Skidmore College
NCAA DIII • NULL
Date: July 5, 2025
Would Recommend
Tags
While Manny is undoubtedly passionate about rowing and brings a high level of intensity to his role, his approach to leadership raises serious concerns. He often frames his coaching style as fostering a “family-like team culture,” yet this has, in practice, enabled inappropriate behavior among athletes and blurred the line between professionalism and personal entanglement. In his first year, he appointed a rising sophomore as team captain—an athlete who went on to verbally abuse teammates over the next three years without any meaningful intervention. This lack of accountability significantly harmed team dynamics. By his third year, he appeared surprised when an entire women’s eight chose not to return, seemingly unaware of the long-term damage that poor leadership choices—enabled by his own oversight—had caused. This pattern suggests a larger issue: a coach who struggles with identifying and cultivating healthy, effective leadership, perhaps due to his own limitations in this area. Manny’s conduct has often felt erratic and unprofessional. He tends to single out athletes he disfavors and frequently overshares personal struggles, including mental health challenges, in ways that undermine his role as a stable and trusted leader. While openness can be powerful, it must be balanced with boundaries—something he often fails to maintain. His ego-driven coaching style limits collaboration and discourages input from others, even when they bring more experience or technical expertise. This contributed to the departure of the most accomplished coach the program had hired in recent memory—a significant loss for the team. Despite frequent rhetoric about a desire to win, results have not reflected meaningful progress. For instance, the men’s team placed identically at the end-of-season regatta two years in a row (third in the 3rd level final), despite his public insistence that the program has made significant gains. His communications to the broader rowing community often read more as spin than substance. Lastly, the team’s social media presence, which Manny manages, has not supported recruitment efforts. Frequent typos and awkward posts diminish the program’s credibility. Delegating this responsibility to student-athletes—who better understand what resonates with prospective rowers—could turn it into a more effective and engaging platform. This need for control, again, feels ego-driven.