Hornet coaches stay busy all year long

Lyndon State College coaches have fulltime jobs outside of coaching students, unlike at bigger schools.

LSC is a small school that recently became part of the NCAA Division III.  They cannot pay their coaches like some bigger schools can to just coach and many have fulltime jobs outside of the school.

"All of our coaches have fulltime employment in addition to their coaching duties," said Athletic Director Chris Ummer.  "We have no coaches that are fulltime head coaches here.  No one is going to have a job at this level that says ‘I'm just a coach'.  That would be awesome, but unfortunately that's not the case."

The smallest amount a head coach makes at LSC is $5,000 a year while the most is $14,000 along with other responsibilities.  In comparison with the University of Vermont from base pay numbers released in January, the smallest annual salary for a head coach at UVM was $59,000.  UVM is a larger school in NCAA Division I, but it shows the disparity in pay for coaches at LSC's level.

Some of the coaches are fulltime employees at LSC in other capacities.  Besides being Athletic Director, Ummer coaches cross-country.  Vinnie Maloney, the women's basketball coach, is also the Associate Director of Admissions.  Susan Henry, the women's tennis coach, is also the Director of Intramurals.  Men's tennis coach Geoffrey Davison is also an assistant professor of exercise science.

There are coaches who in addition to their coaching roles teach classes at LSC.  Men's basketball coach Joseph Krupinski is currently teaching a class on coaching methods.  Ummer is teaching an exercise science class on care and prevention of injuries. 

"I teach a course in the fall and the spring.  It's all athletic training courses, because that's my background as an athletic trainer," said Ummer.  "I really enjoy teaching.  Is it extra money?  Sure.  But I like the opportunity to be in the classroom and teach.  Even coaching is really teaching."

The list of jobs that coaches hold outside of LSC is as varied as it is numerous.  Volleyball coach Sean Fisher works at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center.  Men's lacrosse coach Tim Tierney works at Kingdom Trails.  Baseball coach Ryan Farley is an athletic trainer at the physical therapy clinic here in Lyndonville.

"I work at the Lyndon town school," said Krupinski.  "That's during the day so I usually don't get in until 3:30.  That's my other employment."

"Everyone's fulltime maybe here or somewhere else," said Ummer.  "So when they are not coaching they are very busy with their other duties, responsibilities with their fulltime jobs."