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Show Page 4 The Thunderbird Tuesday November 12, 1985 Its time to make a coaching change Its an old saying that football coaches are hired to be fired and, perhaps moreso than in any other job on earth, the gamble is a large part of taking and keeping a coaching job. SUSCs Don Conrad gambled when he accepted the head football job in April 1983 on an interim basis, and gambled with even higher stakes when he removed himself from the tenure track last December as per new college policy for his position. It left him, in effect, a man without a job if the coaching position were taken from him. s When the High School coach accepted the job as an assistant here at his alma mater in 1979, he did so, in his words, because I had to pay my dues, but my intent was to begin a career in college coaching. armchair That career is marked by eternal quarterbacking, they call it by every fan whos ever watched a down of football. Its marked by intense pressure: pressure to win, pressure to entertain, pressure to achieve. Its marked perhaps most importantly by the need to produce players with a good sense of sportsmanship on the field and citizenship off the field. That career, unfortunately, is not one that Donald Kent Conrad is excelling at here. It is the dawning of a new athletic era at Southern Utah State College. A major upgrading will place the college in the Western Football Conference an organization made up of some pretty tough competition. It was not easy to gain acceptance into this loop and its strongly believed by many that its a major step for more overall recognition for SUSC. The WFC is a conference that places a high premium on overall excellence in its member schools. But, competition is still competition. To enter the new conference with a program that is foundering in the weaker Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference seems masochistic at best. The solution is to strengthen the program. This strengthening must be effected in a number of ways. More money must be pumped into the program. B tter facilities and resources are a must. The college must be commended for innovative ways of trying to accomplish this and it must be noted that, in this case, you have to spend money to make money. The vicious cycle comes into play here. You dont get the money until you get a good program and you dont get the good program until you get the money. Its got to start somewhere. The Thunderbird believes it must start with a new coach. Its too bad Don Conrad wasnt the right man at the right time. Perhaps with a few more years of apprenticeship he could have been. Its generally agreed that he v as a fine high school coach and college assistant, but SUSC needs a powerful, dynamic and motivational coach to compete then-Cypru- second-guessin- g in its new realm. One way or another, its time to hire that coach. Che ChunderCnrd VOLUME 80, NUMBER 7 Editor Pony Chntcncn Faculty Adviser Lurry B.tkcr 7 lw Tinn.i'iiiu c.uh Monel. iv of the .u.tcicmtc war by and lor the Mudcnt puhlislu-hods ol Southern Utah State College and not allihated m anv manner w h,it.oc cr with the Colleci'S department ol i omimmu at ion. The views and opinion epreed in TJtc rinmcthni are the opinion of the publication's individual wrtUi. and Jo r.5 new'sink rellei t the view and opinion ol the institution, faculty, staff or student Kxk in general. The unsiuned editon.il directly above is the opinion of The rfiiuiiei.' n as a tne . entity. Letter to the editor must lx- - tvxd and include the name, student numb r (if Irom a student) and 'hone number. Only the name will be printed. Names will not lx withheld under any circumstances and the editor reserves tne riuht to edit letters lor length and to preclude libel. Letters must lx submitted bv lor inclusion in the following week's edition. noon Fri The Thwnleihini. editorial and Mail at SUSC Bon UT offices at 1 West 200 South. Cedar Citv, Cedar Citv, UT 84720 poll 778. adertiimi LS4, Thunderettes should not be demeaned TO THE EDITOR: In your recent issue of The Thunderbird, Monica Swain, president of Southern Utahs Drill Team, was quoted as saying that last years Thunderettes were looked down upon by students. Last years Thunderettes were not only involved in providing school spirit but also in providing civic and community services. Thunderettes placed a high value upon professionalism and were called upon frequently to provide their time and effort for community interest. As former members of the team we personally know of the time, effort and hard work that was put into each and every routine by all members. Our former adviser, Nancy Stringham, was a dedicated professional who made the team and dance program what it is today. The name and faces may have changed, but the concept of the team remains the same. To be a performing group for the students and public. A tradition is being carried on that was established by former members. So in bringing in the new, lets not demean the past hard work and discipline of others. Chong Won Adair Sara Barnes Darla Reber Thunderbird letters policy explained The Thunderbird, as part of its responsibility to meet the needs of the students and the college, will print letters to the editor whenever they are received. The letters need not express any particular point of view, but they may not be libelous. Tire editors of The Thunderbird reserve the right to edit or reject any letter. Letters should be typed and include the writers name, student number (if any) and telephone number. Only the name will be printed. Letters between 500 and 800 words receive priority attention. They should be submitted to The Thunderbird editorial office no later than noon on Friday to be considered for publication in Mondays paper. Readers are reminded that Access a recurring column, is available for opinion sharing as well, and The Thunderbird actively solicits lengthy articles for this space. |