[81alum]

Well, for years we have known that Kate could get a head coaching job elsewhere if she wanted one.  Our walk-on/national champion/professional player with ridiculously strong Stanford family ties, along with an MBA and JD,  has now been with us for 10 full years.  After about 4-5 we thought the time was ripe for her to do what  Bobbie Kelsey did and move to head coaching, although of course we hoped to keep her.  But she did not move on and seemingly was happy here.  During several of those years she had to regularly answer questions about whether she would move on, and I think the jist of it was that she seemed to be happier here as an assistant than she thought she would be elsewhere.  Plus she had a young family.  And some of us strongly suspect that she was being cultivated to take over for Tara when Tara was ready to retire.

So I wonder if this speculation is because something has changed and Kate has newly put herself on the market, or whether this is just wishful thinking on the part of Washington.  If something has changed, then what?  Kate got a promotion this year--was that Stanford bidding to keep her here?  Did Tara tell her that she (Tara) has decided not to retire for many years?  Did Kate decide that getting some head coaching experience would help her land the Stanford job when Tara does retire?  Was Kate open all along, but she was simply being extremely selective?  (As I said earlier, the Washington job would be, in my opinion, a very good situation--far superior to many other offers that could come along.)  Now that Kate's family is not quite as young, is she more open to moving?  Or is all of this hot air or a rumor that will go nowhere? 

I would be very, very sorry to see Kate leave, but I cannot for the life of me feel anything but warmth and support for her no matter how this turns out.  With 3 Stanford degrees and a whole family of Stanford ties, plus a decade of superb coaching, there may not be another human being on the planet who is more steeped in all things Stanford than Kate.

Put it this way--Kate is even more "Stanford" than Mike Neighbors is "Arkansas."

[81alum]

Well, for years we have known that Kate could get a head coaching job elsewhere if she wanted one.  Our walk-on/national champion/professional player with ridiculously strong Stanford family ties, along with an MBA and JD,  has now been with us for 10 full years.  After about 4-5 we thought the time was ripe for her to do what  Bobbie Kelsey did and move to head coaching, although of course we hoped to keep her.  But she did not move on and seemingly was happy here.  During several of those years she had to regularly answer questions about whether she would move on, and I think the jist of it was that she seemed to be happier here as an assistant than she thought she would be elsewhere.  Plus she had a young family.  And some of us strongly suspect that she was being cultivated to take over for Tara when Tara was ready to retire.

So I wonder if this speculation is because something has changed and Kate has newly put herself on the market, or whether this is just wishful thinking on the part of Washington.  If something has changed, then what?  Kate got a promotion this year--was that Stanford bidding to keep her here?  Did Tara tell her that she (Tara) has decided not to retire for many years?  Did Kate decide that getting some head coaching experience would help her land the Stanford job when Tara does retire?  Was Kate open all along, but she was simply being extremely selective?  (As I said earlier, the Washington job would be, in my opinion, a very good situation--far superior to many other offers that could come along.)  Now that Kate's family is not quite as young, is she more open to moving?  Or is all of this hot air or a rumor that will go nowhere? 

I would be very, very sorry to see Kate leave, but I cannot for the life of me feel anything but warmth and support for her no matter how this turns out.  With 3 Stanford degrees and a whole family of Stanford ties, plus a decade of superb coaching, there may not be another human being on the planet who is more steeped in all things Stanford than Kate.

Put it this way--Kate is even more "Stanford" than Mike Neighbors is "Arkansas."