The first item on my agenda for Saturday morning was the USEF Chef and Technical Advisor Forum where Eric Straus, chairman of the USEF’s coaching search committee, Mike Huber, Bobby Costello and Amy Tryon (other members of the search committee) discussed the status of the US coaching search. This marks the third day in a row that the USEF has held an open discussion with the public, a fact that warms the cockles of my transparency-loving EN heart.
The most interesting news from the meeting is that the Search Committee said that they have not received any applications yet. The committee seemed slightly surprised by this, as was I. But, applications are not due until January 31st and it’s most likely the case that the candidates are either procrastinating (they are eventers, after all) or playing things ‘close to the vest.’ That’s why I haven’t sent in my application yet. Frankly, I don’t think there is a cause for concern at this point particularly because, from the various sources I have spoken with, I believe there are a considerable number of people who are planning to apply.
For a bit of context, the next step in the selection process is the aforementioned January 31st, 2011 application deadline. The candidates will then be ranked by the selection committee using the applications and phone interviews to create a working short list. Mr. Straus explained that this short list will be identified to the public. The selection committee will then reduce the list from three to one final ‘chosen’ candidate that will be recommended for the position to the USEF’s Active Athletes Committee, which will make a recommendation in turn to the High Performance Committee, which will make a recommendation to USEF CEO John Long. The final authority to make the hire rests with Mr. Long because the coach will ultimately be a USEF staffer. The successful candidate will negotiate a contract, with compensation being in relation to their qualification and the amount of work they will be doing in the job. The hope is that the new coach will be able to shadow Mark in 2012 and build the necessary connections and experience to make the transition smooth.
Note that I have been saying “coach,” which is a vague term that does not specify between the more coaching role of a ‘Technical Advisor’ and the more organizational role of the ‘Chef d’Equipe.’ One of the things that I was most impressed about from the forum is that the selection committee seemed very open to letting the candidate help define the specific balance between coaching and management. Mike Huber in particular emphasized that they wanted input from the candidates about the best way to lead the US to success. From my perspective, this is an excellent way to handle the process.
One of the largest goals of the selection process is trying to prevent a conflict of interest for the new coach. The selection committee did mention that the coach will likely be able to continue their independent coaching but they will probably be prevented from selling horses because that could create a too large conflict of interest. The selection of the next coach is one of the most important steps in winning gold medals and I am much more optimistic about the process after today’s meeting. More soon.
