Friday, May 07, 2010

Too much Curry ... too few heads ...

After awhile - even if you do like it - you just get tired of it (him).
Head coach Ken Niumatalolo booted Curry from the program for not complying with team rules, Navy athletics spokesman Scott Strasemeier said last night. Neither Strasemeier nor Niumatalolo would elaborate on the reasons for Curry's dismissal, but several sources told The Capital it resulted from a recent conduct offense.
...
"It's unfortunate, but it had to be done. We're a football team and the rules apply to everybody," Niumatalolo said yesterday when asked about Curry's removal from the roster.

The Capital has learned from numerous Naval Academy sources that Curry was charged with an unauthorized absence for failing to be in his dormitory room in Bancroft Hall when required. That alleged conduct offense would have added to a checkered behavior history for Curry at the academy.
Predictable.
UPDATE: A little note I forgot to include on this part. People and institutions should be careful what they are willing to trade their integrity for. If you sell it cheaply - it will be treated as such.
Sources close to the situation told The Capital that Curry intends to voluntary resign from the Naval Academy and transfer to another school in the wake of his dismissal from the football team. Curry did not take part in Monday's ceremony at the White House.

On a positive side - from all reports,
we have picked from the A-team.
A group of Naval Academy seniors who will be among the first women to serve on U.S. submarines said Thursday they remain undaunted by their critics.

Ten of the 11 Naval Academy female mids who have been selected for submarine service met with the media at the academy.

"It can't bother you - there were people who didn't want us here at the Naval Academy in the first place," Midshipman 1st Class Elizabeth Hudson, of Plymouth, Mass., said of the opposition.

Hudson, a systems engineering major and a boat captain on the academy's offshore sailing team, said she has grown accustomed to competing in a predominantly male environment.

"We were all sailors. … We wanted to race and we wanted to win; it was not male versus female," she said of being at sea with men.

The women were straightforward when discussing the one concern that critics frequently raise: If a woman discovers she is pregnant soon after the ship deploys for months under the ocean, what happens?

"Just like any other female in the military, we have to be smart about our careers," said Midshipman 1st Class Tabitha Gant, of Bowie. "As long as we are intelligent about our life choices, it shouldn't be a problem."
Good luck. Just get qualified early - perform better than your peers - look after your Sailors - and don't be an administrative burden.

Advice works for anyone, male or female. Good luck.

44 comments:

UltimaRatioRegis said...

So, this football totin' Middie gets bounced from the team for UA because " the rules apply to everybody" according to a FOOTBALL COACH, but is allowed to remain at USNA after popping on a whiz quiz because an ADMIRAL gave special considerations?

Funny, I thought sports at the Academy were to reinforce lessons of leadership and teamwork, not introduce it for the first time.  Shame on Fowler.  Shame.  Shame.  Comes in second to a football coach in the leadership department.

Vigilis said...

Good point, the PC rules DO APPLY to everyone. Other rules, not so much:
Reassurance">http://tinyurl.com/2dzqx5g"REL="nofollow">Reassurance from Female USNA Submarine Selectee

Combat NFO said...

Last line of the article says he plans on leaving school since he's been kicked off the football team.  Looks like he was at USNA for all the wrong reasons, either that or he just planned to stay for the first two years of obligation free education.  What a mess, so much money and attention spent on a kid that can't seem to make it to bed on time.  I'm surprised that he wasn't kicked off the team for the drug use. Perhaps the drugs weren't performance enhancing?

MR T's Haircut said...

So the Navy gets the results they deserve, the Leadership looks like fools.  Nice..

Hey Leadership.. GET SOME NUTS!!!

Vigilis said...

<span>Good point, the PC rules APPLY to everyone. Other rules, not so much: 
Reassurance"><span>http://tinyurl.com/2dzqx5g"REL="nofollow">Reassurance</span> </span>

Vigilis said...

<span>Good points, PC rules APPLY to everyone. Other rules, not so much...http://tinyurl.com/2dzqx5g

 </span>

Combat NFO said...

I love the insecurities displayed by non-ringknockers (from the Vigilis link):

<span>"Non USNA graduates are being systematically culled from the submarine hierarchy in advance of the women's liberation movement into "one of the last bastions of of gender segregation"."</span>

Combat NFO said...

"<span>and don't be an administrative burden."</span>
-Oh, that's just the standard advice that all future leaders in the submarine force get.

DM05 said...

The slotback will be fine cuz he's fast and perfect for the NFL.
Navy's honor? Not so much.
But, hey, we got women on subs and isn't that special...

DeltaBravo said...

Maybe he realized with the new Sup coming on board the gig is up and it's time to shoot himself in the foot and get out while the getting is good...

Vigilis said...

Had you followed the link, NFO, you would have discovered the female ringwearer also said:

"the smaller quarters make for a more cohesive and professional atmosphere."  

Based upon such brilliant insight a spacious CVN manifests quite a rodeo of, well, cowboys and cowgirls. 

Submariners will adapt just fine to accomodating women and the b.s. that comes with them. Afterall, the taxpayers are going to pay for the helo medevacs and compromised missions they cause.  Ever done a real submarine mission?  

Anonymous said...

"..voluntary resign..."?
How about the tuition that was wasted on this POS? Payback can be a b*tch.

Just my $0.02

ActusRhesus said...

that's right...all women get pregnant. 

and they do it all by themselves...

LT B said...

It's not just pregnancy that is the issue.  It is sexual tension, change in culture, drama and boys acting like fools and chasing women rather than doing their jobs.  If you bring on strong women that don't accept silliness from each other or the males then it will be fine.  It hasn't happened on ships so I have my doubts about boats.  I believe the Navy will lie about what happens and call it a wonderful thing, regardless of what happens.

Byron said...

That's exactly what I was thinking, DB...shit can Curry before the new Sup shows up and shit cans the coach.

UltimaRatioRegis said...

Wait, wait, wait. 

Really?

sobersubmrnr said...

Right on, LT.

I predict that most if not all of them will not make it to their department head tour. The giddy smiles and cocky attitudes will go away as soon as they are hit by the reality of being a non-qual submarine JO.

This still doesn't have to happen. A GOP controlled HASC and Appropriations Committee can still shut this down. We need to keep up the pressure on them to do so.

SubIconoclast said...

"<span>I believe the Navy will lie about what happens and call it a wonderful thing, regardless of what happens.<span>"</span></span>

Like the way SECNAV, CJCS, and CNO all insist that the surface force has "successfully" transformed into a mixed-gender force?  Apparently the daily OPREP-3s documenting injury to our Sailors in the form of sexual assault can best be described as "success."  

This policy change will clearly be a challenge at the deckplate level - a challenge which CAN ultimately be met, but not without a reasonable expectation for occasional missteps and setbacks.  My fear is that the senior guys will keep painting sunny pictures for Congress at the same time they're firing seagoing O4/5s and E8/9s for "failures of leadership."  Would be nice to be able to expect support, not scapegoating, from the highest levels of leadership.  

Aubrey said...

Err, yes, as a matter of fact it is. The same advice was given over at the USNI blog to Mr Withington as he gets ready to head out to nuke school.

I realize you have dedicated yourself to being offended at all times and by all things, but do try to do so with at least some intelligence. Your performance of late has been very disappointing - if you want to join Maggie and Skippy in the big leagues, you need to get yourself out of single-A ball...

virgil xenophon said...

Dosen't he have to serve an entire tour as an enlisted once he graduates--from ANY institution if he declines/resigns? IIRC that was the provision in the contract I signed to enter into advanced AFROTC (the officer program--ROTC's 1st 2yrs--the enlisted phase--were mandatory then at LSU for all males) at the beginning of my Jr. year--of course that was 46 years ago.

YNSN said...

Timing is everything? Isn't the VADM in essence a lame duck now? 

Combat NFO said...

Um, I think I said it's just the standard advice that submarine leaders get.  Thanks for taking the opportunity to express your disappointment with my post.... that you agree with.  I appreciate your constructive addition to the conversation.

Combat NFO said...

Hey Vigilis, how could I have commented on the article without following the link?

DeltaBravo said...

LtB, from what I know of the silent service, there is little room for error at the bottom of the sea and the standards are rigorous and there is a screening for the type of personality that can coexist in confined spaces for long periods of time.  Is there any hope that those standards will weed out the kind of females that would bring "change in culture" to the submarines?  Maybe the nonsense will self-select itself out of the picture?

spek said...

over the first 5 years, the females won't be allowed to be kicked off the boat for being dink in sub quals,  and shortly after that indoc period, we will have the first female screaming about discrimination as the reason she got booted.  sad.

YNSN said...

It won't be a big deal.  There is 11 women going to Subs?  Say, 9 of those will make it through nuke school?  Of those 9, one may cry fowl of anything on a sub? 

It won't be that bad, as it is nothing remarkable either.  A long time ago all the good 'firsts' were done.  All that is left is not anything remarkable.  The Navy is pushing the news on this because, well, it must be because of who our SECNAV is.  This just seems like something he feels good about doing.  Will it hurt our Navy?  No.  Will it greatly improve our Navy?  No.  It just is something different, the illusion of one last glass barrier being removed for them. 

They're just women.  No big deal.

Redeye80 said...

Great observation.

We scream out that senior leaders don't listen to those standing on the deckplates.  Maybe we should listen when those sailors talk.

This might be more about teaching old dogs new tricks.  This is nothing more than an additional leadership challenge.  Many might not like the decision but the decision has been made.  So, the choices are clear: sit down, shut up and color; or if this decision upsets your personal core values, beliefs, or whatever you live by, then vote with your feet, there's the door.

Remember we defend democracy, we don't practice it.

LT B said...

Not for the first decade.  Look at females in aviation.  They were to pass at all costs.  One lost her life due to her inability to fly and the Navy's lack of desire to kick her out of the program for poor performance.  The same may happen in nuke school until the sensitivity goes away.  If they hold the standard and are honest this will be a non issue.  People will get punished for dittling each other, etc, but the level of performance/capability will stay high.  I forecast that the standards will drop for PC reasons before they finally realize they don't need to do that.  By then, though, they will have let in some non-hackers that will eventually change the culture due to political fears from the leadership.  If you think one girl of the wrong sort can't change the entire feel on a boat you would be wrong.  I've coached men and women and the motivational techniques are different for the most point.  There will be issues here and we will ignore them.  It happens on ships it will happen on boats. 

C-dore 14 said...

URR, After reading the article in the "Capitol" what I think really happened here was that the coach found out during spring practice that he had two potential slotbacks coming up who wouldn't bring with them all the "drama" that Curry brings.  That, and folks may have concluded that Curry wasn't going to opt for more time at USNA anyway.  He put a "happy face" on it.

As for Fowler, looks like he found out late in his career that there are people who don't deserve a 10th "second chance" and that even an O-9 can be manipulated.

Anon said...

First, looking at the number of college graduates, over 50% are women.  If we are going to get the best and the brightest in the Navy we can't simply cut out half our candidates.

Second, look at your daughter and tell her, "Honey, you can do anything you want in the world except serve on a submarine, because that's a man's job."  Then she'll say, "Daddy, we learned in history class that's what they used to tell women to keep them from voting."

cdrsalamander said...

Anon,
Some advice from someone in your own trench - the 50% argument is lame and not germane.  The issue is the number of officer candidates who qualify using objective standards.

Equal number of men and women do not have the same percentage of intensity to make the military a career.  That is fine.  Of those who do - their are additional differences on who wants to go through nuke school.  That is fine.

The issue is who can do the job without being a net loss to the crew and Navy.  Can women do that on a 21st Century submarine?  Yes - if the busy bodies and agenda driven personnel will let them - and let leaders lead.

Combat NFO said...

"<span>The issue is who can do the job without being a net loss to the crew and Navy."</span>
-Such high standards for performance.

UltimaRatioRegis said...

C-dore,

Agreed, and would add that nine of those ten second chances had much more to do with both skin color and football talent than any redeeming quality this misfit might bring to the United States Navy.  For which Fowler should have been relieved, and should be forever ashamed. 

DeltaBravo said...

I'd tell my daughter(s) that just because you CAN do something doesn't mean you SHOULD do something.   Most men are reasonably honorable.  But being at the bottom of the ocean for lengthy periods in an enclosed space with that many men (mostly overly intelligent men, god bless 'em...), being one of a minimum number of young females...  too many things can go wrong...

I wrote more, but thought better of it.  Just say the older I get... as a mother... the less good some ideas look when it comes to subjecting young women to social experiments. 

I've written and deleted and rewritten and redeleted... I'll leave it at this.  ;)

USNA Ancient said...

BZ to our new submariners ! Good ridence to curry ... he should be booted, if not court martialed, not allowed to resign ! fowler hasn't had the balls to stand up to anyone since he was cowed by the rabid evangelicals over the flag-chapel incident and failed to enforce Code concerning the flag ! Good ridence to him also !

sobersubmrnr said...

DB, you did an outstanding job. BZ.

sobersubmrnr said...

It is a big deal. Our world is not like your world. What would be a minor problem on a skimmer is magnified many times on the boats. I've already been to sea on a SSN with women for extended periods. This is not good.

Combat NFO said...

Sober, why is it not good?

Byron said...

Were they women who had been trained specifially to be submariners?

sobersubmrnr said...

Byron, that's irrelevant. The issue is biology, not book learning. FYI, they were civilian test engineers. Married, mature, professional women who made a good effort to stay out of the way of the crew. It didn't matter. Biology is a brick wall.

Byron said...

NO. The issue is training and discipline.

sobersubmrnr said...

No, training and discipline will suffer due to biology and PC. When the surface navy gets its act together in that regard, then we can talk about putting females on submarines.

LT B said...

Sub, you mean the skimmers don't have their act together wrt females at sea and coed crews?!  How can you say that?  All the big wigs in DC tell me that there are no issues so it must be so.  I mean, w/ Honor, Courage and Commitment being the Navy CORE Values, they would NEVER lie to us.  Would they? 

sobersubmrnr said...

Yessir, that's exactly what I'm saying. Loud, clear and unmistakable to anyone who's ears I can bring into range. The women in submarines issue burns me up so badly because I've seen what goes on in the surface fleet. That loss of order and discipline would be devestating in submarines. It is literally a matter of life and death.