Mark Martino sees Don West as a coach who built a successful girls lacrosse team at Lake Braddock and has shown a dedication to the secondary school's athletic programs.
"He's been the only [girls] lacrosse coach Lake Braddock's ever had, and he did a great job building up the program," said Martino, the school's director of student activities.
Last Monday, Martino told West that his job was completed, declining to offer the 13-year coach a contract for the 2006 season.
"We just felt like it was time for a change," said Martino, citing the need for "a little different atmosphere" around the program.
West said he was stunned by the decision, which follows a season in which the Bruins made the Northern Region tournament semifinals. "I pleaded [in the meeting], 'Don't embarrass me, please. Let me stay another year.'"
West said he had made it known that the following season would be his last as coach. His daughter, Natalie, is a sophomore on the Bruins, who return the core of this season's team.
"[Martino] feels, apparently, that it's time for a change. And I was going to coach one more year, and then it'd be time for a change," said West.
Martino said he had heard about West's intentions, but that the program needed a change in direction and "in attitude."
WEST SAID Martino called him at 9 a.m. on Thursday, June 2, the morning after the Bruins were eliminated from the postseason by eventual state champion W.T. Woodson.
He met with Lake Braddock administrators on the following Monday, and was told his contract would not be renewed.
West and Martino declined to offer specific reasons for the decision that were shared in the meeting. "There were things...if I told you, they'd be silly," said West. "I'm not going to say [what they are]. I don't want to embarrass anyone."
West said he wasn't aware the school was looking to make a change during the season.
"[Martino has] never communicated with me that something wasn't right, or that we should talk about it. You know, like leaders do," West said. "But there was no communication that there was something wrong and that we should correct it."
Martino said the decision was made in order to "move the program in a different direction," and that performance of West's teams were not in question.
"[This] has nothing to do with record or his knowledge of the sport or his love of Lake Braddock," he said.
IN OTHER lacrosse news, Dave Baggetta has been hired as South County Secondary's first boys lacrosse coach.
Baggetta resigned in his first year as Robinson's head coach after his team participated in a bench-clearing brawl against Lake Braddock in April. Prior to that, Baggetta was the varsity coach at Herndon. He will also be a varsity assistant football coach for the school.
Jefferson is seeking both boys and girls varsity head coaches, as Joe Bissette (boys) and Latisha Manning (girls) will not be back next season, the school's activities department confirmed this week.