WASHBURN, Maine — Mike Carlos, coach of the two-time state Class D champion Washburn District High School girls basketball team, has not been rehired for next season.
The decision was confirmed Friday afternoon in an email to the BDN from Mike McIntosh, chairman of the school board, and by interim superintendent Edward Buckley on Friday evening.
“We had a good time, won a couple of gold balls, now it’s time to move on and go someplace else,” said Carlos, who just capped his third season as coach earlier this month with the Beavers’ second straight gold ball.
Buckley said Carlos was told of the decision Tuesday.
“He called me directly and asked,” said Buckley, who declined to give a reason to the BDN for Carlos not being rehired.
That didn’t bother Carlos.
“I didn’t ask for a reason,” he said.
Buckley did have a prepared statement for the BDN when asked about the timeline dealing with the decision not to rehire Carlos and the reasons for it.
“Washburn District High School is a unique school where students respect the teachers and our teachers respect the students. We encourage all students to participate in sports, music, drama and clubs because students who are involved in co-curricular activities are healthier and much more well-rounded individuals. Consequently, we do not measure the success of our athletic teams by the number of contests they win but whether it is a positive experience for all our students,” Buckley said.
Buckley said the decision not to renew Carlos’ contract was his.
“Yes. The superintendent hires and fires all at-will employees,” Buckley said.
Washburn vice principal and athletic director Ron Ericson, who was the girls basketball coach before Carlos was hired for the 2009-2010 season, said the job is a one-year contract position in accordance with the teachers’ contract with an annual stipend.
“All positions in schedule B are one-year contracts,” said Ericson.
Ericson had only an estimate on the stipend.
“It’s not a great deal; $4,000-$5,000 would be a rough estimate,” he said. “It’s not very high compared to the work they do.”
Carlos’ teams posted a combined record of 41-3 over the last two seasons, and the Beavers were the No. 1 seed for the Eastern Maine Class D girls tournament both years.
The 2011 team earned the program’s first state title since 1989 by downing Richmond 43-30. The team hadn’t won an East crown since 1989 either.
The Beavers successfully defended their state title with a 60-35 win in a rematch with the Bobcats on March 3 at the Augusta Civic Center.
Washburn posted a 13-5 record in Carlos’ first year and was fourth in the final Heal points rankings. Bangor Christian defeated Washburn in the quarterfinals.
The next coach will have a young but veteran team. Six of the 13 varsity players in the state game were freshmen this year, including EM Class D tourney MVP Mackenzie Worcester. Other key players include sophomores Carsyn Koch and Carmen Bragg, while juniors Olivia Doody, Megan Fitzpatrick and Rayah Saucier are the only upperclassmen.
The process to find Carlos’ replacement hasn’t begun yet, said Buckley, and nobody has put forth their name.
“Today was the first day anyone knew about it [outside the school],” said Buckley. “We won’t advertise it for a couple of months anyway.”
Carlos attended the school’s winter sports banquet Thursday night, as did Buckley.
“I didn’t mention it,” said Buckley, “but I guess Mike did.”
The Washburn post was the latest of several high school and college sports jobs he has held over the course of more than 30 years.
He served as the high school boys soccer coach at Houlton and Hodgdon; the girls basketball coach at East Grand in Danforth, as well as being the athletic director for a time; and stints as the women’s soccer coach, softball coach and men’s basketball coach at the University of Maine at Presque Isle.
Carlos will look for another coaching job.
“I have always coached and I will continue to coach,” he said.
c’mon bangor daily news! Dig a little deeper than that, all of us in Aroostook county know the reason behind the decision, and it starts with W, and he will no doubt be coaching next year. Talk about a coach getting screwed here, this guy needs a gold ball for putting up with what he did in Washburn! I hope Washburn never wins another championship ever again, they don’t deserve one after crapping on the coach the way they did.. Talk about tainting a state championship. Geez!
While I agree that the Super, the AD and the school board are gutless, I would not wish anything less than success for the hard working girls on the team. Too bad they couldn’t all move to competing class d schools.
-W– as in excellent ball player himself, has a daughter who is a star on the team, has been coaching in another town?? If he is behind this that’s really cheap of him and low of Buckley.
Time will certainly tell on that one, won’t it??
He and his wife ( who have Mr Ericson’s ear) have been agaisnt Coach Carlos since Day One. No real surprise here, as almost everyone in Aroostook County knows this. They never wanted him to coach their daughter as they had other designs on who the coach should be. When Washburn won the Gold Ball last year, that kind of threw a monkey wrench into things. You can’t replace a coach who just won a Gold Ball can you??……While it is fine to not like a coach or disagree with a coach, it is another thing to work behind the scenes to have him removed. Publicly, all the parents of the girls team supported their daughters and their coach- but privately was a different story.
Coach Carlos asked for no reason when talking to Mr Buckley, because he already knew the reason. It has been three years in the making….As one who sees plenty of High School basketball in the Central Aroostook County area,I’m really kind of surprised that he even came back this year. It’s a shame what they have done to him just because they didn’t like his methods or style some games. It appears that many people in Washburn liked and respected Coach Carlos.
The real sad part is that the girls won’t ever be able to fully enjoy this season and their accomplishments and the school department looks like they caved into the vocal minority. There is a lot more to this story and there really are a lot of good people on both sides. It’s just two bad they couldn’t have sat down in a room somwhere privately and worked this out. Mr Buckley could have handled this much better and so should have Mr Ericson. It’s hard to coach when your own AD doesn’t support you.
Good Luck to everyone moving forward. There are some really good kids over there, so please choose wisely for your next coach.
Sign me up for Buckley’s job!!! I’ll bet that 3 day/week “job” is approaching 6 figures also!
You can’t blame the girls team for the actions of the parents! We have some doosies… There are a lot of us here in Washburn that are very disappointed in this decision. Perhaps disappointed isn’t a strong enough word. If parents would have just stepped back and let him do his job…very obvious that he knew what he was doing….without trying to do it for him, life would have been much easier for the coach while he was here. Can’t believe they let Coach Carlos get away!!! NOT A GOOD DECISION WASHBURN!! So sorry Mr. Carlos…you have been wronged and there is no excuse for it!
I am sorry, but when I am at the Augusta I find it kind of disrespectful to the girls, and the game, when I see HIM climb the ladder to cut the nets. Or at the Bangor Auditorium, when in the balcony, I can hear what he is screaming at his players. I found him to be so full of himself. I understand that I may be in the minority, but give the criticism where it belongs. Good luck to the Beavers next year. It will be a relief to see a well mannered, mature coach, not matter what their last name is.
Well, I would have to say that it has been a long time since we had a coach that made their team play as a team…..(so many of them will have a player that they want to make the hero and that just doesn’t work)…that’s one of the reasons why Washburn had such a successful few years with Coach Carlos.
The moment to which you refer was one of the most touching moments of the entire tournament! They wanted their coach to share in this moment!!! You were observing with a negative, critical spirit, it seems. If you even knew this coach’s connection with and respect from his team, you might have seen those events through different eyes. Those negative spirits who sat in the stands and critiqued his every move are not the kind of parents, spectators, or even human beings that we want our kids to be exposed to….It is very sad that our kids have had to hear this negativity, pettiness, and backbiting. They deserve to enjoy this time–not have it overshadowed by immature adults. The troublemaking adults are the ones being selfish and disrespectful.
Edit: Although I will say that some of the girls disliked being “yelled at and told what to do” and seem to have succombed to the tendency to resent authority and have become ungrateful and prideful. It has saddened a lot of people to see them be disrespectful. Still, most of the responsibiIity belongs to the adults who modeled poor attitudes.
Lest we forget: http://bangor-launch.newspackstaging.com/2011/03/05/sports/washburn-girls-end-22-year-drought-with-%e2%80%98d%e2%80%99-state-title/trackback/
One coastal Maine fan last year wrote: Congrats ladies!! You are the comeback kids of the year after your victory last week. I am so proud of you. You define the word “teamwork.” I got tears in my eyes when you starting to sing “Hey Carlos” around your coach after winning. Enjoy your victory, you definitely earned it!
I did not look to criticize while I was watching them play. Nor have I critiqued his every move. I am not saying he is not a good strategist, or a good person, what I am saying, is that he is not professional in any shape of the word.
It’s Washburn, Maine, for cripes sakes. Who do you want? Doc Rivers?
But you are? Criticizing somebody while hiding behind a screenname – that’s real professional. Who are you? What is your occupation? I’m sure people who know you could tells us all some great stories about your “professionalism”
It’s seriously only a screen name. I was offering my opinion on the matter, and all of a sudden I have committed a capital crime. No matter how thin the pancake, there are always two sides.
and your point is?
???
You in your own judgement are being negative also.
Hater alert!
I am not a hater. Why does having a different opinion than others automatically make you a “hater”?
Apparently you just have zero idea what it takes to be a coach…..apparently also, you have never lived in the city where this type of coaching makes horrible teams into star athletes….Washburn is losing the best coach they have ever had…and will EVER have! It’s sad to see that a few parents hold all of the tickets; and it’s true that POLITICS will always rule no matter how good you are! He did everything RIGHT…..is this racism….I think it’s racism at its finest!
Please just stop with the racism card. There is no racism here. Any opinion I have is based on what I have seen, not his race.
Like you, I am entitled to my opinion and……if it walks like a duck, and it talks like a duck…..THEN IT’S A DUCK!
Please, you are being immature. No one else but you brought race into this. I think everyone on here is grown up enough to know that race is irrelevant.
I can’t help but think that some people “professionalfan” just love living in misery and like to bring all other down with him/her….how could you not love coach carlos. This is the definition of a true INJUSTICE. Washburn leaders should be extremely ashamed of themselves for caving in to POLITICAL pressure instead of doing what’s best for the school. The school board should stop in its tracks and question the reason for each of them sitting in these seats. He did EVERYTHING right……is this racism at its finest? I think so! Any school would be soooooo lucky to have Carlos as a coach….he too the Washburn girls from nothing…and made them into something….obviously “professionalfan” you have NEVER enountered coaching styles in the cities…because if you had…you would very quickly see that Carlos’ style of coaching is that of dedication, but of hard work and TEAMWORK!!!!! You have nothing positive to say!
If the guy was not a winner then maybe you have a beef. I say if he shows his teams how to win and they respect his coaching style then good for him.
Wow….The fact that there are even seventeen people out there who agree with you is really disheartening….These are some of the most critical words about a kind, self-sacrificing coach, and it just makes my stomach churn. We are all aware of the people who would “like” this type of comment about another human being, and many of us could name names–as we have overheard them dripping venom while in the bleachers, overheard and read their comments, have seen their children adopt their attitudes, and have seen the angry/nasty looks on their faces. It is human nature at its ugliest. Some people just possess a critical nature that is unrelentingly cruel toward people who are different or make them feel uncomfortable. Often, this is born out of their own insecurities and low self worth. Small, rural towns seem to contain more of these types partly due to the fact that the people are isolated from various cultures and different ways of doing things. We become settled in our cliques and expect others to conform to our way of thinking and behaving. When someone new comes along and does not conform or even show signs of being intimidated into conforming, then small thinking folk become threatened. There is safety in numbers, so they decide to tear apart the new person and his ways because then they feel superior and secure and smug. They all sit together and make fun of and pick apart the newcomer. Then, they take it a step further and become more vocal with their criticisms and try to drum up support. It makes them feel good, like they belong, like they are in the right and justified in being harsh and negative.
Do you people not have a conscience? This is a fellow human being, who happens to have a different style, a different approach than you. So what??? Just because he has the freedom to express his emotions while coaching does not make him unprofessional or full of himself. Broaden your minds just a little! He was passionate about the game and cared about his players. He respected each one and was courteous with the parents. He tried to drum up school spirit and get the crowd to be enthusiastic and supportive of the girls. He was not so stuffy and prideful that he would not do “spirit fingers” with the crowd to let the girls know that we were all behind them. He brought freedom, spontaneity, school spirit, school pride, and helped to unite the fans for the sake of the kids. He knew about and saw the frowns and scowls from the stands of his critics. This was not about him or his personal comfort or likeability or whether the frowners approved of him…. It was for the girls!!! Judging his motives for doing something positive for our community when he was the one who was sacrificing on all counts is just plain ungrateful!
He bore up under some really unfair and nasty criticism as well as obstacles placed in his way and kept on coaching with the same enthusiasm and fervor. For him to keep traveling fifty miles each way for practices in all kinds of weather at various hours for such meager pay means that he is dedicated, not selfish or in this for himself! That he spoke up and refused to allow you people to intimidate him speaks to his integrity and courage. Carrying out one’s responsibilities in a consistent, effective manner in the face of hurtful and unreasonable opposition of all kinds is the definition of professionalism–not conformity to the style and expectations of a select few. So, those people who criticized from the bleachers and in your homes and in your little cliques….You are the ones who are “unprofessional” and cowardly. Hopefully, a few of you will stop and think about how unfair and negative and cruel you were to this fellow human being and change your ways.
Edit: Apparently, someone on the “Parent” thread is in the know over at mbr.org. Interesting reading except for his comment that if we all knew who was protesting the firing on the BDN thread, we would not respect them and would take their comments with a grain of salt.
And even further: “In the coach’s speech when he said how he appreciated the flood of comments in his support on MBR, I was discouraged. But now, you have truely shown the type of people that are supporting him and boy should he be proud.”
Wow….This is part of the problem, folks. No matter what went down, we are working with this kind of sarcasm, negativity, gossip, and backbiting. Because many have come to expect these unfair and mean spirited judgments upon those who are “different” or differ in opinion from others, they have to wonder if this is just more of the same aimed at Coach and anyone who questions his firing. Many are concerned about this being an injustice, a wrong against another human being. These kinds of derogatory comments about Coach’s supporters are why many are concerned that he was being criticized in this same manner. That means we’re compassionate and want to be sure justice is served–not mean-spirited critics getting their own way.
Why this person in the know needs to put others down is a mystery. It must be a smug air from being privy to the situation. But it’s that air and attitude that is an offense to others who differ from his opinions or do not have the benefit of the inside information. Whatever happened, he did not need to put down and dismiss opposing views and the persons behind them as unworthy of respect. I guess we can be happy that at least he kept things PG on there….
Disgraceful, distasteful, disgusting ..
Gutless, classless ..
I agree it sounds like to me a certain group of parents and administrators forced a good man out. Washburn’s loss will be someone else’s gain . I expect he will be hired by any one of high schools here in Maine that have a struggling program looking to move it foward in a positive direction.
I dont think the school board had anything to do with this . BUTTT I bet they will now !!! Tomany people liked coach carlos and too many town people are not happy
Funny to hear Mr Ericson say he had only a rough estimate of the pay of the job. As the AD, he should KNOW what all his coaches make. He should be at least partly responsible for putting together the athletic budget- plus it was his old coaching job…..A job that he didn’t want to give up in the first place.
It’s no secret which set of parents in particular wanted Coach Carlos out. Hard to say what else they could have wanted after the individual and team success that their daughter enjoyed this year. Talk about putting your kid between a rock and a hard place!!!
There is a lot more to this story than meets the eye.
They want someone they can pull the strings of , that they can control because their girls didn’t play or got yelled at. These folks feel their kids are entitled to play on the court. Well now it got a good man fired for their actions. Now that the town has found it out people are angry it sounds like.
An administrator know what the stipens are? Your are correct or should i guess that you are correct they should know where every penney is. What would happen if they could not afford their programs?
I personally think Mr. Ericson is extremely jelous of what Coach Carlos accomplished! Ericson could never do what Carlos did…and he resent him for it~! Sad that you can’t work with people instead of letting your pettiness get in the way…though we think Carlos’ coaching is unconventional….live in a city….and you will see that it is not!
Actually, I believe Ron Ericson won back to back state championships as coach…TWICE! 85-86 and 88-89. Just sayin…
Yes, but he wasn’t able to successfully do it again!
Seriously? If he won 4 state championships than yanno, MAYBE he knows that he is talking about.
“Professionalfan”…as if we don’t know who you are!!!! Total negativity!
Los also took the Houlton boys soccer team to their first ever state title game last fall ..
I would hope that wins aren’t the only requirement for a high school coach.
It is really sad to see the way some people behave over a game that was invented to be a game for phyical education students. In my opinion it has become the biggest religion in many towns. It causes many otherwise nice people to conduct themselves in an evil way. I am sorry coach Carlos that people have treated you unkindly and unfairly because they have an agenda to push. There was a time when participation in athletics taught student athletes many valuable life lessons, but because of parental interference I don’t feel those lessons are still being learned. Good Luck in your future coach. Job well done.
Carlos
Not really surprised by this, he almost single handedly coached them out of the win vs. the Rossignols girls team, they were easily 20 points better, but he kept it close. They need someone as talented as the players so they can get better.
Not going to get into Xs and Os with you- but I have seen plenty of basketball over the years and no way was Washburn EASILY 20 points better. They played three times this year and at no point in any of the games was a lead 20 points, nor would it have been no matter who coached the team. Give the Van Buren girls some credit. They have talent beyond the Rossignol girl, much like Washburn has some beyond the Worcester girl. In the minds of most seasoned watchers, these were the two top teams in Class D.
I would also like to say sorry to Coach Carlos for yet another coach losing his position do to small town politics. There seems to be way to much of this going on. Lots of times you will find many coaches for a talented laden team but the applicants become very few when there is work involved to make a team and as a former 14 year coach I do know about the time that goes into building a program from the first open gym right up to the final buzzer of the season. I can only say good luck to Washburn in finding a replacement that will be as dedicated as Mr.Carlos was and good luck to you Coach on your next endeavor.
Say it isn’t so Ed! You hate to lose. So what gives here? 40 years in the education system beat that out of you? Now all the kids are winners – win, lose or just show up?
I was was in shock and disbelief when I read this article. I was born and raised in the “county and have been living here my enitire life. In my hey day tournament time was to us like the academy awards are to hollywood. That has changed dramatically over the year’s. With Loring AFB vacating our area it all but crippled us, and Caribou now looks like a ghost town. I can remember as a child going to Caribou to see my grand parents and I swear it looked like we actually had a city. With drug abuse spiraling out of control, the School system of Washburn should have welcomed the job and dedication that couch Carlos displayed with his girl basketball team. You could clearly see by watching him bring the gold ball home twice in the tournament that he made the lady beaver’s the drive and ambition to make aroostook county the number one team to beat through out the entire tournament. You could tell that coach carlo’s really cared for his team and they played their A game from start to finish just to make him proud. Somebody on that school board had to be blind and not see the benefits this coach has brought to this ball club,and it is a sad day for aroostook county as well as the Lady Beaver’s. One would think they would appreciate what he has done for this group of girl’s and the fans who loved watching them.
Wow, you lose your credibility by saying things like “Caribou now looks like a ghost town”.
That’s just pure silliness.
Unfortunately, it IS all about winning in high school sports. Unfortunately, being a successful coach doesn’t guarantee your job. I would concur that Mr. Carlos must be a good, knowledgeable coach–but in all honesty, a team loaded with talent like that could have almost won the states without a coach.
I am not so sure the would have won because ther are a few on the team who think it is all about them and the old saying is true there is no I in team he made them play as a team that is why they won.
it takes a good coach no matter the talent
This is certainly a big disappointment for a majority of the town. Best of luck Coach Carlos, I’m sure you’ll have no trouble finding another job with a community that appreciates and supports their children and positive role models.
This is no different than how the Jonesport-Beals school board treated Coach Vinnie Maclean last season. They canned a great coach due to the fact that a few spoiled brats and their parents whined and cried because they weren’t getting to play. What are these parents going to when their children go out into the real world and they have a real job and miss out on a promotion due to the fact that their performance is subpar or there is a better candidate…..are they going to corporate headquarters and try to have the boss fired so their child is promoted.
Or how Machias treated Troy Alley.A few select parents didn’t like his coaching style so the school let him go.Amazingly one of the biggest complainers now is the coach go figure.
As a teacher having taught in Hodgdon while Mike coach there, I can attest he did an excellent job. This is simply a case of “small town” ignorance from a select few of narrow minded, self righteous parents who are unhappy because their Johnny didn’t get to play the entire game. The adage is ignorance is bliss….these parents must be ultra happy. I can see them now gloating of how “they” were instrumental in getting the coach fired. Shame on you! Also, shame on the interim superintendent for being their puppet rather than doing what was right and just. Mr. Carlos it’s a no win situation. Had you not been able to coach your team to a gold ball status they would have fired you as well. Parents you lose….you’ve taught your children a valuable lesson on justice. Parents you are a pathetic bunch.
As a teacher having taught in Hodgdon while Mike coach there, I can
attest he did an excellent job. This is simply a case of “small
town” ignorance from a select few of narrow minded, self righteous
parents who are unhappy because their Johnny didn’t get to play the
entire game. The adage is ignorance is bliss….these parents must be
ultra happy. I can see them now gloating of how “they” were
instrumental in getting the coach fired. Shame on you! Also, shame
on the interim superintendent for being their puppet rather than doing
what was right and just. Mr. Carlos it’s a no win situation. Had you
not been able to coach your team to a gold ball status they would have
fired you as well. Parents you lose….you’ve taught your children a
valuable lesson on justice. Parents you are a pathetic bunch.
So true bro
I wonder which kids’ parents were upset that they didn’t get enough playing time? Knowing Washburn very well, I know that basketball is extremely important as are those gold balls.
Was Carlos too hard on the Beavers?
Folks, I bet the house he’s moving on anyway. The guy is a great coach in whatever he does.
There are myriad decisions made by public school administrators and school boards that they cannot discuss and defend to the public for legal and ethical reasons. Hopefully you elect people you have confidence will make the soundest decisions on behalf of the children,the tax payers and the school(s) they serve. They are responsible for hiring the administrators who make the tough choices. Folks not in these positions can be as loud as they want with their opinions, which often are made without the pivotal facts while those who have to make the decisions do not have the ability to respond.
And with those myriad decisions that get made, lets just hope for ethical and legal reasons that the next coach hired is not a mama wanna be but someone as equally qualified as Mike Carlos. Way to go coach Carlos. You and the team rocked. You were a sensation to watch. Never a dull moment. Good luck.
This is why I choose to officiate the game rather than coach.
I heard that he just got done with his job up in Presque Isle, and a daily commute to Washburn would have been too difficult to go on every day. Still, the fact remains that there are some parents out there who need to step back and let the coaches coach. The reason Washburn was so successful was because Carlos had them working together as a single unit; if you let the players run the game and play only for their own benefit, that dynamic is going to be damaged.
This is an absolute disgrace, and those responsible for it should be ashamed! A man gives his time, travel, and passion for the game in return for a meager stipend, and parents don’t know enough to stay out of it! Good luck, Coach Carlos – May another, more deserving community benefit from your hard work and success!!
This sounds like an age old story. A couple influential parents whose little princesses didn’t get the playing time their parents thought they should, got together to put pressure on someone to not rehire this coach. This happens more than it should in high school athletics.
Its very upsetting to know that this type of bigoted behavior is thriving in the town of Washburn. These parents are unaware at how this is affecting not only Carlos, but our children. When did winning basketball become a priority over teaching these kids the value of compassion and team work. Carlos believed in these girls and showed the girls who are not necessarily basketball stars that they had something to offer as well. I really want to know the reasoning behind this decision. I don’t buy this excuse “we aren’t legally allowed to tell”, that is a cowardly way of avoiding what is really going on. Obviously Carlos was going to address the issue at the ceramony, why wouldn’t he? The people who are attacking him behind secret meetings and anonymous comments wouldn’t confront him or his supporters face to face so he did what any ethical and professional person should have done in this situation.
Listen, if you believe in your choices and actions then stand behind them in a way you can be proud of, none of this “special code names” and only speaking up when it doesn’t count. All my daughter wanted, was to feel apart of something fun and learn something new. This behavior demonstrated by adults who should know better is a sure way of setting these kids up for failure. I am trully insulted and shocked by the lack of professionalism in which this was handled. There needs to be some accountability with the school board and the people who control those puppet strings. Im sad that this is what our girls are going to remember years from now when they reflect back to their most unique experiences in their life. The majority is demanding something to be done and get a hold on this lifetime movie in the making.
He leads them to 2 gold balls back-to-back after a twenty year drought……not from Washburn, but loyalty “seems” to be a staple up there….. Am I wrong!
you are right, Andy!
This breaks my heart as Carlos is one of the most supportive and loving people I have EVER met! May each of you reap what you have sewn and done to the Carlos famlily!
As a former player of the Washburn Beavers, I was on the team when we won the State Chamionships in ’85, ’86, and ’88……I find this all really sad. I pray these girls don’t let this put a shadow or damper on the fact that they played hard and that hard work paid off. No matter what the talent level you still need a good coach to reign that in, organize it and piece it all together so that it “works” well together. From the outside looking in, Coach Carlos did just that, just like Ron Ericson was a good coach when I played. I find it sad that small town politics, over-involved parents have to stir up such a hornet’s nest. If I had a problem with my coach because he yelled at me, or did something i didnt like, do you think my Dad (or parents) got involved?! NO WAY! I’m sure there’s more to this than I know but I miss the days when you could just play basketball for the sheer love of the game!
I read your posts Cheryl Campbell Sperrey on BDN and thank you for stating many of our townspeoples viewpoints so well. I spoke with a member of the varsity cheerleaders recently and asked her how the tournament went. She immediately expres…sed how badly she felt for the way that some of the girls team had treated Coach Carlos on the bus rides and at the restaurants they went to. She said most of them would not speak to him and refused to sit near him in the restaurant. I find that so wrong on so many different levels. She stated he was very hurt and disheartened, so a group of the cheerleaders joined him at his dinner table. When I asked her why….she simply stated “because he yells at them and makes them work really hard.” Okay…I thought that was what coaches were supposed to do…I’ve never met one who whispers. Most of us know that it has to be about more than this, and realize that it is. But, the unfortunate part is that this is how a fellow peer views these girl’s behaviors. It is so unfair that a very few people have managed to tamper with a mans livelihood, reputation, self-esteem, coaching credibility and ultimately his future over such petty foolishness as this. A coach is a coach, teacher, mentor, advisor, leader and most importantly an adult….and all of the aforementioned deserve and demand respect! Julee Maynard…you hit the nail on the head when you stated “kids say and act out what they hear from their parents and elders” and we parents all know that to be absolutely true. Therefore, maybe a possible solution should be some parents enrolling themselves and their children into some etiquette and manners classes, considering many of the young players have a few more years left to play BB as Washburn Beavers and really should know and understand the meaning of the word ‘respect’ and how to do your town and community proud as you represent them when playing sports. I agree, MOST of the responsibility belongs to the adults who modeled these poor examples and attitudes and deemed them acceptable. Regardless of ones opinions there are right ways and wrong ways to act. Should Coach Carlos find himself needing any letters of recommendation for the next employer lucky enough to have him….I believe there would be many Washburn citizens happy and willing to offer him one. ~Leasha Thomas Fitzherbert ~
People need to read these sentences again:
She immediately expressed how badly she felt for the way that some of the girls team had treated Coach Carlos on the bus rides and at the restaurants they went to. She said most of them would not speak to him and refused to sit near him in the restaurant. I find that so wrong on so many different levels. She stated he was very hurt and disheartened, so a group of the cheerleaders joined him at his dinner table. When I asked her why….she simply stated “because he yells at them and makes them work really hard.”
Upon hearing about some of the girls’ words, their glee at Coach Carlos’ “firing,” behind-the-scene antics as well as some of the parents behaving badly, I sincerely hope that this matter gets investigated further. Beginning to remind me of a scene from “The Crucible.” The only thing needed for evil to prevail is for good men to do nothing….
Another coach hit with the soft charmin disease.
I think this Superintendent owes the community an explanation as to why this action was taken. It’s fairly obvious that he was well-liked by the kids and a majority of the community. Letting him go without giving a reason is unacceptable.
I think we all know why this happened…..it’s called politics and one family of haters!
Coach Carlos brought Gold
So what the Washburn superintendent is saying here is if this same group of girls went 2 & 16 for the next 4 years and everyone was having a good experience and having fun, he’d stick with that coach? Riiiiiiiiiiight!
Disappointed to see such a great coach being asked not return to what he loves!
“Consequently, we do not measure the success of our athletic teams by the number of contests they win but whether it is a positive experience for our students,” Buckley said.”
WOW! I hope they they don’t start firing their Best Teachers using the same philosophy!
I wonder if they are related to Mr. Olson on Little House on the Prairie?
In response to illegalsout I would like to know just what was so silly about stating that caribou looks like a ghost town! Guess you have not been around for that many year’s obviously. When Loring AFB was here Caribou was busy all the time. What’s there now? Not much that I can see a few little stores that not many people shop at and a few and I mean few resturants. The Crown Park Inn looks deserted most of the time and the Caribou Inn looks pretty dead most of the time as well. Gas station perhaps and I forgot finally a new wellness center. Compared to the thriving town it used to be it is a ghost town. Perhaps since you seem to think it sounds silly maybe you should enlighten the rest of us county folk and tell us exactly what there is to do in that town so we can join in on the fun too.
You should all step back and think about the boys that play basketball for Steve LeVasseur. This coach has been mentally, emotionally and sometimes, physically abusive to our children. He continues to be hired back every year, because our school board does not have a backbone!!! How about those boys going to their banquet at the end of the year and the coach starts out by saying, “Well, we had a terrible year. I don’t want to give out any awards, but if I have to they should be for the most turnovers, the most terrible plays.” When one of the boys was called up, LeVasseur said, “and this guy should go to my doctor for anger management.” I am thinking that hopefully this boy will find another doctor, ’cause LeVasseaur’s doc obviously isn’t helping him at all with his anger management. We parents need to step up. If LeVassuer is hired back next year, my son will not play for him. Other parents should put their ‘adult’ foot down and do the same. I am ashamed!!!
Steve LeVasseur and Mike Carlos are two totally different people and coaches. You really can’t compare the two.
As a former Washburn player I would like to thank the citizens of Washburn for reminding me why I left and never come back.
As a former Washburn player, I would like to thank the town of Washburn for reminding me why I left and why I never come back.
Curious, Is Carlos also a teacher or what does he do? Where does he live?
I believe carlos taught in the past!!
This is utterly ridiculous and as a Washburn resident I am most disappointed in this decision. I wish Mr. Carlos the best and feel ashamed that he had to be treated in such a way. It was quite clear that the girls loved and respected him. The story being told around town that we can blame this whole thing on a couple of girls and there parents and this was not a shared opinion as a team. I have been told this by people that are close to the situation and should know. My best wishes to you Mr. Carlos and hope that the next place you coach treats you with the respect and dignity you deserved.