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(04/18/05 4:00am)
Jonas Cook has been through the year-long, painstakingly tedious
process of evaluating CMU’s athletics department before.
Cook, the associate vice president of Financial Services and
Reporting, chaired a steering committee that looked at three main
aspects within the department. In 1995-96, CMU’s Division I-A status
was evaluated by the National Collegiate Athletic Association and Cook
chaired a similar steering committee.
He said during the past year the committee looked at equity and
welfare, governance and commitment to rules compliance and academic
integrity. The Athletics Department’s findings during its year-long
study was due to the NCAA Friday.
“We made a series of recommendations and proposals that will be
reviewed by the NCAA,” said Derek van der Merwe, associate athletic
director in charge of compliance. “As we get closer to the time, the
NCAA comes in to take a look at it.”
The NCAA will be on CMU’s campus Sept. 11-13 to see how much
progress CMU has made since filing the report and make recommendations
for any further improvements.
“I would be surprised if it would be anything that suggested that we
should have our Division I-A status revoked,” Cook said. “We run a very
good program here. With the staff we have in athletics, it’s just a
well-run operation.”
The NCAA mandates that every member institution be evaluated every
10 years.
Field hockey coach Cristy Freese participated in the study and said
it helped to shed light on other aspects of the CMU’s athletics program.
“There are a lot of things that I only know for my sport,” she said.
“As we have gone through some budget cuts during the last four years,
it is always nice to realize how other people have had to sacrifice.”
In 1996, CMU told the NCAA it would add two women’s sports. It added
soccer and was very close to adding women’s swimming and diving.
However, Cook said neither of the two pools on campus were deep enough
for diving and racing.
Cook said adding the sport was not economically feasible because of
the amount and cost of work that would have to be done to the
facilities.
CMU spent a combined $1,288,000 when it installed FieldTurf in
Kelly/Shorts Stadium and built the CMU Field Hockey Complex last
summer. Cook said there were people who did not like all the
money being thrown to athletics in tight financial times.
“I think you are always going to have folks that challenge the input
of financial resources into an athletic program whether on this campus
or any other whether there is a good budget environment or a bad budget
environment,” Cook said. “There will always be difference of opinion
relative to the fund of athletics.”
(04/13/05 4:00am)
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is forcing 31 schools to
explain the necessity of the use of American Indian tribes as mascots
or nicknames.
This is the second time in less than five years that CMU’s Chippewas
nickname will be under scrutiny. The report is due May 1.
“There are American Indians that are offended by their use,” said
Ronald Stratten, NCAA vice president for Education Services. “We are a
country of immigrants, yet there are certain cultures that don’t get
the same respect. That’s not what the NCAA is about.”
Derek van der Merwe, associate athletics director in charge of
compliance, said it is a way to check up on CMU.
“The NCAA wants to know the context of how we use the nickname,” he
said. “Our assessment is it is strictly name only and we are using it
out of respect and dignity.”
The Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe signed a resolution in 1988 that
allowed CMU to continue its use of the nickname, and the university
discontinued the use of any mascots or American Indian depictions at
the start of the 1989 athletic season.
Field hockey coach Cristy Freese’s team was unable to play a game at
Iowa University last season because Iowa’s administration said it
would not play non-conference teams that had American Indian nicknames.
The Chippewas drove all the way to Iowa City to play Stanford
instead.
“Iowa wouldn’t play us because of our nickname and that bothered me
a lot because they have no idea,” Freese said. “Everything we do here
is appropriate.”
The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is being sued by the
Illinois Native American Bar Association because of its use of Chief
Illiniwek and the Fighting Illini nickname.
The Fighting Illini mascot comes out and does a four to five minute
rendition of an “Indian celebrating dance,” said Thomas Hardy,
executive director for university relations at U of I.
“We have had considerable dialogue and debate over the chief in the
last 15 years,” Hardy said. “Our Board of Trustees is currently engaged
in process to find a conclusion.”
Hardy said there is no longer any members of the Illini tribe in the
state. Illinois did not officially recognize the mascot’s use until
1995.
(04/01/05 5:00am)
Freshman wrestler Wynn Michalak is not one to complain when things get
tough in the wrestling room.
(03/30/05 5:00am)
The CMU field hockey team signed five student-athletes for the 2005
season Tuesday.
Forward Moyra Betuzzi (Kelowna, British Columbia), defender Allison
Kist (St. Louis, Mo.), forward Kelly Jordan (Burt, Ny.), forward Amanda
Lucik (Zionsville, Pa.) and midfielder Samantha Sandham (Cape Town,
South Africa) signed with CMU.
“This is a talented class from top to bottom,” said coach
Cristy Freese. “We’re excited to bring in new recruits.”
CMU is excited about Sandham.
“She’s an amazing player. This is the type of player we needed
to compete with the University of Michigan, and teams with the caliber
of Michigan State,” said assistant coach Earl Marais.
Sandham played on the South Africa Under-18 National secondary team
and was a reserve for the primary team.
“We graduated five players, so we we’re really happy to fill our
needs with this recruiting class,” Freese said.
Central graduates defensemen Michelle Fogle and Amy Kauffman,
utility players Stasia Burroughs and Kristi Seufert, and forward Kristy
Reed.
CMU finished third in the Mid-American Conference last season,
losing in the first round of the conference tournament.
“Honestly, it was somewhat disappointing to finish the way we did,”
Freese said. “Hopefully with the new student-athletes we’ve
recruited, we can turn that around.”
Moyra Betuzzi won a provincial bronze medal as a forward at Mount
Boucherie Secondary School in British Columbia.
Kist earned first-team all-conference, and all-metro honors, and was
selected to play in the St. Louis senior game.
Jordan was selected as an all-state member, and was a first-team
All-Western New York member in 2002 and 2003.
Lucik was a first-team academic all-state member in Pennsylvania for
Emmaus High School.
“We wanted to bring in recruits with experience,” Marais said.
(03/23/05 5:00am)
Despite an 8-11 record and not having a home field for part of the
season, the field hockey team’s hard work paid off.
The field hockey team and seven of its student-athletes were awarded
the National Academic Team Award for its success in the classroom.
The team award is given by the National Field Hockey Coaches
Association to each team that achieves an overall grade-point average
of at least 3.0.
Seven players have been named to the National Academic Team for
achieving a minimum GPA of 3.30 through the fall semester.
The players earning the honor are Stasia Burroughs (Kent, OH/Sr.),
Kim Ferris (St. Louis/ Jr.), Michelle Fogle (Columbus, OH/Sr.), Alisa
Folk (Richmond, B.C, Canada./Jr.), Laura Glaza (East Rochester,
NY/Jr.), Kristi Seufert (Vista, CA/Sr.), and Erica Takach (Duncannon,
PA/Jr.).
“This says a lot about our team and how focused we are,” Ferris said.
The team had only four home games this year because of the
construction of the new field. The team was forced to play its first
two home games at Michigan State and spent most of the season on the
road.
“I’m proud of all the hard work we put in this season,” Takach said.
“We missed a lot of school during the season being on the road and had
to take a lot of make up exams.”
Coach Cristy Freese has always pushed the team to academic success.
“We recruit hard working players who are self motivated,” Freese
said. “The girls utilized any time they could get to study whether it
was on the bus or in the hotel. They deserve all the credit for
this award.”
(02/14/05 5:00am)
University Recreation and the Athletics Department hosted the sixth
annual Girls and Women in Sports Day Saturday at the Student Activity
Center.
The event was designed to celebrate females in sports and to educate
and expose young girls to a variety of athletic activities. Girls ages
eight to 13 and their mothers or female mentors took part in a variety
of sports skill clinics taught by CMU coaches and athletes.
“It gives girls and their mothers or mentors the opportunity to try
different sports and emphasizes the importance of sports and fitness,”
said Laurie Braden, URec’s director of programs. “It’s an opportunity
for CMU to give back to the community and also for University
Recreation to give back as well.”
Sports clinics included soccer, volleyball and field hockey and were
explored on a rotation basis.
Beth Grawburg, Mount Pleasant resident, has attended with her
daughters for the past six years.
“We first came because it gave me opportunity to spend one-on-one
time with my daughter, but we had so much fun that we just kept coming
back,” she said.
Grawburg’s 11-year-old daughter Lauren Grawburg also has enjoyed the
sports clinic.
“The best part is hanging out with and meeting college students and
coaches,” Lauren Grawburg said.
The clinics gave girls the opportunity to participate in a physical
activity, something that is extremely important in regards to their
well being, Braden said.
“Research shows that if not involved in a sport or physical activity
by the sixth grade, girls have a 1 in 25 chance in picking up one later
on in life,” Braden said. “It’s important to expose girls to sports
early on in order to be active later.”
Besides the benefit of physical activity, the young girls were given
the chance to interact with female athletes, who served as examples of
what women in sports can achieve.
“Young kids always look up to people. By seeing other female
athletes they can see what someone else has achieved and work toward
their own goals,” said Cortney Blanchard, a South Africa sophomore and
field hockey team member who volunteered at the event.
Blanchard said it is important to devote special focus on women
athletes.
“Women are often overlooked, and our society is male dominated. So
it’s important to start the girls young, educate them about different
sports and show them that they can achieve anything they want,”
Blanchard said.
Earl Marais, assistant coach of CMU’s field hockey team, lent his
expertise on the sport during one of the clinics.
“Not many people know a lot about field hockey. It is actually the
second largest sport played globally behind soccer,” he said. “We are
enthusiastic to demonstrate what the sport is all about.”
(12/06/04 5:00am)
The Mid-American Conference must add a sixth team to guarantee a Field
Hockey NCAA Tournament bid.
Field hockey affiliate Louisville is departing the MAC to join the
Big East next season, leaving the MAC with only five teams.
The MAC hands its automatic bid to the winner of the season-ending
MAC Tournament.
Southwest Missouri State, located in Springfield, Mo., is a
potential candidate to replace Louisville as an affiliate member of the
MAC for field hockey.
“We are excited about possibly joining the MAC,” said SMS coach Dawn
Porter.
Porter said she hopes it will become official in the next couple of
weeks.
“We have been looking for another team for the past six to nine
months,” said CMU field hockey coach Cristy Freese. “We are waiting for
approval from all of the MAC athletic directors.”
Freese said she thinks the official decision should be made next
month.
“We have played a lot of teams from the MAC in our non-conference
schedule,” Porter said. “We played Ball State, Miami and Ohio last
season.”
The Bears beat Ball State and Ohio last season and lost to Miami
University.
Central beat Southwest Missouri State 1-0 in its last meeting in
2002.
SMS is a member of the NorPac Field Hockey Conference. The NorPac
has teams from around the country, including California, Pacific and
Stanford. Southwest Missouri State had a 3-3 conference record and 11-9
record overall last season.
Pacific won the conference tournament last season, but California is
traditionally the conference powerhouse, winning three consecutive
conference titles before 2004. California finished the 2004 season
ranked No. 17.
“The competition between the conferences should be the same,” Porter
said.
Despite being further south than the other MAC teams, SMS will
travel less than years past. SMS has had to make one trip a season to
California since 2002.
“Obviously, we had to fly out to California,” Porter said. “But, now
we can bus to Ohio and up to CMU.”
Louisville is heading to a competitive Big East. Conference champion
Connecticut finished the season ranked No. 6 by the STX/National Field
Hockey Coaches Poll, and Boston College finished No. 13.
Officials from the Mid-American Conference would not return phone
calls to Central Michigan Life.
(11/29/04 5:00am)
Speaking for the Isabella County Commission on Aging and the older
adults served, I would like to extend our warmest thanks to several CMU
student groups.
The CMU “Greek End Project,” the Field Hockey team, Homecoming
Service Project, several honors groups, the Student Dietetic
Association, Student Social Work Association, His House Christian
Fellowship, the Red Cross and the American College of Health Care
Executives raked leaves, cleaned yards and washed windows for many
older adults in Isabella County.
The enthusiasm and commitment to service shown by the students made
this project a huge success.
Ginny CainGold Key coordinator
(11/17/04 5:00am)
Athletics Director Herb Deromedi wants to again propose a one-time
athletics fee to the CMU Board of Trustees Dec. 6.
“We have not received word back from the board yet,” Deromedi said.
“We would like to propose it again and see if we can get it passed.”
Deromedi said no word has come back yet whether it will appear on
the agenda.
The fee would charge incoming freshmen $300 and transfer students
$200 to help fund the Athletics Department.
Academic Senate members and some trustees expressed dislike for the
proposal last year when Deromedi introduced it to the A-Senate in
October. The board never voted on the proposal last year.
The fee would help plump the athletic department’s slim budget,
further trimmed recently with the installation of FieldTurf in
Kelly/Shorts Stadium and the building of a field hockey complex.
A new women’s sport could also be funded by the fee.
Ten of the 13 Mid-American Conference schools have a similar student
fee in place.
The amount proposed is below the conference average, Deromedi said.
If approved, the fee would be instituted for the 2005-06 school year.
“This would not affect any freshmen or transfer students this year
or next semester,” he said.
The Student Government Association is forming a committee to look
into the athletics fee and why it is being proposed again.
“(SGA) fully supports the athletics fee and feels it will be a
benefit for students and the university,” said SGA President Melody
Hull, White Cloud senior.
(11/17/04 5:00am)
It’s far overdue, but it’s time for President Michael Rao to fire Herb
Deromedi.
His record speaks for itself.
It started when he spearheaded the 1997, $30 million bonds for
renovations to a football stadium that on most Saturdays sits empty.
People can talk about the sports fee, the state of the art baseball
stadium that floods, the displacement of the field hockey team, and
other things, but Herb, along with other administrators, gambled on
football as a way to enhance CMU’s national reputation.
Unfortunately, their big bet has not paid off.
The marketing plan was simple: Build the stadium and we’ll win
football games.
Obviously, that has not happened, and the lone man left in the
decision is Herb.
If the school takes $30 million from education and spends it on
sports to get a decade worth of losing football, a budget bleeding
department and non-existent student participation, someone should be
held accountable.
Herb has been in charge from day one, seemingly answers to nobody
and has received all the gifts he has requested. He has no excuses.
Which leads us to today, on the verge of losing Division I-A status.
How can this make anyone proud of our program? Where is our dignity?
CMU has no business competing at the Division I-A level and when we
start winning games at the lower level people will not even remember.
Herb’s chance has come and gone. He was a great football coach, but
his legacy is now tarnished given his record as AD.
My charity-giving checks read the University of Chicago, an academic
institution where I know my money won’t be helping a bleeding athletic
department.
Fire Herb.
Dave BoroughChicago residentClass of 1997
(11/08/04 5:00am)
Three field hockey players saw a silver lining to a dark end of the
season.
(11/05/04 5:00am)
The field hockey team ended its season in disappointing fashion
Thursday losing 1-0 to Miami in the Mid-American Conference Tournament
at Ball State.
(11/03/04 5:00am)
The field hockey team is looking at the conference tournament as a
one-week season.
The Chippewas are using this approach heading into the Mid-American
Conference Tournament Thursday where they play Miami University in the
first round.
“Any team that can use this approach and treat the tournament like a
new season can be successful,” said coach Cristy Freese.
The game begins at 2:30 p.m. at Ball State University.
Central shutout Miami twice this season and is familiar with the
RedHawks’ game plan.
“This is the third time around playing each other,” Freese said.
“Everybody knows everyone else pretty well.”
One thing Miami knows is Central will play with emotion and
aggression in the circle to create a lot of scoring opportunities.
“Central plays as one unit and we will need to match its intensity
if we are going to have chance to win,” said Miami coach Jill Reeve.
Junior Alisa Folk scored three goals in the last meeting which
Central won 3-0. Folk has increased her offensive production during the
final stretch of the regular season.
Miami won just one conference game this season and won its first
conference game since 2000 when it beat Ohio 1-0 earlier this season.
“The tournament is a new opportunity for us,” Reeve said. “It all
comes down to who is better on that day.”
Fourth seeded Ohio will play Ball State in the other quarterfinal
matchup.
If CMU wins, it would play No. 2 Kent State and the winner between
Ball State and Ohio would play MAC champion and top seed Louisville.
Ohio beat Ball State twice this season. Both games were by a 3-2
score and Bobcats coach Shelly Morris said she isn’t changing her game
plan.
“We have a fresh idea of what Ball State does,” Morris said. “We
can’t forget what we did in the regular season. We have to approach it
like any other game.”
(11/01/04 5:00am)
The field hockey team secured the No. 3 seed in the Mid-American
Conference Tournament despite falling 2-1 to Kent State Saturday.
The Chippewas will face Miami University in the first round Thursday
at Ball State. Miami finished with a conference record of 1-9.
Central finished the regular season 5-5 in the MAC and 8-10 overall.
Kent State shared the MAC regular season title with Louisville.
“In the tournament anyone is dangerous and Miami, despite its
record, has been playing very well defensively,” coach Cristy Freese
said. “Miami is in an enviable situation because it can play with
nothing expected of them.”
CMU had numerous chances to score as it outshot KSU 16-8 and had a
11-3 penalty corner advantage.
The Golden Flashes took the lead early in the first half on a goal
from Kate McGowan.
Senior Kristy Reed tied the game at one early in the second half.
“She has been doing good things other than scoring all season,”
Freese said of Reed. “Now she is really starting to play well in all
areas, especially on corner shots.”
Elizabeth Lahey scored the match-winner in the 55th minute.
CMU sophomore goalkeeper Danielle Frank made five saves in the game,
while her counterpart Linz Markwart made 10.
Reed said despite the loss the team is starting to play its best
field hockey of the season.
“Even though it is the end of the season, we are starting to gel,”
Reed said.
Central held off a late comeback from Ohio to win 2-1 Friday.
“We had more opportunities than the ones we converted on,” Freese
said.
CMU outshot Ohio 15-6 and had a penalty corner advantage, 9-4.
Reed scored to take a 1-0 lead in the middle of the first half on an
assist from junior Erica Takach.
Kristen Hann scored a goal with five minutes remaining to pull
within one, but the Bobcats could not put another goal past Frank.
Takach again assisted on the match-winning goal by sophomore Erin
Dottery. Takach ends the regular season scoring 10 goals and three
assists.
Central scored both its goals on the penalty corner, where Freese
said Central gains an advantage against the opponent.
“When the goalkeeper goes down to make the save we get a lot
of rebound opportunities,” Freese said. “That is an area where we can
gain an advantage.”
Reed said the home crowd was important in the win because it got the
team fired up.
“It helps playing at home because when we hear the crowd cheer
we get a rush of adrenaline,” she said.
(10/29/04 4:00am)
The final weekend of Mid-American Conference field hockey play is
important for all teams — especially for Central.
(10/29/04 4:00am)
A framed picture in the football office shows the scene.
Central Michigan, at 1-8, faced off with 8-1 Western Michigan at
Kelly/Shorts Stadium. The underdog Chippewas prevailed 21-17 that
Saturday afternoon in 2000, but have not beaten the Broncos since.
Most of this year's Chippewas, including coach Brian Kelly, were not
around for CMU’s last victory in this rivalry. Most of CMU's current
student body also were in high school.
But some were here, including Portland senior Troy Miller.
“It's painful to admit that I’ve seen every Central-Western game
since 2000. We won my freshman year when Western was on the brink of
breaking into the top 25,” he said. “But since then we've been beat
three times in a row — something that’s not been done in 25 years I
believe. It would be nice to graduate by putting this streak to rest
this year.”
The win continued Chippewa dominance against WMU in Mount Pleasant.
Until 2002, the Broncos had not won a game at CMU since 1973.
Most students, especially freshmen at the time, were apathetic
toward CMU football and planned to use the weekend as a good excuse to
drink.
“I had a hockey bag full of beer,” said Canton senior Dan Mclean.
“It was a good time.”
CMU scored first, snapping some students back into soberness. But
even a lead against its bitter rival couldn’t keep everyone interested.
“I left at halftime because it was freezing, and went back to my
friend's dorm room,” said Monroe senior Seth Longton. “But then people
started getting in trouble for drinking, so we went back.”
Longton and every other CMU fan was rewarded with a victory, which
was sealed as WMU was unable to score after driving to the CMU 21-yard
line. The Chippewas took over with 1:14 remaining and ran out the clock.
CMU students rushed the field in a frenzy after the game, most not
believing what they had just seen. Bay City senior George Whittaker
expects that if CMU wins tomorrow's game, even though WMU is just 1-6,
students will grace CMU's new FieldTurf.
“My best memory will be when we take down the goalposts,” he said.
“Because we don't know when we'll beat Western again.”
Whatever happens, Mclean said he'll have fun.
“I'll have a hockey bag full of beer,” he said. “And it will be a
good time.”
(10/25/04 4:00am)
The field hockey team salvaged its complex-opening weekend with a 2-1
victory against Ball State Saturday.
(10/22/04 4:00am)
The field hockey team will make its first public appearance in its new
$650,000 complex this weekend.
The Chippewas host Indiana at 3 p.m. today and Ball State at 1 p.m.
Saturday.
The team played its first two scheduled home games at Michigan State
University because of delayed construction on the new field west of the
outdoor track and south of the softball complex.
The turf company contracted to build the field initially said the
field would be done Sept. 13.
“We have to get a home game routine down,” said coach Cristy Freese.
“It is going to be different not getting on a bus and traveling five or
six hours to play.”
Playing at home comes as a relief to the team after playing away for
seven consecutive weeks.
“We can go to class Friday before the game,” said senior Kristy
Reed. “We don’t have to get on the bus and travel and it is just nice
knowing the field is ours, we aren’t sharing it.”
Field hockey’s first home games
Indiana, 3 p.m. today
Ball State, 1 p.m. Saturday
Senior Amy Kauffman is used to waking up in a hotel the morning
before a game. She said today will be different.
“I can sleep in my own bed the night before,” Kauffman said. “We
will eat breakfast as a team as always and then have our usual pre-game
workout.”
The team has practiced on the new field five times and has a good
feel of the surface.
“We are already used to it,” Reed said. “We have played on so many
different fields it doesn’t even phase us.”
Central is 6-7 overall and 3-4 in the Mid-American Conference.
The MAC Tournament, which was originally scheduled to take place at
CMU, will take place at Ball State in early November and Central is
trying to end its season strong to get the best possible seed.
“Four losses in the conference is not going to win any
championships,” Freese said. “We need to win our last three conference
games and give ourselves the best possible chance to get the third
seed.”
Central will use the non-conference game against Indiana to find
consistency in its lineup and to get the best possible combinations of
players.
The Hoosiers are 8-6 overall and 0-4 in the Big Ten.
“We need to get on a roll down the stretch,” Freese said. “We need
to be more consistent and find who the most consistent players are
going to be.”
The Cardinals won the teams’ first meeting of the season 4-1.
(10/22/04 4:00am)
Billie Jean King was 11 years old in 1954 when she was held out of a
photo because she was wearing a tennis skirt.
At that point she knew she wanted to change things, but it was not
apparent how influential she would be until 18 years later.
Title IX was adopted in 1972 and designed to prohibit sex
discrimination in federally assisted education programs, like athletics.
Talk about perfect timing.
Tennis player Bobby Riggs challenged King to a match in 1973, with
the intent to show how superior male athletes were to women athletes.
Riggs said that even the much younger King, 29 at the time, was no
competition for him because of his manhood.
In what was tabbed “The Battle of the Sexes,” the two faced
off at the Houston Astrodome in 1973. In front of 30,472 fans and an
estimated 40 million watching on TV, King defeated Riggs 6-4, 6-3, 6-3.
“I remember watching it and cheering for her, but it was not the
women that needed to be convinced that we could play,” said CMU
softball coach Margo Jonker. “The general public and a lot of the male
population needed to be reminded of it.”
Jonker said Title IX has had a huge impact on her career. She was
playing softball at West Ottawa High School in Holland when the law was
adopted, and playing at Grand Valley State when King defeated Riggs.
“My career has advanced tremendously from Title IX,” she said.
CMU field hockey coach Cristy Freese said King’s accomplishment was
huge.
“She had a lot of pressure on her and for her to still do that was
incredible,” Freese said. “A lot of women thought they could go do
something that they might have thought otherwise before that.”
King was donned a savior by many, and received numerous accolades
for her accomplishment. The Associated Press named her the Female
Athlete of the year in 1967 and 1973. Sports Illustrated gave her the
same award in 1972 and Time Magazine named her Woman of the Year in
1976.
Jonker said women’s sports coverage has not gotten the attention it
deserves.
“Title IX was a law basically saying that male and females
were to be given equal opportunity,” she said. “Do you see 50 percent
coverage for women’s athletics across the country? It’s not even close
and this is 30 years later.”
(10/22/04 4:00am)
At 3 p.m. today the field hockey team hosts Indiana at CMU’s new field
hockey complex.
It’s about damn time for a home game.
The team will play just four home games this season, even though it
was scheduled to host seven.
Delays in construction of the new venue forced the team to play
three home games in East Lansing.
Are you kidding? Four home games out of 19?
The $650,000 field was supposed to be ready by Sept. 13, but instead
the team has been on the road for seven consecutive weeks.
That is ridiculous.
The resurfacing of Kelly/Shorts Stadium left the field hockey team
without a place to play, but what if the roles were reversed?
Force Brian Kelly and the football team to have to practice indoors
during the hot summer months. Have football play its first six games on
the road. It would never happen.
That is how CMU treats its field hockey team.
Makes it go through all these hardships to play on a field that will
have temporary seating and no fence to stop the balls from rolling for
miles. Hell, they didn’t even put the scoreboard up until Thursday.
Hopefully it works.
Forget all that. Don’t worry that the whole situation was a slap in
the face to head coach Cristy Freese, who is in her 19th year as head
coach.
Just forget it. I’m sure CMU already did.
Putting up money for the venue was an admirable thing that needed to
be done. If the team was left without a place to play, Athletics
Director Herb Deromedi may have been faced with a bit of a Title IX
dilemma.
But CMU ponied up when it needed to, ensuring the Chippewas get four
home games in 2004.
Thanks, but no thanks.
CMU did not put a timetable clause in the contract, thus allowing a
scapegoat. Deromedi said the window of completion was so short,
finishing on time would be tough enough.
Sorry, not buying it.
But forget all that. It doesn’t really matter. What does matter is
that the stands be packed for CMU’s game today and Saturday’s 3 p.m.
game against Ball State.
Show the support the university did not.
The Chippewas are 6-7 overall, and in fourth place in the MAC. With
three conference home games remaining, CMU has a chance to move up and
snag the No. 3 seed heading into the MAC Tournament.
People could even pretend like it’s a football game. Show up and
tailgate for a little while before the game, and then stumble in
half-drunk. But don’t leave early, this team is actually halfway decent.
The field hockey team will play its collective heart out this
weekend, no matter how many people show up for the game. Show some
respect for a team the university felt didn’t deserve any.
Life Assistant Sports Editor Dominic Adams at sports@cm-life.com.
