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Conflicts among warring factions in Run Camp’s coaching
ranks reached a head last week when a six-coach coalition set out to create an
entirely new training philosophy and schedule as early as Week 5.
Run Camp’s 13 coaches serve as an unofficial judicial branch
of an organization long dominated by veto-hungry Blaine Lam, who has agreed to
let the coalition present their changes to the 130-member Team Leader corps,
who represent all campers.
Team Leaders will vote March 1 on the so-called Montei
Manifesto, a policy document that contains the demands of the combined
philosophies of two former splinter groups.
One splinter group of coaches, not coincidentally led by an Indiana graduate,
favors the Bobby Knight School of leadership.
They feel campers need more discipline and structure, that they’re
becoming less and less self reliant,
The other coaches’ group feels that Run Camp has lost its
soul and mystery and should adopt an I Ching approach.
Rob Lillie, speaking on behalf of the seven-coach majority,
dismisses both the old-school Knight philosophy and the old-old-old school philosophy
of Chinese thought as a “misguided blend of unnecessary tough love and
neo-Confucianism.”
Saying “aren’t we all going through enough change?” Lillie
and his compatriots say they already have their hands full with sore and achy
campers.”
“That’s just my point,” said the vocal Knight disciple. “We’ve been encouraging whining.”
Coach Janet Montei drew up the manifesto with a specific
training program that brings both mystery and discipline into play. Using the classic I Ching hexagon as a
guide, six sets of six teams will meet in 36 separate locations each Saturday
for six weeks. Their training schedules and locations will be determined by
signs of the Zodiac.
Because there are only 30 teams, and because Cheryl Pickett
would be tasked to create an extra six teams, find 12 more team leaders and
create 36 separate routes each week, she will be lobbying for the status quo at
the Team Leader Convention.
Meanwhile, there’s dissension in the
Team Leader ranks as well. The so-called Hart-Young Hangover Effect finds team
leaders split on who they want to fill the void left by Allison’s absence. Chelsea Dilla, who favors the status quo, and
renegade Tracy Matthews, appear to have an equal number of loyalists going into
the convention.
