Search Results
Below are your search results. You can also try a Basic Search.
(09/24/04 4:00am)
The term “home game” is a rather loose term for the field hockey team
when it plays Miami and Louisville at Michigan State University this
weekend.
The games were moved to MSU because the construction of the new
field hockey venue at Central is not complete. CMU still will manage
the game and count them as home games.
“We aren’t worrying about where we are playing, we are focusing on
the game being played,” said CMU coach Cristy Freese. “We have no
control over the construction of our field.”
Opposing coaches are not worrying about Central not having a true
home field advantage and are focusing on what the field at MSU has to
offer.
Louisville coach Pam Bustin said she is glad the games are not being
played on an inferior surface.
“What would be bad is if CMU decided to play the match on a surface
that was not up to par,” Bustin said. “Michigan State has a premium
surface and it is commendable they decided to play there.”
After being outscored 17-1 in the previous two games, coach Cristy
Freese isn’t changing her philosophy.
“We aren’t going to change the way we play,” Freese said. “Last
weekend just reinforced the things we need to do better this weekend.”
CMU has won the last seven meetings against the RedHawks, including
three wins against them last season.
Miami is 4-3 and shutout its last two opponents.
The strong RedHawks defense is led by Mid-American Conference
Defensive Player of the Week goalkeeper Kerri Orr. She received
the honor for the second consecutive week and boasts a 1.65 goals
against average and has three shutouts on the season.
Defending MAC champion Louisville has not started its season as it
had hoped, opening with a 2-5 record. All but one of Louisville’s
matches have been decided by one goal.
Louisville goalkeeper Jenna Halulko has a 1.76 goals against
average, which is second best in the MAC.
“Central is dangerous around the cage and we know they will be tough
to defend,” Bustin said.
(09/22/04 4:00am)
Sophomore Danielle Frank wasn’t given the starting goalkeeper job
this season because she had the most experience on the field hockey
team.
(09/20/04 4:00am)
What could have propelled the field hockey team to a dream season
quickly turned into a nightmare.
Central was shut out 11-0 by No. 9 Michigan Friday in Ann Arbor and
then could not regroup in a 6-1 loss to No. 8 Northeastern Saturday.
The Chippewas were outshot 42-2 against the Wolverines, with
Michigan firing 27 shots on goal.
“Michigan executed some tough corner shots,” said coach Cristy
Freese. “About half of their goals were scored after we made the
initial save but we could not clear the ball.”
Central must now put the disappointment behind it, as conference
play begins next weekend with games against Miami and Ohio at Michigan
State.
Central, who was looking to gain momentum, drops to 2-2 on the
season.
Freese said the team was getting the ball in Michigan territory but
could not get any shots off in the first part of the game.
“We controlled the first 15 minutes of the game but did not make the
necessary adjustments after,” Freese said. “They adjusted and we didn’t
and that is the story of the game.”
Senior Jessica Blake scored four goals to lead the Wolverines while
five others scored at least one goal.
Sophomore Danielle Frank and freshman Sarah Minces split time in
net, combining for seven saves.
Mancuso made her first career start against Northeastern, who scored
two quick goals before the Chippewas could find the back of the net.
Junior Erica Takach scored her fourth goal of the season to make the
score 2-1, but Northeastern again went on the attack scoring four
unanswered goals.
“Our weaknesses were exposed,” Freese said. “We have to do the
things we are talking about quicker. We can’t be a step slow when we
play top 10 teams.”
Mancuso made 11 saves in the loss.
CMU didn’t control the ball or capitalize on shots like they had the
first two games of the season.
“I told the team we need to take advantage of the really good
opportunities when we have them,” Freese said. “We had the
opportunities, but failed to take advantage.”
(09/17/04 4:00am)
Mid-American Conference Offensive Player of the Week Erica Takach leads
the field hockey team into Ann Arbor for a pair of games against Top 10
teams this weekend.
Central (2-0) plays No. 9 Michigan today and No. 8 Northeastern
Saturday.
Takach received the honor after scoring two goals and assisting on
another in CMU’s 5-0 win against Stanford last weekend.
“I am playing at a very high level right now and so is the rest of
the team,” the junior said. “We have a whole new style of play this
season also.”
Takach said first year assistant coach Earl Marais and assistant Meg
Lewis are a big part of the new playing style.
“We have such good coaches and they compliment each other so well,”
Takach said. “Coach Marais has brought so much to the team this year.”
Takach has three goals and one assist in two games this season.
Central has dominated its opponents on offense in its first
two games, outshooting them 26-9 with a 25-7 advantage on penalty
corners.
“We have been aggressive in the circle and have finished some
plays by sheer determination,” said coach Cristy Freese.
Michigan boasts a 3-3 record with each loss coming against Top 10
teams.
The Wolverines are led by Jessica Blake’s six goals and two assists.
The last time CMU beat Michigan was 1988, a 4-3 win in Ann Arbor.
Northeastern is 6-1 and is coming off a loss to No. 12 Boston
College Wednesday.
Northeastern has a stingy defense led by goalkeeper Diana Nelson.
She has a 0.67 GAA and a .840 save percentage.
“We won’t have as many shots as we did in the first two games,”
Freese said. “We will have to execute on the shots they give us.”
Takach said this weekend could be a turning point in the
season, even though it still is early.
“Winning this weekend could put us on a real high,” Takach said.
“When we used to play Michigan we just wanted to play hard, but now we
play with the attitude to win. Other MAC teams will take notice of it.”
(09/15/04 4:00am)
Delays in the construction of CMU’s new field hockey complex have
forced the team to play its first two home games at Michigan State
University.
However, coach Cristy Freese is not using it as a crutch.
“We can’t focus on the field,” Freese said. “I look at what needs to
happen today and what needs to happen tomorrow. I don’t look at the
past. When we knew it wasn’t going to be ready, we deal with it and we
move on.”
The Chippewas will play their “home” openers against MAC opponents
Miami University Sept. 24 and Louisville Sept. 25.
The CMU Board of Trustees approved the funding for a new field
hockey facility June 25, and Athletics Director Herb Deromedi said CMU
President Michael Rao approved the use of FieldTurf in the second week
of July. However, excavation did not begin until August 11.
“There is a timeline and timeliness are tough,” Deromedi said. “Part
of that timeline is the engineering itself. The timeline was getting
closer and closer, where we could see the certainty of having the field
ready on time was not there.”
The next phase is putting down the e-layer, a type of cushion
padding that goes underneath the actual FieldTurf.
Deromedi said a performance fee was not included in the contract
because he felt the time frame was too tight already.
“When we saw the field wasn’t going to be ready, we looked to other
options,” Deromedi said. “We were able to contact Michigan State and
make plans to play down there.”
Deromedi said CMU will be responsible for all facets of hosting the
games.
“At this point in time we haven’t talked about cost on it, but I’m
not sure they are going to charge us,” he said. “We will be responsible
about anything to do with setup. Anything that has to be done
electrically we will set up some sort of rental, our people will go
down there and announce the game.”
The Chippewas will stay in East Lansing Friday night, but the
program will incur the cost of travel, which includes the rental of a
bus, meals and hotel accommodations.
(09/13/04 4:00am)
Erica Takach has played in just two games this season, but has already
scored half as many goals as she did in her first two seasons.
The junior netted her second and third goals of the season Saturday,
leading the field hockey team to a 5-0 shutout of Stanford. The
Chippewas now are 2-0.
Takach has become more involved in the offense, which now runs set
plays to exploit her abilities. On penalty corners she is the direct
shooter — meaning she gets the ball with the chance to score in front
of the net.
“We have put her in a position to excel on the field,” said coach
Cristy Freese. “She didn’t have plays ran specifically for her before,
so that is why she is scoring more goals this season.”
The Chippewas took advantage of its shots on goal against the
Cardinal. After only scoring on two shots last weekend, Central made
good use of its scoring chances.
Central scored four goals in the second half to put the game out of
reach.
Senior Kristy Reed and sophomore Alicia Balanesi scored their first
goals of the season. Both were unassisted.
Freshman Allyson Doan also scored the first goal of her career in
the second half.
Freese projected before the game the Cardinal defense was going to
be very strong, and after Stanford beat a Iowa 5-1 Friday it seemed
apparent. The Hawkeyes were ranked as high as No. 4 last season.
“Our offense was better than Stanford’s defense,” Freese said. “We
were able to get the ball in the circle and get scoring chances.”
Sophomore goalkeeper Danielle Frank earned her second shutout in as
many games. She made four saves.
“Her play in net is going to be a key for us to be successful this
season,” Freese said. “Anytime you have a good goalkeeper you can
contend for a championship.”
It was Frank’s fourth shutout of her career but she isn’t taking all
of the credit for her performance.
“I haven’t really had to stop that many shots since the defense is
playing so well,” she said. “My teammates trust me and I trust them.”
Frank said she concentrates on winning first and the shutouts take
care of themselves.
“I always play like the score is 0-0,” she said.
(09/10/04 4:00am)
Capitalizing on scoring opportunities will be key for the field
hockey team as it plays Stanford at Iowa City, Iowa Saturday at noon.
Central (1-0) attempted 15 shots in its season opening win
against Dartmouth Sunday. Ten of the shots were on goal, but CMU could
only capitalize on two as it won 2-0.
“We want to push harder and improve every game,” said coach
Cristy Freese. “Stanford is going to be a better defensive team than
Dartmouth, so we have to work that much harder.”
Central was originally scheduled to play Iowa this weekend
also, but Iowa canceled because the Hawkeyes do not play teams with
Native American nicknames.
Senior Michelle Fogle scored her first goal of the season
against Dartmouth. It was her first goal since the 2002 season after
going goal less last season.
Fogle scored the goal off a penalty corner shot which is how
she gets most of her scoring opportunities.
“I have had to become more defensive minded this year since I
changed positions," Fogle said.
Fogle moved from the midfield position to center back, which
is a defensive position.
Stanford posts a 2-3 record and is coming off a 2-1 win
against MAC member Louisville Sunday.
Central beat Stanford 2-1 last season and playing at a neutral
site this season plays to CMU’s advantage.
“We always want to play teams on our home field but since we can’t
we like playing at neutral sites,” Fogle said. “As long as it is not
their home turf we like it.”
Freese said Stanford will be ready to play the Chippewas this
season after losing last season.
“They walked away a little shocked when we beat them last
season so this season I know they are prepared to play us,” she said.
(09/10/04 4:00am)
The field hockey team’s first two home games have been moved
to the Michigan State field hockey complex in East Lansing because of
construction complications at the team’s new venue.
The matches are scheduled for the same days and times. CMU
will play Miami Sept. 24 at 3 p.m. and Louisville on Sept. 25 at 1 p.m.
“We have known for about a week now,” said coach Cristy
Freese. “We can’t help the construction process, it is a fact of life
and we are going to deal with it.”
Michigan State’s field hockey team and football team are on
the road that weekend so it was possible for CMU to use the facilities.
“MSU has a nice facility to play on,” Freese said. “Our
philosophy is to just deal with it and concentrate on the games we have
to play not the field we play on.”
Athletic Director Herb Deromedi said many factors went into
the delay of the field completion.
“There were some engineering delays after the bid was awarded.
Also the weather affected the time table, as often is the case,”
Deromedi said.
Central will still be the host of the game and conduct the
game itself.
“We are going to bring all of our people to conduct the game,
from announcing to people getting the field ready to play,” Deromedi
said.
“I am not sure if they are going to charge us at this point to
play there.”
(09/08/04 4:00am)
Goalkeeper Danielle Frank recorded the third shutout of her career
Sunday in the field hockey team’s 2-0 defeat of Dartmouth at Kent, Ohio.
Coach Cristy Freese was pleased as Frank recorded six saves in the
victory.
“Anytime you can shut a team out it is a good day,” Freese said.
Central is 1-0 on the season and travels to Iowa City, Iowa Saturday
to play Stanford.
Frank played in 17 games last season for the Chippewas, starting the
final 12.
That experience, coupled with hard off-season work, has paid large
dividends.
“She has the experience and the desire to get better,” Freese said.
“She played real well in the spring and preseason and I only see her
getting better in goal.”
The whole defense contributed in the shutout allowing Dartmouth just
11 shots and five penalty corners.
Junior Erica Takach and senior Michelle Fogle each scored a goal for
Central. Takach led CMU with six shots, five of which were on goal. The
Chippewas had 15 shots in the game.
“Even though we got the shutout it would have been nice to add one
or two more goals to put the game out of reach,” Freese said. “But it
was a good close game and that is good for the team.”
Preseason MAC favorites Louisville and Kent State also each opened
with victories as Louisville beat Duke, 1-0 while Kent State defeated
James Madison, 1-0.
(09/08/04 4:00am)
Senior forward Kristy Reed holds many responsibilities on the field,
but one job overshadows all others — scoring goals.
“As the center forward I have to make sure I keep the field wide
enough and deep enough so my teammates can get open,” Reed said. “But
most importantly I have to score.”
Reed returns for her final field hockey season as the team’s
reigning goal leader with 12 goals in 2003.
She is 15 goals away for CMU’s all-time Division I-A record, having
netted 26 goals in three seasons.
“It’s not a huge goal of mine to break that record, but I am
definitely capable of scoring that many this season,” Reed said. “If it
happens, it happens.”
However, Donna Provenzola, who played from 1973-76 has the most
goals in CMU history, when Central competed in the AIAW. She
scored 62 career goals when the Chippewas were in the now defunct
league.
As much goal-scoring ability that Reed has, she takes comfort in
knowing she’s not alone.
“I have a lot of teammates that are also capable of scoring,” Reed
said. “I don’t feel any pressure to score a lot of goals.”
Always an able scorer, Reed has worked diligently in the offseason
to improve her passing skills.
As a freshman, Reed ran into a rough spot, as poor offensive
production was chalked up to passing struggles. In that season, she
only scored one goal.
Coach Cristy Freese has worked with Reed to help her improve her
all-around skills and sees Reed as a key part of the team’s core.
“She is someone we have certainly built the team around,” Freese
said. “But the pressure is off her because of her teammates that are
also capable of scoring.”
Since her freshman season, Reed has become a more versatile
player and has taken pride in working hard in the transition game.
“I work hard to get back on defense when players on the other team
may not hustle back,” she said.
The improvement of her game led her inclusion on the All-MAC
team last season. With that, she may well become the focus of opposing
defensive strategy. She may even see double teams to keep her away from
the ball.
“Teams would be making a huge mistake by doubling me,” Reed said.
“That will leave my teammates wide open and they will score goals even
easier.”
CMU was picked to finish fourth in the MAC in the preseason coaches
poll.
But Reed is not letting that fact stop her from accomplishing what
she thinks her team is capable of.
“We are underestimated in the conference,” she said. “We are capable
of winning the MAC and the MAC Tournament and then going to the NCAA
Tournament.”
No matter what Central accomplishes this season, you can bet on Reed
scoring goals.
(08/26/04 4:00am)
July 7, 2004
After heated debates last spring, the CMU field hockey team will get
the new venue it desired.
CMU paid $650,000 for a new venue for the field hockey team after
accepting a bid from FieldTurf, the company who also installed a new
surface in Kelly/Shorts Stadium.
Construction on the new field began in mid-July and will be finished
by Sept. 13, said Thomas Trionfi, director of purchasing. The field
hockey season begins Sept. 24.
“That gives us a couple of weeks of leeway,” he said.
The final bid was $131,000 lower then what athletics and Trionfi had
originally estimated.
During a June 25 special conference-call meeting, the Board of
Trustees unanimously approved $781,000 to construct a field hockey
facility after the team was displaced because of turf replacement at
Kelly/Shorts Stadium.
The remaining cost — $354,000 — is being loaned to the athletics
department from the capital projects reserve fund. The loaned money
must be paid back during the next five years.
At the time of the July 7 meeting, athletics officials could not say
how they planned to pay back the loan from the capital projects reserve
fund.
“I’m going to be honest with you,” said Derek Van der Merwe,
associate athletics director. “I cannot answer that question.”
University President Michael Rao, however, said there is no
connection with the loaned money and the proposed athletics fee, which
would charge incoming freshman $300 and transfer students $200 if
approved.
FieldTurf’s bid was one of two received by the university. Pro Grass
offered a bid of $450,000 but failed certification from the
International Hockey Federation, which determines if a field is
acceptable for international championships and competitions.
Trionfi previously said Athletics Director Herb Deromedi and Field
Hockey coach Cristy Freese “believe it is a necessary certification.”
He also said Pro Grass seemed “aloof” in dealing with CMU, acting
uninterested in the contract.
FieldTurf’s original bid was $751,000, which Trionfi knocked down
during negotiations with the company. Also, the price of the field was
lowered because it will be a tacked-down surface, not glued down, which
Trionfi said has no effect on the quality of the field.
“We were able to get a better price because the athletics department
... worked with us to come up with another way to get the price of the
field down,” he said. “The fact that the athletics department was able
to look at another option helped bring the price down.”
Deromedi said he talked with other schools who have tacked-down
surfaces and determined it was a quality venue.
“We don’t anticipate any problems,” he said. “We wanted to work
through the process to make sure we provided a field, but also a safe
and quality field.”
Deromedi said the field hockey program deserves the opportunity to
play on their own field, which he said is “their laboratory; it becomes
their stage of performance.
“This is where they establish leadership qualities, they are able to
find themselves and go through adversity and sometimes those things
serve them well — long after their last semester of competition,” he
said. “They deserve it. They have had a long history at CMU and they
deserve this opportunity.”
After the original funding for the field passed on June 26, trustee
Jerry Campbell expressed some skepticism toward the decision.
“I’m really concerned about the university,” Campbell said. “This is
a non-academic area and we are cutting so much from academics.”
FieldTurf also will paint the lines on the field for the first two
years for no additional charge.
CMU has also paid FieldTurf $639,000 to replace the turf in
Kelly/Shorts Stadium.
Information for this article was taken from staff reports and the
June 30 and July 7 editions of Central Michigan Life.
(08/26/04 4:00am)
Jerry Seymour makes his living flying across the football field,
twisting and turning past opposing defenses.
(08/26/04 4:00am)
2004 Football Schedule
Sep. 4 at Indiana
Sep. 11 at Michigan StateSep.
(08/26/04 4:00am)
If the CMU field hockey team loses this season, it will not be chalked
up to a lack of talent.
With a strong veteran core supplemented with a talented freshman
class, expectations are up for the team’s first season at its new field.
“We are going to make the NCAA Tournament, hands down,” said senior
co-captain Amy Kauffman. “We have a lot of hard work ahead of us, but
we are not settling for anything less.”
Coach Cristy Freese is excited about the team’s veterans, but also
concedes it could take some time for the team to learn to play together.
“The strength of our team is our returning players,” Freese said.
“We also have very talented freshman who will need to overcome the
intimidation factor and learn to play as a team.”
Central begins its season Sept. 5 against Dartmouth.
One of the strongest players returning for CMU is senior forward
Kristy Reed, a First Team All-MAC selection last season.
Reed scored 12 goals and assisted on six others in 20 games last
season. She ranks sixth all-time is CMU history in goals scored with
26, and needs to score 15 more to set the record for goals in a career.
“Every team is always going to have its best players but we need to
have other people step up to take the pressure off her,” Freese said.
“She is going to be double-teamed a lot.”
Freese said she is working with Reed to improve her passing skills
in order to help offset the double teams.
Junior Alisa Folk will be counted on heavily to provide additional
scoring for the Chippewas, especially after the graduation of forward
Tarah Trottier.
Trottier led the Chippewas in scoring last season with 16 goals.
Folk and a slew of younger players will be looked upon to pick up the
load.
“We always have players waiting in the wings when we lose a player
like Tarah,” Freese said. “Alisa is a very good player and has really
improved her game.”
Leadership will not be hard for the team to find as co-captains
Kauffman and Michelle Fogle guide the Chippewas.
“We have to make sure everyone has a positive attitude,” Fogle said.
“We have to keep everyone on the same page on the field.”
Fogle and Kauffman are smart players and Freese said she views them
as extra coaches on the field. Kauffman was No. 2 in the nation in
defensive saves last season, with 18.
Central finished third in the MAC last season after compiling a 9-11
overall record, with a 6-4 mark in the conference.
The Chippewas finished behind Kent State and Louisville and Freese
figures those two teams to be at the top once again.
Both Louisville and Kent State tied for first place in the MAC
preseason coaches poll. Ohio University was picked to finish third,
with CMU being tabbed to finish fourth.
Freese said the Golden Flashes and Cardinals play drastically
different styles of field hockey.
“Louisville plays tough defense and goals will be hard to come by
when we play them,” Freese said. “Kent State plays a more offensive
attacking style of game.”
No matter how tough the MAC is this year, the Chippewas will be
prepared because of a non-conference schedule that includes Michigan,
Michigan State and Northeastern, all NCAA Top 15 squads.
Central’s first home game is Sept. 24 against Miami.
(08/26/04 4:00am)
The CMU field hockey team has lacked one thing in recent history — home
grown talent.
(08/26/04 4:00am)
Athens was abuzz with citywide construction prior to the Summer
Olympics, as the Greek officials rushed to complete extensive projects
to ensure the games’ safety and success.
When in Mount Pleasant, do as the Greeks do.
Though not quite the Parthenon or Acropolis, the wake of progress
was evident in the Central Michigan summer, as the south end of campus
was littered with cranes, bulldozers and excavators.
The crown jewel of the work — CMU’s $638,000 football field turf
installed at Kelly/Shorts Stadium — will be unveiled on the Chippewas
Sept. 18 home opener against Southeast Missouri State.
In addition is a fresh field hockey facility, which will give the
team a home of its own. The drainage problems at Theunissen Stadium
also were cleared, finalizing the MAC’s finest baseball complex.
Critics will argue these projects are unwarranted in the
university’s time of bleak financial prognosis. However, they are
indeed necessary to give Athletics Director Herb Deromedi the tools he
needs to construct a competitive Division I-A program.
The state-of-the-art field turf at Kelly/Shorts above all,
alleviates a serious health risk. The ancient AstroTurf surface was
stiff and unforgiving and served as a 12th defender to players like MAC
Freshman of the Year Jerry Seymour, who relies on quick cutbacks to
chew up yardage.
The turf also provides a shot in the arm to the stale gameday
atmosphere of the past couple of years. Its slick look is a severe
upgrade from the faded color and lettering of the old surface.
With a modern paint job including the word “Chippewas”
in each endzone, the FieldTurf could be a major asset for coach Brian
Kelly to attract the 15,000 fans a game he needs to stay off NCAA
probation.
And field hockey coach Cristy Freese finally secured a home for her
team. This is a solid upgrade from cavernous Kelly/Shorts, a venue much
too spacious for field hockey.
The playing fields are not the only things having changed at CMU —
the field generals have as well.
Three of the six fall coaches will enter their rookie seasons, as
Kelly, volleyball coach Erik Olson and soccer coach Tony DiTucci are
new head men.
In Kelly, the Chippewas landed a coach with national success. An
energetic and intense leader, Kelly led Grand Valley State to
consecutive Division II national titles. He was the perfect fit for a
team that needs direction after four consecutive losing seasons under
Mike DeBord.
Olson and DiTucci look to continue the success founded by their
predecessors. Their goal — to consistently put the volleyball and
soccer programs into the upper echelon of the MAC.
Coupled with veteran fall coaches Freese, Craig Fuller (men’s cross
country) and Karen Lutzke (women’s cross country), the athletics
department is in good hands.
The exterior and interior of CMU Athletics received a facelift this
summer, just as Olympic Athens did.
Blood, sweat and bulldozers as evidence, Deromedi ensured facilities
and leadership will not be CMU’s Achilles’ heel.
(07/07/04 4:00am)
CMU will pay $650,000 to build a new venue for the field hockey team after
accepting a bid from FieldTurf, the company also installing a new surface
in Kelly/Shorts Stadium.
Construction on the new field should begin in mid-July and be finished
by Sept. 13, said Thomas Trionfi, director of purchasing. The field hockey
season begins Sept. 24.
“That gives us a couple of weeks of leeway,” he said.
FieldTurf was one of two bids received by the university. Pro Grass offered
a bid of $450,000 but failed certification from the International Hockey
Federation, which determines if a field is acceptable for international championships
and competitions. Trionfi previously said Athletics Director Herb Deromedi
and Field Hockey coach Cristy Freese “believe it is a necessary certification.”
He also said Pro Grass seemed “aloof” in dealing with CMU, seemingly not
interested in the contract.
FieldTurf’s original bid was $751,000, which Trionfi said, it was knocked
down because of negotiations with the company. Also, the price of the field
was lowered because it will be a tacked-down surface, not glued down, which
Trionfi said has no affect on the quality of the field.
“We were able to get a better price because the athletics department ...
worked with us to come up with another way to get the price of the field
down,” he said. “The fact that the athletics department was able to look
at another option helped bring the price down.”
Deromedi said he talked with other schools who also have tacked-down surfaces and determined it was a quality venue.
“We don’t anticipate any problems,” he said. “We wanted to work through
the process to make sure we provided a field but also a safe and quality
field.”
Deromedi said the field hockey program deserves the opportunity to play
on their own field which he said is “their laboratory; it becomes their stage
of performance.”
“This is where they establish leadership qualities, they are able to find
themselves and go through adversity, and sometimes those things serve them
well — long after their last semester of competition,” he said. “They deserve
it. They have had a long history at CMU and they deserve this opportunity.”
FieldTurf also will paint the lines on the field for the first two years for no additional charge.
Of the money allotted for the field, $296,000 is from previously approved
money for the replacement of the Kelly/Shorts Stadium turf. The remaining
cost — $354,000 — is being loaned to the athletics department from the capital
projects reserve fund. The loaned money must be paid back during the next
five years.
The Board of Trustees had previously approved $751,000 to build the field hockey venue.
CMU is paying FieldTurf $639,000 to replace the turf in Kelly/Shorts.
(07/07/04 4:00am)
Workers finish leveling the surface of Kelly/Shorts Stadium. The installation
of FieldTurf is expected to begin today. The Athletics Department received
funds from CMU to resurface Theunissen Stadium and build a new field hockey
venue as well.
(07/07/04 4:00am)
I was watching the Monday edition of Baseball Tonight on ESPN for the fourth
time the other night, when it dawned on me: Summer is the absolute worst
time of the year for sports.
I have had this feeling before, but this year it has really set in.
It may be that I’m just coming down from the Pistons World Title run or
maybe it’s me anticipating what is coming this fall. Either way, summer sports
are boring me.
It’s not that I don’t enjoy watching highlights from one of the 162 games
that a Major League Baseball team will play during the course of the season,
especially in July when the games have so much riding on them.
It’s just that I don‘t enjoy watching highlights from one of the … well you get the point.
So on this night, as Peter Gammons explained to me why the Chicago White
Sox losing to the Cubs on July 4 was going to affect the division race in
September, I drifted off.
My slumber took me ahead in time, to Sept. 4, when the Brian Kelly era
will officially begin at CMU. The Chippewas will travel to Bloomington Ind.,
to take on the Indiana Hoosiers.
While Indiana isn’t remotely considered a Big Ten contender, this game
would be a good way for Kelly to come in and immediately assert himself as
a Division I coach. It could also go a long way in erasing the memory of
the meltdown CMU suffered at Indiana two years ago.
The dream continued to take me through time and stopped on September 11,
in East Lansing. CMU is playing Michigan State today in a game that it is
more than capable of winning.
Senior linebacker James King loves Spartan stadium. He blocked four punts
there in 2001, and by spreading out the Spartan defense and forcing them
to use more defensive backs, Kelly can expect sophomore running back Jerry
Seymour to have a big day.
The very next day I ended up on the campus of Ball State, where the MAC
will be introduced to CMU’s new women’s soccer coach, Tony DiTucci. The Chippewas
open their MAC schedule against the Cardinals on Sept. 12.
The players were excited about the hire, and they should be. DiTucci is
the Chippewas second head coach and knows the program and his team well,
after being an assistant under Mark Salisbury for the last two seasons.
Another CMU coach will make his MAC debut on Sept. 22, when new volleyball
front man Erik Olson leads the defending MAC West Division Champions onto
their home floor to take on Eastern Michigan.
Even with the graduation of key players such as Shaleene Glombowski, Olson
comes in with a wealth of talent, including last year’s MAC Freshman of the
Year Meghan Moore.
My dream then took me to an unexpected spot on Sept. 24, when it dropped
me off in Mount Pleasant for the Field Hockey team’s first home game of the
season.
I had no idea that this was possible, but apparently, they have a field.
So now, still two months away from these occurrences, I am forced to wait,
and watch highlights of one of the 162 games that a Major League Baseball
team will play during the course of a season.
Life sports writer Paul Costanzo can be reached for comment at sports@cm-life.com.
(06/30/04 4:00am)
The Athletics Department will have $781,000 to construct a field hockey facility
after the team was displaced because of turf replacement at Kelly/Shorts
Stadium.
The Board of Trustees unanimously approved the money Friday in a special conference-call meeting focusing on the issue.
Of the money allotted for the field, $296,000 is from previously approved
money for the replacement of the Kelly/Shorts Stadium turf and $485,000 is
being loaned to the athletics department from the capital projects reserve
fund. The loaned money must be paid back during the next five years.
“These are the best possible solutions we could come up with for the worst
position the university has ever been in,” University President Michael Rao
said.
The new field hockey facility is to be built on the west side of Lyle Bennett Track.
CMU has received two bids from turf companies. One bid, from FieldTurf
— the same company that is replacing the football field turf — is $751,000.
The other bid, from Pro Grass, is about $450,000. Rao said Athletics Director
Herb Deromedi is reluctant to hire Pro Grass.
“He is concerned because he is not as familiar with it,” Rao said.
CMU is paying FieldTurf $639,000 to replace the turf in Kelly/Shorts.
Pro Grass’ product is not certified by the International Hockey Federation
which determines if a field is acceptable for international championships
and competitions. Thomas Trionfi, purchasing director, said CMU is waiting
for testing on Pro Grass turf to determine if it is certifiable, and he also
is negotiating with each company to get the priced lowered.
Trionfi said Deromedi and Field Hockey coach Cristy Freese “believe it is a necessary certification.”
A decision should be reached sometime today, Trionfi said.
At the time of the meeting athletics officials could not say how they
planned to pay back the loan from the capital projects reserve fund.
“I’m going to be honest with you,” said Derek Van der Merwe, associate athletics director. “I cannot answer that question.”
Rao, however, did say there is no connection with the loaned money and
the proposed athletics fee, which would charge incoming freshman $300 and
transfer students $200 if approved.
“This simply would have to be money the department would have to come
up with given its resources,” he said during the meeting and later added,
“it’s not as if they won’t be able to survive.”
Turf in Kelly/Shorts was replaced because old turf was deemed unsafe for
players. The new turf being installed in the stadium does not meet NCAA regulations
for field hockey. For months the future of the team and where it would play
has been in limbo.
“I’m pleased that the board and the president took our situation seriously, and have done something about it,” Freese said.
The construction of the new field is expected to take nine to 10 weeks.
If the bid process goes well and weather permits, officials said they hope
to be finished a week before the first game, September 24. George Ross, vice
president of finance and administration services, said construction could
begin next week.
While the decision was approved in just under an hour at the board meeting, skepticism was expressed from trustees.
“I’m really concerned about the university,” said Trustee Jerry Campbell.
“This is a non-academic area and we are cutting so much from academics.”
