Here’s the story we just posted to our website about the firing of head coach Laraine Raish and assistant coach Corine Lewis from the cheerleading team:
The University athletic department told Duck cheerleading advisors Laraine Raish and Corine Lewis they were being let go at approximately 8:30 a.m. Monday. The mother and daughter were part-time advisors to the program and not full-time coaches, according to the athletic department.
According to the cheer team’s official Web site, Raish was head coach and Lewis was assistant coach and choreographer.
Dave Williford, the Oregon sports information director, said the two women were told that the program decided to go in a “different direction.”
“It came as quite a blow,” Raish said. “I’m still a little bit in shock. As to what happened, your guess is as good as mine.”
The 62-year-old Raish has been with the program for 15 years. She said she had spent much of the last month preparing for what was supposed to be the start of daily doubles Monday at 9 a.m.
“A lot of preparation had been gone through for the start of daily doubles,” Raish said. “We never had a meeting before that; we didn’t have a clue,” she said of the firings.
Lewis, Raish’s 37-year-old daughter, was the assistant advisor and choreographer to the team.
Williford said the department is looking to replace Raish and Lewis with two new advisors who would also be part-time. He was uncertain about the timeline.
“There will be no difference in game responsibilities,” Williford said. “Games will not be affected and whether or not we hire someone in the interim, there will be someone in place as soon as possible.”
Raish has lived in the Eugene area for more than 30 years and she was formerly the cheerleading coach at Willamette High School in Eugene.
“This is absolutely my home,” she said.
Calls to Associate Athletic Directors Renee Baumgartner and Joe Giansante were not returned as of 5:30 p.m. Monday.
bschorzman@dailyemerald.com
Was that Coach Bellotti’s first major decision as Athletic Director. A better decision would be to bring back Jody Runge as the Women’s Basketball Coach!
First they came for the wrestlers, and I didn’t speak up, because I wasn’t a wrestler. Then they came for the cheerleaders, and I didn’t speak up, because I wasn’t a cheerleader. Then they came for the …
Our daughter is in her second year as a cheerleader and we have paid for her living expenses to be on campus almost two months early. On Monday we heard from our daughter that the coaches had been abruptly fired. Later we heard the program was “going in another (completely undefined)direction”. These girls work very hard to acheive a dance performance level that is near professional. The parents are proud of their work. Neither the parents, the girls nor the coaches deserve to be treated in this shoddy manner. After all, the U of O Cheer Team has provided a valuable service to U of O sports for many years. If a change in direction was contemplated, the best way to accomplish such a change is to solicit input from participants: students, parents, fans, coaches and the current cheerleaders. At a minimum, some prior notice would have been courteous. Many of the girls are serious about dance and may have been able to participate in dance or cheer teams at other schools. Some may have been able to obtain scholarships at other schools.
Released ? Do you actually mean fired ?