EDITORIAL: McCloud's transfer but first step

The resignation of Allen McCloud as Athletic Director of the School District of Lancaster was welcome news. Let us hope he proves to be a competent math teacher.

The athletic program atrophied and deteriorated during his tenure. In addition to the evidence of the poor results of the various teams, NewsLanc had disclosed that McCloud had not even seen fit to file the hitherto routine detailed annual report of the past year's team performances and plans for improvements.

But the question remains about the competence of Drue Miles, Assistant Superintendent of Schools, who was responsible for overseeing McCloud and who apparently (to use a sports cliche) "dropped the ball." Is he now going to seek out a knowledgeable, energetic and dedicated successor to McCloud or are things just going to continue to decline?

Blaming the kids and feeling sorry for themselves is a total cop out. The poor showing of teams is a direct reflection on the lack of teaching skills of their coaches. Recently some coaches have refused to attend clinics, claiming they did not need instructions on how to best prepare their teams!

It is time Miles, the future athletic director, and well meaning coaches accept their responsibilities to provide proper skills training and conditioning by seeking the advice of sport professionals, or get out of the way.

NewsLanc does not call for championship teams. But the public and especially the youngsters are entitled to be well prepared and competitive.