are still on the team since they are just as guilty of the same "insubordination." There's a lot of juicy stuff and scandal behind that if the CT digs deeper!

If she wanted them off the team, why would she raise their scholarships (which in turn is a waste if she just plans on cutting them)and as this person said "Coach Silva thought highly enough of them as players to not only play them in games but to increase scholarships, write a glowing letter in support of one, to give one of them the only coaches award for last season, and to choose them to represent VT Lacrosse to 3 families of players she wanted to recruit" not the actions of someone who wants them off the team.

No high horse...the answer was in response to they had to give up their last 2 football games...come on? That is part of being a D1 athlete.

No one understands it Anonymous 7:27, that's why there is an article about the seniors being dismissed and so much drama. Katrina didn't give the seniors or the team a straight explanation as to why the seniors were dismissed over something so trivial. Everyone thought highly of those seniors, that's why this is so crazy and why the seniors are so hurt.

Missing football games is unfortunate, but the lacrosse team rages pretty hard compared to other teams. They still have fun even if they have to miss a game or two.

Anonymous 1:54, I think there is so much drama because the dismissed don't want to deal with the consequences of their actions and the parents are excusing them. Lying is not trivial. Teaching these girls that it isn't that bad is just wrong and will do nothing for them when they hit the "real world".

Naaahhh, the real drama's because the coach and athletics department wouldn't, and I assume still,won't give comments on the record, or even a simple explanation when given numerous opportunities to comment before the article's publication...Not that it does any good in terms of an exact explanation, but Silva could have just come out and said they violated team rules (assuming there's actual rules clearly documented w/associated grounds for dismissal outlined)...I think even something as simple as that would have been better than declining to comment whatsoever, and prior to that attempting avoid discussion with a claim of HIPAA and FERPA concerns...I dunno, the whole situation's way more messy than it ever should have been, and the coach's decisions in the handling of the matter appear to lend more credence to the suspicion of shadiness (so to speak).

This is not Katrina's first "issue" ladies and gentlemen. Let me assure you there have been plenty of other problems with this coach other than this dismissal. However, the athletes finally got sick of her antics and went public with how ridiculous she is. It is about time people know how terrible Coach Silva is. Not only has she publically humiliated people in front of recruits and families, she has told an athlete at one time that they are a "Sick f***". Also, tells athletes on a regular basis that they need to be medicated. Just wanted to add that cherry on top of this article. Time to go Katrina.

Bashing a coach gets you nowhere. But it seems as if maybe cleaning house with the Tami throw backs is a good idea...too much negativity. Time to go whiners!

PART 1: I have played & coached at the highest level in women's lacrosse. Fortunately, I have moved on. I currently work in a rewarding, fast paced, high stress work environment. When I came on board, my work peers constantly romanticized the coaching profession. They, and many of you have NO IDEA how difficult coaching a building sport at a premier athletic institution is. Having stepped away from a very positive experience as a coach, I without hesitation believe that I got out at the right time. The one word that comes to mind when I think of college coaching & the growth of lacrosse at this point is “liabilityâ€. I had a responsibility to the University, prospects, our team, and their families. It felt like a ticking time bomb. It is impossible to be perfect. But when things spiral downhill, everyone (coaches, players, parents) starts focusing on what isn’t there instead of what is there. That is a recipe for disaster.

PART 2: Since departing the profession, there have been a number of incidents in the lacrosse community illustrating this. There comes a time where the positives no longer outweigh the negatives. Lacrosse is a sport where you have entitled student-athletes, helicopter parents, and a lack of professional development. You also have amazing student-athletes, incredibly supportive and giving parents, but there is still a lack of professional development. Many coaches would benefit from a good year or two off from the scene, just as I think many office/standard professionals would grow immensely if they ran a college program for a year or two. Until the applicant pool for “lacrosse coach†becomes much more diverse in background and competitive (like basketball, football), and business-like professional development expectations are established -we will continue to see this story repeat itself. Everyone is at fault.

Very well said Anonymous Part 1 and 2.

What is particularly egregious here is the reporting as concerns FERPA. Whatever the "journalist" in this was told by a Department of Education spokesperson the summary of the restriction placed by that law is simply wrong. Under the FERPA regulations, "disclosure" means "to permit access to or the release, transfer, or other communication of personally identifiable information contained in education records to any party, by any means, including oral, written, or electronic means." 34 CFR § 99.3. That law does not just apply to documents as the writer of this article says. It also prevents school officials from making any oral statement that might disclose protected information without prior written consent. A brief search on the Internet or interviewing a lawyer conversant with the provisions of the law would have provided accurate information not the misleading and self serving summary that the author used. If the remainder of the reporting is as shoddy, it is becomes easier to believe the whole story is not being told.

Except FERPA applies exclusively to educational records, which isn't the, apparent, cause for concern within the context of the article...As to say, the reporter wasn't asking questions of the coach about the dismissed athlete's grades, trying to get transcripts, or information related to said topics. Besides, the former players were evidently more than happy to answer questions on the record, and give permission to do so, so clearly there wouldn't be a cause for privacy violations under FERPA - Common now, if these players were kicked off the team for being a bunch of flunkies it'd be pretty obvious. If that were the case it'd have been simple enough for the coach to say "Yeah, they were dismissed because they weren't keeping their grades up." without even coming close to violating FERPA, in the context of this situation, FERPA is a red herring....You can read more about FERPA here: http://www.ed.gov/policy/gen/guid/fpco/ferpa/index.html

Ed Bradley - Take your own advice and go read the FERPA information yourself as you are obviously clueless about its provisions if you think a coach can suggest that her student athletes are not passing. The term "educational records" is defined very broadly in FERPA and does not just cover grade information. It covers all records containing information directly related to a student. It has been interpreted to include such things as: * Student folders in Admissions/Registrar/Financial Aid/Advisors/Placement offices (including any notes made in the folder) * Student classroom activity or homework that is maintained by the institution as part of the student's permanent school record * Reports and records -- computer generated or other * Class rolls, papers and tests * Application forms for student organizations/activities * Memos between school employees * Photographs * Most student disciplinary records It also requires, in most cases, prior WRITTEN consent before school administrators can release information. FERPA is far from being a red herring. It is taken seriously by athletic departments and if they err, they err on the side of caution because that's what their lawyers tell them to do. Since the action here could be seen to be disciplinary in nature, it was the wiser course of action for the coach to refuse comment.

PS to Ed. If there's not a FERPA problem why doesn't the reporter make a FOIA request for the records related to the dismissal?

I'm not saying that FERPA is a red herring in ALL situations, but in THIS particular case, it is. The protections granted by said act do not interfere with the ability of a coach to comment on a dismissal GIVEN that the questions asked had nothing to do with material protected under FERPA (I'll give you that we don't know the questions asked).

It's great that some people are all rar rar rar FERPA, but seriously do you honestly think that these girls would risk complete embarrassment in an apparent in-depth expose, if the real reason they got the boot from the team was because they were failing out of school? How easy would it have been for a coach to answer a dismissal question if the kids had been doing poorly at school? "So-and-so was dismissed for academic reasons" is pretty self-explanatory if you ask me. FERPA wouldn't even get a scratch! Example: Beams giving the reason why Nick Marshman isn't playing in the Orange Bowl.

All four athletes are honor roll athletes, actually almost all of them are deans list athletes. Alumni game will be held in the recreation parks this year, all alums (except Dipi alums) are welcome to come play in a friendly lax game. Woo ex laxers!!

Posted by: Anonymous at Dec 27 All four athletes are honor roll athletes, actually almost all of them are deans list athletes. Alumni game will be held in the recreation parks this year, all alums (except Dipi alums) are welcome to come play in a friendly lax game. Woo ex laxers!! Except Dipi alums? WOW, we started the program, you would never have stepped foot on the field without us. More proof the upcoming generation truly is the "ME" generation!

It is really sad to see that to some alum these 3 girls have become more important than the program and the numbers of players that have poured their blood, sweat, and tears into building and continuing the program. There are always hard times and always tough decisions to be made by both players and coaches and "you can never please everyone". To see an alum exclude the people that built the program from an Alumni get together is awful. The girls that started the program didn't get the free sticks, gear, and perks that those that followed do, but they played and played hard because they had pride in themselves, their team, the program, and Virginia Tech. The true spirit of the game and the program is completely lost with those types of attitudes. The "Dipi" alumni would certainly welcome all those who ever played for any coach whether they agreed with the players or coaches actions, quite possible because they know what it took to get this program off the ground. I hope those exclusion attitudes and "us" and "them" attitudes disappear.

I am a Dipi alum and although I did not enjoy playing for Dipi and disagreed with ALOT that she did, she played a huge part in building the program and respect her for that. I thank her, Brooke, Tami,and Katrina and all the players that kept the program going with all the growing pains. The players that don't get that, I feel sorry for you. Playing for VT and Div 1 lacrosse is a once in a lifetime experience, you can choose to focus on the negatives and things you disagree with or focus on that fact you have had the priveledge to play for VT, whether you agree or disagree with the coach, teammates, or alum. Good luck VT lxers in the 2009 season!

Four girls that truly appreciated playing Div 1 and stuck with the team through broken bones, heart surgerys,torn ACL's and meniscus' are no longer there. Their "once and a lifetime experience" was cut short based on heresay and terrible coaching. And as for the Dipi alums you are more then welcome to come play in the alum game...however since Katrina is not welcome you probably would not want to come. And since the four seniors will be there that you are calling whiners, unaccountable, and liars that might be a tad awkward as well. However, still more than welcome :)

Just really sad...where were they called whiners, unaccountable, and liars. All that was sad was it is sad that actions all involved has taken down the whole alumni...really sad.

What is sad is there are still what I would think are some of these "Alum" "friends" on the team and they are leaving them high and dry.

VT lax alum: "Interview a few former UMD players to find out what it takes to be not only be an ACC competitor but a National Champion. Lying..didn't get them there." "These girls and what they are complaining about would not have lasted a day." "Lastly accountability.....people are teaching are kids, screw up its ok, we will make an excuse for you and dismiss it." Above are the comments calling them liars and unaccountable...any other questions? Oh and the "whiners" comment was made by another poster, my apologies, im 2/3. However, calling people complainers because you're so high and mighty is just as bad. This blog is running in a circle now I think it is time to end this. Good luck to the 4 seniors and the team this season. Go Hokies.

Agreed it is overdone. There are clearly 2 sides: those that side with the program and decisions that coaching staff have made and those that are siding with the dismissed players. I am sure the VT lax alum was upset to see such negative things said about the program and a coach. Both sides have said a lot on this crazy thread. I hope that some day the younger alum that have an issue with the older alum or the "Dipi" alum will realize things are said in anger and that both sides are at fault; but more importantly that you can be friends/accquaintances with people you disagree with (you simply agree to disagree). I would gladly welcome any of the younger alum, including the 4 dismissed to any alumni function even though I clearly disagree, because the program and VT is the most important! Good luck to the team, the alumni, the coaching staff and to those that have dismissed not only this year but every year prior to now.

year wins loses total % of loss coach 1995 2 7 9 77.78% Dipi Bhaya 1996 7 6 13 46.15% Dipi Bhaya 1997 4 11 15 73.33% Dipi Bhaya 1998 8 6 14 42.86% Brooke Martin 1999 11 6 17 35.29% Brooke Martin 2000 9 8 17 47.06% Brooke Martin 2001 6 9 15 60.00% Tami Riley 2002 6 10 16 62.50% Tami Riley 2003 3 14 17 82.35% Tami Riley 2004 8 8 16 50.00% Tami Riley 2005 5 10 15 66.67% Tami Riley 2006 8 9 17 52.94% Tami Riley 2007 5 12 17 70.59% Katrina Silva 2008 4 14 18 77.78% Katrina Silva

Dipi Years - 95-97 NO conference, 98- Atlantic 10, Brooke years 99- Atlantic 10 champs..only team to bring a championship to Tech 2000-2006 Big East 2007-present ACC...comparing the conferences is comparing apples to oranges (may be off a year or 2 on the actual year of official switching of conferences) The program has stepped into a harder conference to land in the toughest for lax ACC every time it switched conferences.

Every lacrosse team at Virginia Tech has seen its fair share of challenges. Each is different and unique in their own way, no way that any of us should be passing judgment on each other unless we have walked in that persons shoes. As a Dipi alum we are removed enough to forget how many of us searched for help for unfair treatment at no avail. I hope the athletic department can finally decide to care about womens lacrosse and actually take the time to investigate this situation, there are many girls futures on the line here. Good Luck VT lax

As a Dipi alum..it was not really unfair treatment, she just broke a hell of a lot of rules. The administrations hands were tied until they could find proof. I hear the team is already doing well and moving on. So should everyone else.

What about Dipi Bhaya? I have heard she never cared about the welfair of her athletes. It that true

Was Dipi Fired? Was there verbal and physical abuse from her toward the players?