|
by Stephen (steveu) Underwood
ROCKFORD MI 2/6/02 -- Since the Grand Rapids (Michigan) Press printed
its first story on the Brad Prins/Rockford situation on Jan. 30,
there have basically been two camps of respondents. Much of the
print media has covered the allegations against Prins and reactions
of those who think he should resign or be fired. But many of the
coach's former runners, and nearly all of the current team and their
families, have rallied behind him - concerned (obviously) about
the negative impact on themselves (or their children, in the parents'
case) and emphasizing the positive.
Still, they agree in the absolute cessation of any substance-dispensing
from Prins (and that it hasn't occurred since the Sept. 10 warning
from the Rockford administration). But they generally don't feel
that any violation of the Jan. 2000 warning (if there has been violations
and if there was a warning at all) merits Prins' dismissal.
DyeStat.com spoke with one of these parents at length - Michael
Bohnsack, father of sophomore star Nikki Bohnsack - last Saturday.
Q: Tell me, to your knowledge, why did this story come to light
now? What was the timeliness of it?
BOHNSACK: I don't know what (GR Press writer Howard Billingsley's)
sources were. I know there was a couple of parents with an axe to
grind and took whatever action they thought they needed to take.
We've been in the program for two years, so I don't know a lot about
history.
Q: From what I've come to understand from what Coach Prins has
said in the stories, he says he hasn't handed out any medication,
vitamins or pills of any kind since September 10, is that right?
BOHNSACK: Yes, I can say I've never seen Coach Prins or (Assistant)
Coach (Ken) Raymond hand anybody anything since I've been involved
with the program.
Q. How has this whole thing impacted Nikki, all of your family
and the rest of the families in the program? I get the impression
that almost everyone on the current team is very supportive of Mr.
Prins.
BOHNSACK: Yes, I would say the vast majority of the kids are very
supportive and, from a family perspective, I've never been through
anything like this. Never. My emotions have run up and down. Now
if there was a directive given, and he didn't follow it, then whatever
course has to happen … has to happen. But to my knowledge there
was nothing that went wrong (since Sept. 10) that I'm aware of.
But it hurts. The accomplishments of these athletes, who work year-round
… If anybody knew how hard these kids worked, and saw their
dedication to their sport and their love for it, I don't think they'd
drag the kids into it - and they have. It seems like it's a personal
thing between some people and Mr. Prins and, unfortunately, the
kids are caught in the crossfire.
Q. I've gotten the impression that those who instigated the
inquiry are kids who've already graduated, or their families.
BOHNSACK: Yes, they're either graduated or they are not really
part of the team. Every coach is critiqued on his training procedures,
whether it's enough or not enough, and one of the particular parents
who's been after Coach Prins for his training procedures says they're
too tough. And as far as I'm concerned, if you don't like it, you
can leave it. Go somewhere else.
(At this point, Bohnsack relates a story of the team's first
meet since the stories broke, a small indoor meet in Albion, Mich.
Friday night. Nikki Bohnsack, according to her father, had been
battling a stomach flu, been sick, hadn't eaten anything for two
days and practiced for 20 minutes all week. But she ran a 5:17 mile
to win her race.)
BOHNSACK: She did that on that on 50 percent of her engine. Where
was the Press to see that? Here's an athlete who's been sick; gosh
knows what would have happened if she had been well.
From a perspective of the team (which had a rare indoor meet with
both genders) … It was an incredible thing from the team's
sake ... I looked at my wife and said, "These are the kids
I want my daughter to be around." They're first-class kids,
they're good students, they've got high morals they wouldn't be
involved with anything that isn't right.
Q. Do you feel good about the way the Rockford administration
has handled things so far? It sounds like part of the problem is
the question about the Jan. 2000 warning, that the superintendent
doesn't remember it and that you had a change in athletic directors.
BOHNSACK: As far as I am aware, there's nothing in the file pointing
to the Jan. 2000 write up. That's the other mystery. As far as I
know, it doesn't exist. I think the administration has taken the
stance "Bring us proof." and if you did (brought proof),
then he's terminated, it's that easy. But they aren't going to act
on hearsay and I respect them for that. And with the way the press
has been badgering the situation … it'll be interesting to
see how the whole thing unfolds. There's a lot of pressure from
the Grand Rapids Press.
Q. What about the Bob Becker column?
BOHNSACK: I think he stepped over the line with that article. I'm
amazed the paper would print something like that. That's their choice,
their freedom. But I think they stepped over the line with that
article.
We held an informational parent meeting when we heard that there
was an article that might be coming out. And it was a fact-finding
meeting. Myself, Neil Blakeslee and Keith Harold held it. We moderated,
so we didn't state an opinion one way or the other how we felt about
it even though we had feelings/ and it was 85 percent pro Prins.
And Mr. Harmsen brought his allegations to everyone, and I would
say … Well, you know, the meeting was there for facts and we
said everyone could talk for 5 minutes and we allowed the person
bringing the things against the program to talk for 30 minutes,
so I thought we were more than fair. But that really never came
out in a bold way ... Concerned parents who Mr. Becker has chastised,
so to speak, really took a proactive role in trying to get to the
bottom of it.
And the most disturbing thing to me is that if indeed this group
that wants Mr. Prins out would have come to the parents with their
information, and brought it to them in a way that was professional
- just brought it to us in an informative manner - no parents can
look the other way. But they went to the administration, and lost,
and then decided to grandstand. That's the news.
Q. It was the way it was done more than anything else that bothered
a lot of people?
BOHNSACK: The manner it which it was done and the accusations that
have been raised ... you know the papers pretty much said he's guilty
before proven guilty. The process is not the way you go about doing
things.
And the Rockford runners are going to take one approach - and my
daughter is a member of that team - is just run harder than she's
ever run before, to prove to everyone that they are as good as they
have proven in the past.
Q. Is there any question or is anyone still trying to prove
at this point that anything wrong has been done since Sept. 10?
BOHNSACK: There's no issue ... and quite honestly, I don't think
there's a parent I've spoken to, that if indeed after that notice
by the superintendent was given to Coach Prins, that if anything's
dispensed - whether it's a vitamin or anything else, by him - he's
gone. I don't think there's a parent who would say that isn't deserved.
So it's not that the parents are saying that no matter what (he
should stay) ... it's that we're saying, "show us the proof."
Q. And there aren't any kids on this year's team who are saying
anything to the contrary?
BOHNSACK: Not that I'm aware of. I would have thought they've been
brought out already.
It's unfortunate, though, it really is ... all we're going to do
is run our hearts out and see what we can do. Prins has got a quote
that kids are saying more and more: "We're going to let our
feet do the talking." … Which is probably relatively smart.
Q. Any negative responses at the meet?
BOHNSACK: None that I noticed; the kids say nobody took any shots
at them. It's going to be difficult going forward now that this
gray cloud is around them. They are just going to have to run through
it, I guess.
Q. Is your perspective pretty much that, yeah, what happened
in the past was wrong but because of all the circumstances, you
don't see the need to vilify or take someone down because of the
way the whole thing has unfolded. Say he did give out stuff during
that period of time (1/00 to 9/01), or last year when your daughter
was a freshman, do you feel that's not substantial enough to implicate
a person in a situation like this?
BOHNSACK: To my knowledge, no. From my perspective right now, no.
We ask our daughters all kinds of questions, just like any parent
does if there's any concerns, and I don't have a concern with my
daughter or do I know of any parent that does. Like I said before
we haven't seen anything that would lead me to believe that anything
has gone on. I've got to see it or hear of it from a reliable source,
and so far I haven't.
Rockford Michigan Controversy
|
